29 Queen Street, Pukekohe
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Blossoms Educare Pukekohe are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
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Ngā Akatoro Domains |
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Learning Conditions
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Whakatō Emerging |
Blossoms Educare Pukekohe is one of 12 services in the Blossoms organisation. Staff at this centre are
long-serving and the team includes five qualified teachers and four support staff. It serves an increasingly diverse ethnic community. Blossoms’ organisational leaders provide professional guidance and support to their services.
Children’s learning in a play-based environment is supported through caring, and respectful relationships between children and teachers. These relationships support children to build a strong sense of belonging at the centre. They are confident to express their feelings and ideas. Children with additional learning needs are good access to resources to support their learning and inclusion in the curriculum provided.
Shared experiences between older and younger children provide opportunities for learning and leadership. Infants and toddlers’ experience nurturing relationships with their teachers who respond to their verbal and non- verbal communication. They interpret the subtle cues from infants well.
Some teachers use basic te reo Māori and include aspects of tikanga Māori in their practice. Development of bicultural practices that reflect the dual heritage of Aotearoa |New Zealand is a priority area for improvement. Showing children’s identity, cultures, and languages more clearly in the curriculum is required so that children have opportunities to be confident in their own culture and to understand and respect the cultures of others.
Assessment information acknowledges children’s learning and successes. The capability of teachers to identify children’s progress and their learning over time is developing. Assessment information does not yet show children’s cultural knowledge, skills, and experiences.
Leaders and kaiako implement policies and practices that aim to promote positive outcomes for children. There are systems in place for internal evaluation that contribute to improvements. Kaiako should continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of internal evaluation processes on outcomes for children.
Organisational governance and management systems operate with a high level of collaboration and relational trust. Kaiako are provided with a range of professional development opportunities and ongoing mentoring. Leaders proactively seek ways to enable children and whānau to access early childhood education. Blossoms leaders need to monitor that licensing requirements are being maintained at individual services.
Blossoms Educare Pukekohe agree to include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
To implement a responsive curriculum that integrates te reo and tikanga Māori.
To improve assessment records so that information documented about children’s learning reflects the cultural contexts in which they live and identified their progress and learning over time.
To build shared teacher understandings of the purpose and use of internal evaluation, that focuses on the impact of teaching practices on learning outcomes for children.
Organisational improvement actions are:
To implement a process of internal evaluation at an organisation level that contributes to ongoing improvement.
To monitor and regularly evaluate progress towards long-term goals with a focus on how well improvements made have impacted on children’s learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Blossoms Educare Pukekohe completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Developing a written emergency plan that is centre specific and includes evidence of review of the plan on an, at least, annual basis and implementation of improved practices as required (HS7).
Recording emergency drills carried out and evidence of how evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan (HS8).
Having a record of excursions that includes assessment and management of risk and the signature of the person responsible for giving approval for the excursion to take place (HS17).
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
24 October 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Blossoms Educare Pukekohe |
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Profile Number |
46077 |
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Location |
Pukekohe, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
50-79% |
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Service roll |
37 |
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Review team on site |
July 2023 |
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Date of this report |
24 October 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 2017;Education Review, September 2014 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Blossoms Educare Pukekohe is a privately owned centre located close to the township's retail area. The service provides full day education and care for up to 40 children including up to 15 under two years old. There are separate indoor and outdoor areas for each age group. Most children on the roll are Māori, Indian or of Pacific heritage and they are supported by a culturally diverse teaching team.
The centre is one of eight in the South Auckland area operated by the owner. The service focuses on increasing participation in early childhood education by providing an affordable service. Currently there is no cost to any child attending the Blossoms Pukekohe centre. Staff are well supported by the organisation's support team that visits frequently to foster the quality of teaching and learning, help with resource development and monitor centre operations. This team is building the capability of staff to operate the centre more independently with specific procedures aligned to the organisation's policies and goals.
The owner, two support team leaders and four staff members are registered teachers. Centre staff have an external appraiser and mentor who supports their ongoing development and monitors their achievement of goals. Teachers also participate in professional development focused on bicultural practice and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning.
In 2014 ERO identified a number of concerns that resulted in additional support for the centre and an action plan to guide improvements. The leaders and teachers have made some good progress, although several areas continue to be a focus for improvement. Teachers have sustained positive practices in relation to the nurturing care of infants, supportive interactions and encouragement for children to develop independence.
This review was part of a cluster of four education and care reviews in the Blossoms Educare group of centres.
Children play enthusiastically in the centre. They have positive relationships with teachers, and older children are developing social skills as they play collaboratively with their peers. Children know about making choices from prepared resources and activities and benefit from sustained periods of uninterrupted play. Children are also learning to manage their snack and meal times independently.
Infants and toddlers enjoy nurturing care and opportunities to explore suitable resources that are easily accessible to them indoors. Leaders acknowledge that the outdoor environment for babies must be significantly improved in order to provide appropriate access, safety and learning experiences for children under two years old.
Teachers support children to engage with resources. Teachers maintain a focus on teaching children respect for each other and for the environment. This supports children to play cooperatively and to tidy up after using resources. Some teachers use questions well to encourage children's ideas and help them to solve problems. They also include cultural activities regularly in the programme which often involves parents and whānau sharing their skills and knowledge. Teachers could now deepen learning by strengthening their focus on children's individual interests.
