EDU725 Inclusive Early Childhood Education Assessment 2, 2026 | Open Polytechnic

EDU725 Assessment 2

Weighting  60%

Learning Outcomes

• Critically examine the impact of assumptions and beliefs about difference and diversity, including personal beliefs, impact on relationships, learning and teaching.
• Describe the legislative, regulatory and professional policies related to children’s wellbeing and inclusion (e.g., child protection) and the implications for practice.
• Discuss the responsibilities of the early childhood kaiako in promoting tamariki rights and inclusion.
• Critically analyse current issues and debates related to diversity, the rights of tamariki and inclusion in early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Use critical theory and post-structural theory to examine their preparedness for supporting culturally relevant inclusive practice.

Teaching Council Standards

This assessment is aligned with the following Teaching Council Standards:

Professional learning | Akoranga ngaiotanga

Use inquiry, collaborative problem-solving and professional learning to improve the professional capability to impact on the learning and achievement of all learners. 

Learning-focused culture | Te ahurea akoranga

Develop a culture that is focused on learning, and is characterised by respect, inclusion, empathy, collaboration and safety.

Instructions

Complete and submit your assessment according to the Open Polytechnic’s Assessments webpage. This includes information on academic integrity, formatting, word limits and referencing.

• Include your name, student number and the assessment number.
• Number your pages.

Submission

• Submit your assessment in one file.
• Submit your work through your iQualify course.
• Emailed assessments will not be accepted.
• You will receive an automated notice advising you of your successful submission.

By submitting your assessment, you confirm that it is your own, original work.

Advocacy for the rights of tamariki

Issues and debates concerning diversity, the rights of tamariki and inclusion in an early childhood education setting are ongoing and require advocacy at a personal, centre-based, community and nationwide level. In this assessment you are tasked with advocating for tamariki in relation to two such issues and/or debates in which children’s rights are not currently being met in early childhood education in line with international conventions such as United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) or United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

You must use a different issue and/or debate concerning diversity, the rights of tamariki and inclusion in an early childhood education setting as the context for Task 1 and Task 2.

Some examples of issues and/or debates include diversity of language and culture, child abuse, child and family poverty, religious diversity, family form, disability, refugee or immigrant families, gender diversity, sexualities, and child health.

Task 1 concerns advocacy at a personal and setting-based level.

Task 2 concerns advocacy at a community and nationwide level.

Task 1: Proposal to address a child’s rights issue and/or debate

You are working at an early childhood education setting and have identified a contemporary issue and/or debate concerning diversity, the rights of tamariki and inclusion. You have raised your concerns with the manager and they have asked you to create a proposal for how you would address the issue and/or debate in your role as an early childhood kaiako.

Your proposal must:

• outline and critically analyse your chosen issue and/or debate
• examine your assumptions and beliefs relating to this issue and/or debate and how they impact on relationships, learning and teaching
• use critical theory and post-structural theory to examine your own preparedness for supporting culturally relevant inclusive practice in relation to this issue and/or debate
• discuss your responsibilities as an early childhood kaiako in relation to this issue and/or debate.

Your proposal should include reference to relevant international conventions (such as UNCRC, UNDRIP, UNCRPD), legislative, regulatory, and professional policies. Support your proposal with relevant literature. It must also acknowledge and include the bicultural setting of Aotearoa New Zealand.

(Word count guideline:  1300 words)
(40 marks)

Task 2: Advocating for a child’s rights issue and/or debate

The Ministry of Education oversees policy relating to early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand. The current Minister of Education has some understanding of child’s rights issues and/or debates in early childhood education. However, the Minister understands that planning effectively for the future requires an in-depth understanding of the historical, social, political and cultural contexts that have influenced the child’s rights issue and/or debate.

Identify a second contemporary issue and/or debate that interests you concerning diversity, the rights of tamariki, and inclusion in an early childhood education setting. This must be different to the issue and/or debate used in Task 1.

Develop a briefing paper for the Minister of Education that examines how early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand can address the child’s rights issue and/or debate and make recommendations for future change. Your briefing paper must acknowledge and include the bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand and refer to relevant literature.

Your briefing will use the following structure and headings.

Purpose – introduce the briefing:

• Detail the aim of the briefing paper – what it is about and why it is being written.
• One short paragraph.

Background – outline the issue and/or debate:

• Describe the child’s rights issue and/or debate in ECE by summarising the nature and extent of the issue in Aotearoa New Zealand and why change is needed.
• One–two brief paragraphs.

Discussion – critically analyse the issue and/or debate:

• Discuss why the issue and/or debate persists and what should be done to address it.
• Include a range of perspectives, including those of key children’s rights advocates.
• Outline and examine the assumptions and beliefs relating to this issue and/or debate and their impacts on relationships, learning, and teaching in an ECE setting.
• Substantiate statements with evidence from legislative, regulatory and professional policies related to children’s wellbeing and inclusion, including analysis of their implications for practice.

Conclusion – summarise the key points:

• Re-iterate key ideas for the Minister of Education.

Recommendations – detail recommendations for future policy and planning:

• Detail three recommendations that are supported by the ideas presented in your discussion.
• At least one recommendation must relate to the bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand.

(Word count guideline:  2000 words)
(50 marks)

Overall presentation and referencing

Marks will be awarded for overall presentation of both parts of the assessment, including grammar, spelling, structure/flow, appropriate acknowledgements through in-text citations and references in APA7 style.

(10 marks)

                                                                                                                        100 marks total       (Total word count guideline: 3300 words)

Marking schedule