Working together for a strong start Ka mahi ngātahi mō te tukinga nui tonu Nancy Bell Director, Early Learning Early Learning and Student Achievement Group

Confident and Competent “...to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society” (Te Whāriki, p.9)

Early learning quality “Quality is the interweaving of many aspects of practice that contribute to good learning opportunities. These include leadership, philosophy, vision, relationships and interactions, teaching and learning, assessment and planning, professional learning, qualifications and support, self review, management.” (Quality in ECE, ERO, 2010)

Learning outcomes valued by whānau “Quality will be evidenced where all children experience learning and teaching interactions which lead to those learning outcomes valued by whānau” (Advisory Group on sector-wide quality, 2012)

A system that enables quality A rich curriculum Responsive pedagogies Assessment for learning Timely and tailored support for learners’ additional needs A joined up system A learning workforce Sound stewardship Strategic investment Sustained participation Engaged whānau Strong leadership

Looks like....... Sustained participation “I attend regularly and form strong relationships that enable learning” How do we sustain these levels of participation? Should we shift our focus to length of participation? How can we be sure that every child experiences high quality education? (Figures as at 31 March 2016)

(Kiwis Count Survey, June 2015) Looks like....... Engaged Whānau “My whānau are welcomed and contribute to conversations about my learning” How do we strengthen and extend good practice? How do we meaningfully involve parents in early learning conversations? 81% of parents are satisfied with their children’s early childhood education service overall (Kiwis Count Survey, June 2015)

Looks like....... A rich curriculum “I experience the full breadth of the curriculum and can pursue my interests in depth” “....implementation of the early childhood curriculum has steadily drifted away from direct engagement with Te Whāriki...” (AGEL Report, 2015)

Now We’re Talking Looks like....... Responsive Pedagogies “My educators adapt their interactions to meet my learning needs” Now We’re Talking Strengthening children’s early language through improved practice, quality and learning outcomes. high level of collaboration adjusting the way teachers talk making small changes, like having more books a rapid change cycle

Looks like....... Assessment for Learning “Educators notice, recognise, and document my interests, strengths and needs and plan for next steps” “Better assessment and self-review practices will enable services to be more responsive to all children. So too will the ability to listen, respect and respond to what parents and whānau expect of the service”. (Working with Te Whāriki, May 2013) 10

“I receive the support I need to participate and learn” Looks like....... Timely & tailored support for learners’ additional needs We heard the current system is far too complicated. Parents, whānau and educators need much easier access to support, and they want the system to be joined-up and streamlined. We are redesigning the system for additional learning support: improving support for teachers and parents child-centred, easy to access, uninterrupted learning support strengthened collaboration quality information to support decisions “I receive the support I need to participate and learn”

Looks like....... A learning workforce Where to next? What qualifications do teachers, kaiako and educators need for the future? What models of Professional Learning and Development are working, and how do we grow these? How can we better use evidence and data to support professional learning? “My educators are engaged in regular Professional Learning and Development that supports my learning”

“When I move across borders, everyone in my world is on the same page” Looks like....... A joined up system “When I move across borders, everyone in my world is on the same page” How do we build collaboration across early learning settings, schools and kura?

Review of education funding systems Strategic investment Review of education funding systems target the right resources to the right child, at the right time incentivise and prioritise governance and leadership Tough choice: to control or prioritise spend

Can all children access early learning services? Is it high quality? Looks like....... Sound stewardship Can all children access early learning services? Is it high quality? Do we have the right levers in place to achieve this? Education Act update seeks to establish broad goals for the education system and provide for regular statements outlining the Government's areas of focus – these will provide strategic direction for services “I experience high quality early years provision now and in the future”

What does this mean for our leadership? collaborative leadership is critical in every part of our system we will increasingly need to provide data and evidence to support investment decisions border crossing is the “new norm” and may require us to find new languages and ways of working