Teachers continue to develop their planning, assessment and evaluation processes. They regularly observe and discuss children's interests and have successfully documented children's involvement in ongoing topics such as insects and transport. While teachers plan related activities and resources they should evaluate how well their planning guides their teaching practices. They could draw on examples of skilful teaching and reflective learning stories within the centre to develop a profile of an effective teacher and help each other to achieve these skills. A greater focus on teachers taking leadership responsibility for curriculum areas such as literacy, numeracy and science could help them to develop more complex learning experiences and to enrich children's language development.
Teachers actively involve the community in the centre. Their initiatives have included inviting school leaders to speak at parent meetings to support transition to school, liaising with the Whānau Resource Centre to assist families in need, and arranging visits by local community services. The team also consults families regularly and have established networks to support children with special needs.
The owner provides sound leadership for staff. She provides an inclusive environment, regularly consulting teachers and involving them in decisions about strategic goals, the centre’s philosophy, policies and vision. The owner strongly encourages professional development which has significantly helped teachers to extend their understanding of self review. Some changes in the organisation of staff could reduce the demands on the centre manager who is the only qualified teacher in the infant room. Leaders agree they should revisit some of their documentation to ensure it reflects recent changes in health and safety legislation.
The Blossoms management team is committed to the ongoing development of all centres in the organisation. The team leaders have begun developing an action plan to address the key next steps identified in the current cluster of centre reviews. They are taking responsibility for mentoring and guiding staff while strengthening their expectation that centre managers and teachers will continue to review programme planning, learning extension, internal evaluation and bicultural practices. The management team has plans to further develop its strategic plans and to provide an appropriate appraisal process for the centres' owner.
Centre leaders agree that the key next steps for centre development should include:
developing teachers’ capability to extend children's learning
continuing to strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation in order to guide teaching practices
redistributing staff to ensure there is always a qualified teacher in the under two area
ongoing development of bicultural practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Blossoms Educare Pukekohe 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.
The next ERO review of Blossoms Educare Pukekohe will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
8 March 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 |
Pukekohe, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46077 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
38 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 20 Girls 18 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Tongan Indian Cook Islands Māori other Pacific |
12 8 8 6 3 1 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
50-79% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
November 2016 |
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Date of this report |
8 March 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review |
September 2014 |
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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:
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.
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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Blossoms Educare Pukekohe requires support to improve the quality of governance and management capability in order to improve positive outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Blossoms Educare Pukekohe provides full day education and care for a maximum of 40 children up to five years of age. Children are organised into two groups, those who are up to 2 years of age and those who are over. The centre is a newly established service operating in a renovated house. This is the ERO’s first review of the centre. The centre owner was on leave at the time of the review.
Blossoms Educare Pukekohe is a privately owned centre. It is one of three centres that operate as part of the Blossoms Educare organisation. The same administrative and management systems serve the three centres. The owner delegates the day-to-day management and leadership of the centre to the newly appointed centre manager. Currently 50 percent of the staff are qualified and registered.
The Blossoms Educare organisation is building a leadership team to work alongside managers and teachers to build staff capacity in self review, strategic planning and teacher practice.
Children are keen to learn and enjoy positive relationships with each other. They engage in simple play activities and are encouraged to develop their self management skills and independence. Young infants receive nurturing care and are confident to explore the attractive environment. Staff are responsive to infants’ needs and use effective teaching strategies to support infants’ physical and social development.
Older children enjoy playing together and independently. Aspects of their programme are good. These aspects include examples of effective questioning techniques to prompt children’s thinking and respectful interactions. Teachers would benefit from support to strengthen their understanding of their role in extending children’s learning.
Evaluation of centre programmes and assessment of children’s development and learning are at an early stage. Most assessment records are descriptive and do not yet recognise the learning that has occurred. The new curriculum leader for the organisation acknowledges that teachers need external support to help them with programme planning. Some progress has been made following recent professional development. ERO and centre leaders agree that further professional learning would support staff to develop a shared understanding and clear expectations of the use of high quality assessment, planning and evaluation processes. This learning for staff should help to improve outcomes for children.
The centre manager and staff have established positive relationships with parents. They keep parents informed about their children’s learning and development. Parents of infants value the opportunity to share regular information with teachers about their child’s emerging interests. Teachers use this information to plan the programme.
Self review across the organisation is at a development stage. It is not yet focussed on improving outcomes for children. Centre leaders acknowledge that they need to strengthen their understanding of self review in order to guide staff practices and centre development.
Centre systems and policies have been developed at the organisational level. Centre leaders agree that a key priority is to ensure these systems are used to effectively support Blossoms Pukekohe. Key next steps should include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Blossoms Educare Pukekohe 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:
ERO recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Blossoms Educare Pukekohe will be within two years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
29 September 2014
|
Location |
Pukekohe |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46077 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
39 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 22 Boys 17 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Tongan Indian other Asian |
6 23 6 3 1 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
July 2014 |
||
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Date of this report |
29 September 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
No previous ERO reports |
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.