Active Explorers Grenada | Education Review Office (2024)

1 Evaluation of Active Explorers Grenada

How well placed is Active Explorers Grenada to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Active Explorers Grenada, formerly Leaps and Bounds Grenada, is an all-day learning service located north of Wellington. The centre is licensed for 95 children, including 31 up to two years of age. At the time of this ERO evaluation, 116 children are enrolled, including 12 Māori. A range of ethnic groups are represented on the roll, including a number of English language learners. Infants and toddlers are cared for in allocated spaces, separate to those of older children.

Day-to-day operation is the responsibility of the centre manager. Currently, there are nine qualified and registered teachers.

Significant governance, management, leadership and staffing changes have occurred since the August 2014 ERO report. In December 2014, the centre was purchased by Evolve Education Group Ltd (Evolve). There have been recent changes to the Evolve management personnel roles and responsibilities to provide regional support for centres.

The previous ERO report identified areas of practice requiring further development. These included literacy provision, self review and provision for Māori children. These remain an ongoing priority.

The Review Findings

The centre has identified the need to review its philosophy to better reflect the views of the community and new teaching team. This should support the identification of curriculum priorities to align with the Active Explorers brand, newly developed by Evolve.

Children easily access spaces and resources to extend their interests and develop independence. The outdoor area provides opportunities for them to engage in a variety of activities that provide physical challenge, promote collaboration and encourage exploration.

Children over the age of two are provided with a suitable range of opportunities and resources to support their free play and social interactions. Daily routines enable group learning experiences.

Provision for infants and toddlers is based on philosophies considered best practice for group care. These children experience a calm and quiet environment that supports their wellbeing. Teachers are generally responsive, nurturing and respectful of their preferences and parents' aspirations. They recognise routines as learning opportunities and communicate meaningfully during care moments. Children's interests are appropriately fostered and extended.

In 2017, a new programme planning template has been introduced to promote consistency of practice across the centre. Teachers observe and identify children's learning and document their interests and engagement in the programme. To better respond to children's needs and extend their learning, more deliberate actions should be identified to guide teaching. Building a shared understanding of assessment, planning and evaluation, aligned with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, should support the desired outcome for improved and more consistent practice.

Transitions into and through the centre are thoughtfully considered. Teachers have developed useful relationships with some local schools. To further enhance the transition process for children and their families strengthening partnerships with local schools is planned.

Established relationships with external agencies and families supports provision for children with diverse needs. ERO identified that a more deliberate planned approach is needed to enhance learning opportunities for these learners.

Aspects of te ao Māori are evident in the programme. The centre is working to develop relationships with whānau Māori and local iwi to strengthen the curriculum.

Staff engage in regular self review. This is improvement-focused and results in changes to systems and routines. To more effectively guide decision-making that leads to positive outcomes for children, a shared understanding of internal evaluation is required.

Organisational leadership and management structures have recently been strengthened. This should better support development of leadership within the centre, improved systems and processes for centre operation and more effective teaching and learning.

Currently, the centre is not meeting legal requirements for appraisal and the endorsem*nt of teachers' practising certificates. Evolve has developed an up-to-date, appropriate appraisal policy and procedure. Robust implementation of this process should ensure accountability and meaningful appraisal for teacher development.

Key Next Steps

Management should:

• develop systems and processes that build leaders' and teachers' capabilities
• review the philosophy and curriculum to establish key priorities and emphases aligned to TeWhāriki, the early childhood curriculum, with clear indicators for high quality practice
• implement appraisal processes and provide appropriate induction and mentoring for provisionally certificated teachers
• undertake robust internal evaluation to promote positive outcomes for children.

Recommendation

The service will provide ERO with an action plan that shows how the key next steps will be addressed. ERO will request progress updates.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Active Explorers Grenada completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:

• curriculum
• premises and facilities
• health and safety practices
• governance, management and administration.

During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:

• emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
• physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
• suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
• evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

ERO identified an area of non-compliance relating to governance and management.
To meet requirements the service provider must ensure:

• suitable human resource management practices are implemented.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7]

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Active Explorers Grenada will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

1 March 2018

The Purpose of ERO Reports

The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:

• Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
• Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
• Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
• Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.

Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.

ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.

A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.

For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

• Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
• Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
• Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
• Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.