91 Portage Road, New Lynn, Auckland
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 |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Not meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.
Confident Learners Early Learning Centre is a well-established, privately owned service. Since recent building work and a change to the operating licence, the service now provides care for children from birth to six years of age. Two qualified owners lead a culturally diverse team, which is reflective of the ethnicities of children attending.
A philosophy statement guides the service’s operation. It documents the service’s beliefs, values, and attitudes about the provision of early childhood education and care. Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to nurture reciprocal relationships. They aim to provide a language-rich environment to support children’s learning.
The service’s curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. It reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Children have opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Service leaders need to develop systems for monitoring compliance to ensure that regulatory standards are maintained.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
having documented systems to ensure that all hazards to the safety of children are eliminated, isolated or minimised
providing parents with a copy of the ‘Ministry of Health: Reducing food related choking for babies and young children at early learning services at the time of enrolment
ensuring that children are effectively supervised by adults providing education and care at all times.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS12, HS22.
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, 44 (1)(d).
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows the following non-compliances have been addressed:
Having a first aid kit that complies with the full requirements of Appendix 1 (PF28).
Ensuring furniture, fixtures and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured (HS6).
Having completed records of the time each child attending the service sleeps, and checks made by adults every 5 to 10 minutes during that time (HS9).
Checking the equipment, premises, and facilities every day of operation for hazards which include vandalism (HS12).
Ensuring that all water stored in any hot water cylinder is kept at a temperature of at least 60°C (HS14).
Prominently displaying the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 (GMA1).
Having regard for the Statement of National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) in the review and evaluation process (GMA6).
Having regard to the Statement of National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) in the key tasks undertaken as part of the annual plan (GMA8).
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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
22 September 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Confident Learners Early Learning Centre |
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Profile Number |
20300 |
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Location |
New Lynn, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
45 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
37 |
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Review team on site |
August 2023 |
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Date of this report |
22 September 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, February 2018; Education Review, August 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.
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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.
Childcare Plus Learning Centre is a well-established, privately-owned education and care centre catering for up to 20 children over the age of two years. The centre operates in a modified house and garden with all children sharing the indoor and outdoor spaces. The ownership of the centre changed in June 2015, and it is now run by two owners/directors who work with the staff as qualified early childhood teachers.
Since the change of ownership there have been staff changes. There are currently three qualified teachers, including the owners, and one teacher in training. The centre also employs a cook and part-time teachers.
Most children who attend the centre live locally, while others have parents who come into the area for work. Many children come from homes where a language other than English is spoken. They come from a variety of cultural backgrounds and approximately half are of Chinese heritage. While some children attend half-day sessions, most attend for the full day.
The centre's philosophy promotes partnership with parents, respectful relationships, and valuing children as individuals. It identifies that the teachers' role is to support children's inquiry and imagination by working alongside them, allowing time and space for them to grow and develop.
The 2014 ERO report commented on the positive and affirming relationships in the centre, and the inclusive curriculum that supported children to learn through play. The centre was well managed, using internal evaluation to guide improvement.
The previous centre managers had identified that strategic planning and appraisal processes needed strengthening, and that the teachers' role in supporting learners needed clarifying. Good progress has been made in improving appraisal practices.
The centre continues to provide a family atmosphere that welcomes children and their families into a settled, calm environment. Children experience respectful relationships with adults and build friendships among their peer group.
Children are able to make choices from the activities and areas of play that teachers make available for them. Teachers have reviewed the structure of the day to ensure that children get extended periods of time for uninterrupted play. The layout and resourcing of the physical environment encourage children to explore.
Managers and teachers take time to get to know the children, and are increasingly focusing the programme around individual children. They are beginning to observe children more closely, and talk with them to identify their interests and dispositions for learning. They are becoming better informed about how to support the children as learners.
Teachers encourage parents/whānau to contribute to the curriculum. The use of electronic communication is resulting in increased participation by families in assessing children's learning and programme planning. Teachers encourage parents to share aspects of the children's cultures with the other children that attend the centre. Matariki and Diwali are now an integral part of the curriculum. Managers and teachers recognise the need to increase their knowledge of te ao Māori and to introduce more aspects of Māori culture, including te reo Māori, into the programme.
Teachers and managers promote the learning of early literacy and mathematics skills and knowledge though children's play. They share with parents the approach to this learning, as explained in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Planning, assessment and evaluation processes could be strengthened to support teachers' commitment to more individual planning. Parents are encouraged to share more information about their children's home experiences and cultures so that this information can inform teachers' programme planning. Teachers could now use learning stories more to show how children's learning has developed over time, and how teachers might extend their learning.
Since taking ownership of the centre, the managers have reviewed all policies to ensure that they meet current legal requirements. Appraisal systems have been reviewed to ensure that the education council requirements are met, and teachers are appraised and provided with professional learning relevant to their development goals.
Internal evaluation is used well to improve systems and practices. All staff engage in planned and spontaneous reviews. Parents are consulted as part of the internal evaluation. A recent review has led to improvements in processes to support children's transition to school.
Centre staff have identified appropriate next steps for ongoing improvement, including:
Before the review, the staff and management of Childcare Plus Learning Centre 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:
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 Childcare Plus Learning Centre will be in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
19 February 2018
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 |
New Lynn, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20300 |
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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 |
20 children over the age of 2 years |
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Service roll |
21 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 13 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
December 2017 |
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Date of this report |
19 February 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
June 2011 |
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|
Education Review |
May 2008 |
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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.