169 Mungavin Avenue, Cannons Creek, Porirua
View on mapERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Not meeting |
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Health and safety |
Not meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Not meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.
Aiga Paia A'oga Amata is located on the grounds of the Holy Family School in Porirua. It is governed by a management committee. Gagana and aganu'u Samoa and the Catholic faith underpin the centre's philosophy. The head teacher oversees daily operations and leads a team of six staff, including three registered teachers. Most children attending have Pacific heritage, and a third are identified as Māori.
The curriculum is inclusive, and responsive to children’s preferences. Children are respected and are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to nurture reciprocal relationships.
The curriculum promotes children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour. It provides a language-rich environment to support children’s learning. The philosophy statement guides the service’s operations.
Centre leaders must ensure that policies and procedures are followed. Ongoing monitoring of requirements is needed to ensure the service meets and maintains the regulatory standards.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
a tempering valve or other accurate means of limiting hot water temperature is installed for the requirements of criterion HS13 to be met
a record of emergency drills carried out, and evidence of how evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan
a procedure for monitoring children’s sleep that ensures that children are checked for warmth, breathing, and general wellbeing, and a record of the time each child attending the service sleeps, and checks made by adults during that time
consideration of hazards must include cleaning agents, medicines, and other hazardous materials, hazards present in kitchen or laundry facilities, vandalism, dangerous objects, and foreign materials (e.g., broken glass, animal droppings)
water stored in any hot water cylinder kept at a temperature of at least 60° Celsius
a record of excursions that includes time of the excursion, assessment and management of risk, evidence of parental permission and approval of adult:child ratios for regular and for special excursions
a record of all food served during the service’s hours of operation (other than that provided by parents for their own children)
all practicable steps taken for children who become unwell while attending the service kept at a safe distance from other children (to minimise the spread of infection) and returned to the care of a parent or other person authorised to collect the child without delay
a record of all injuries, illnesses and incidents that occur at the service; records include evidence that the parents have been notified/informed
a record of all medicine with date and time medicine was administered and by whom, and evidence of parental acknowledgement
how the service provider ensured that no person on the premises uses, or is under the influence of, alcohol or any other substance that has a detrimental effect on their functioning or behaviour during the service’s hours of operation
a written procedure for safety checking that meets safety checking requirements of the Children’s Act 2014 and a record of all safety checks and the results
an annual plan identifying ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘when’ in relation to key tasks undertaken each year.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, PF24, HS8, HS9, HS12, HS14, HS17, HS19, HS26, HS27, HS28, HS33, GMA7A, GMA8.
Since the onsite part of the review, the service has provided ERO with evidence to show the following
non-compliances have now been addressed:
A procedure outlining how the service will ensure hygiene and infection control outcomes are met when washing sick or soiled children (PF26).
A written emergency plan that includes evidence of review of the plan on at least an annual basis, and implementation of improved practices as required (HS7).
ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence issued to this service provider. ERO will not undertake a further review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets regulatory standards.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
3 November 2022
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Aiga Paia A’oga Amata |
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Profile Number: |
60338 |
| Location | Porirua, Wellington |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 7 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
50-79% |
|
Service roll |
27 |
|
Review team on site |
August 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
3 November 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, November 2017; Education Review, October 2014 |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
discussions with those involved in the service
consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Aiga Paia A'oga Amata is a Samoan language nest that offers full day education and care service for up to 30 children from birth to school age. The aoga is located on the grounds of the Holy Family School in Porirua. A management committee that includes community representatives, the school's principal, and aoga leaders governs the aoga, and sets its strategic priorities and direction.
Gagana and aganu'u Samoa and the Catholic faith underpin the centre's philosophy and curriculum. Strategic appointments in the management committee and the aoga has resulted in significantly improved management of the aoga.
ERO's 2014 report identified development priorities that included improving the quality of teacher appraisals, the use of evaluative questions and clear indicators in the aoga's self-review, and strengthening teaching practice. Good progress has been made in these areas.
The aoga's philosophy is strongly evident in the programme. Children enjoy a sense of belonging through the aoga's gagana and aganu'u Samoa. They are confident to express their feelings and needs, and to ask for support in their play. Children enjoy mixed age play at times. Flexible arrangements are made for children under two years old who are nurtured by teachers in their separate indoor and outdoor play spaces.
Culturally appropriate interactions and relationships between children and adults are evident. The environment supports children's languages and cultures. Teachers have developed inclusive relationships with parents, who feel comfortable in the aoga. Parents' perspectives are valued. Teachers could now deepen their response to children's home experiences and parent's involvement in their child's learning.
The large indoor and outdoor spaces provide many opportunities for children to create imaginative play. Changes to the outdoor environment are being considered, and these changes should be planned and monitored through the aoga's strategic and annual planning, and evaluation processes.
There are good systems for planning and documenting the curriculum programme. The aoga's curriculum planning is linked to Te Whāriki the early childhood curriculum. Curriculum documents show an increasing focus on children's interests. Teachers could use a greater range of deliberate teaching methods to enhance and extend children's learning.
Transition support for parents and children is creating closer ties between the aoga and the local Catholic school. The principal is a member of the aoga's management committee, and has become an integral part of the aoga's decision making.
The new, capable faia'oga senia (head teacher) manages the aoga operations efficiently. She supports staff in their roles, and promotes professional learning and developments to teaching practice. Relevant professional learning opportunities link well to teachers' appraisal goals. The teaching team is collegial and strongly collaborative in their shared purpose and ongoing team connectedness.
The management committee's governance structure provides good support for guiding improvement focused decisions. Long and short term planning and the new internal evaluation model have lifted staff expectations, and developed shared understandings about effective early childhood education. Internal evaluation is engaging staff and parents in ongoing improvements to the aoga. Better appraisal processes are resulting in a more positive staff culture and improved outcomes for children.
Aoga leaders agree that key next steps include:
embedding governance practices and promoting sustainability and improvement
continuing to strengthen staff understanding of professional practice in early childhood education
increasing teachers' responses to children's home experiences and interests
evaluating how effectively the curriculum programme is promoting children's learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Aiga Paia A'oga Amata 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:
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.
The next ERO review of Aiga Paia A'oga Amata will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
14 November 2017
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.
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Location |
Porirua, Wellington |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60338 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 7 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
26 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 15 Boys 11 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
50-79% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2017 |
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Date of this report |
14 November 2017 |
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|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2013 |
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|
Supplementary Review |
August 2009 |
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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:
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.
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:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.