Flying Start Kindergarten

Education institution number:
20493
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
19
Telephone:
Address:

2/22 Cromwell Street, Mount Eden, Auckland

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Flying Start Kindergarten

ERO’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.

ERO’s Judgement

Regulatory standards

ERO’s judgement

Curriculum

Meeting

Premises and facilities

Meeting

Health and safety

Meeting

Governance, management and administration

Meeting

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Flying Start Kindergarten is a privately owned education and care service for children over the age of two years. Children and families attending reflect the ethnic diversity of the local community. The centre owner leads a small team of three qualified teachers. This is ERO’s second Akanuku | Assurance Review of this service.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is inclusive. Children experience positive and respectful interactions with adults. Their cultures are respected and supported through the use of their home languages and cultural events. Teachers provide a curriculum that allows children to be involved in decisions about their learning experiences.

The design and layout of the premises supports the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences. Children’s exploration is promoted through planned and spontaneous experiences in the sufficiently resourced environment.

Ongoing monitoring of health and safety and governance, management and administration practices are required to ensure all aspects of regulatory standards are maintained.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

  • increasing the visibility of how teachers are responding to children’s interests and dispositions in assessment, planning and evaluation information

  • deepening teacher understanding of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, through more targeted professional learning and development opportunities.

Actions for Compliance

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • Ensuring that the daily check of equipment, premises and facilities includes consideration of windows and other areas of glass (HS12).

  • Ensuring all children’s workers are safety checked every three years with checks being carried out by the employer or another person or organisation acting on their behalf (GMA7A).

  • Having an attendance record that meets the requirements outlined in the Early Childhood Funding Handbook for children currently attending (GMA11).

During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following
non-compliance:

  • Maintaining a record of all medicine given to children attending the service which includes evidence of parental acknowledgement (HS28).

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

1 September 2022 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Flying Start Kindergarten

Profile Number

20493

Location

Mt Eden, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

27 children over the age of 2 years

Percentage of qualified teachers

100%

Service roll

20

Review team on site

August 2022

Date of this report

1 September 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Akanuku | Assurance Review, January 2021
Education Review, August 2016

General Information about Assurance Reviews

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.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • 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.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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.

Flying Start Kindergarten - 21/01/2021

ERO’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.

ERO’s Judgement

Regulatory standards

ERO’s judgement

Curriculum

Meeting

Premises and facilities

Meeting

Health and safety

Not meeting

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.

Background

Flying Start Kindergarten provides education and care for up to 27 children. The centre has a large open plan room and outdoor area. This is the first ERO review for the service under new ownership.

Summary of Review Findings

Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.

The licensee should regularly monitor, evaluate and implement systems and practices to ensure the service is meeting all regulatory requirements.

Actions for Compliance

ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:

  • a written emergency plan that includes at least; a list of safety and emergency supplies and resources sufficient for the age and number of children and adults at the service, a communication plan for families, and evidence of review of the plan on an, at least, annual basis and implementation of improved practices as required
  • an annual budget setting out the service’s estimated revenue and expenses for the year.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS7, GMA9.

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • evidence of evaluation of assessment and planning (C2)
  • obtaining guidance and support from agencies/services for children with additional needs (C13)
  • a tempering valve or other accurate means of limiting hot water temperature (PF24)
  • a procedure outlining how the service will ensure hygiene and infection control outcomes are met when washing sick or soiled children (PF26)
  • a space where a sick child can be temporarily kept at a safe distance from other children while being supervised (PF27)
  • a procedure for the changing of nappies that states that children are treated with dignity and respect (HS3)
  • a current fire evacuation scheme approved by the New Zealand Fire Service (HS4)
  • evidence of how evaluation of the emergency drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan (HS7)
  • a sleep procedure that states children do not have access to food while in bed (HS9)
  • evidence the temperature of warm water delivered from taps that are accessible to children is no higher than 40°C, and comfortable for children at the centre to use (HS13)
  • water stored in any hot water cylinder is kept at a temperature of at least 60°C (HS14)
  • a record of excursions that includes: the names of adults and children involved, assessment and management of risk, adult:child ratios, evidence of parental permission and approval of adult:child ratios for regular and special excursions, the signature of the person responsible for giving approval for the excursion to take place (HS17)
  • a procedure for children traveling in a motor vehicle while in the care of the service are restrained as required by Land Transport legislation (HS18)
  • evidence of written authority from parents for the administration of medicine and evidence of parental acknowledgement (HS28)
  • the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, and the Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008 displayed for parents and visitors (GMA1)
  • a process for reviewing and evaluating the service’s operation by the people involved in the service (GMA6)
  • process for human resource management; including selection and appointment procedures, induction procedures into the service; and discipline/dismissal procedures (GMA7)
  • evidence of the amount and details of the expenditure of any Ministry of Education funding received by the service is displayed (GMA9)
  • all children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014 (GMA7a)
  • evidence of the annual plan identifying ‘who’ in relation to key tasks undertaken each year (GMA8)
  • required documentation is made available as appropriate to parents and Government officials having right of entry to the service under Section 319B of the Education Act 1989 (GMA12).

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review of Flying Start Kindergarten will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)

Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

21 January 2021

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Flying Start Kindergarten

Profile Number

20493

Location

Mount Eden, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

27 children, including up to 0 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

22

Ethnic composition

Māori 4
NZ European/Pākehā 7
other ethnic groups 11

Review team on site

October 2020

Date of this report

21 January 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review August 2016

Education Review May 2013

General Information about Assurance Reviews

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.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • 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.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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 regulated 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; police vetting; teacher certification; ratios)
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

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.

Flying Start Kindergarten - 15/08/2016

1 Evaluation of Flying Start Kindergarten

How well placed is Flying Start Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Flying Start Kindergarten in Mt Eden provides education and care for children from three to five years of age. The small, privately owned centre operates in a converted building in a quiet suburban street. Children over four years of age attend on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the children between three and four years of age on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The programme provided by the well qualified teaching team incorporates elements of theories currently informing good practice in early childhood education. Programmes are underpinned by a philosophy statement shared and developed by teachers. This statement includes a commitment to providing biculturalism in the programme.

The centre has been operated for more than 20 years by the owner. She provides governance and a framework of systems, policies and procedures to guide the management of the centre. The qualified teaching team is led by a long-serving head teacher.

The centre has a positive reporting history with ERO. The 2013 report identified that the centre was very well placed to promote positive outcomes for children. It commended the integration of mathematics, science and literacy in meaningful ways in play, and the opportunities for children to learn about te reo and te ao Māori. Self review was well understood as a way of promoting and sustaining improvement. These aspects of the programme have been sustained and improved further.

The Review Findings

Flying Start Kindergarten continues to provide very good quality education and care for children. The responsive teaching team welcome children and their families with warmth and respect. Children settle quickly, making choices about their play and connecting with friends. They demonstrate high levels of belonging and wellbeing.

Teachers provide an environment that encourages children to explore and experiment with a wide variety of resources and experiences. Children are highly motivated to manage and direct their own play and to manipulate the environment to suit their play purposes. They collaborate and cooperate confidently to extend and design play. Teachers plan a responsive curriculum to be meaningful to the interests and learning of these children.

Teachers provide on-going support and encouragement for children to participate and work well together. Teachers have engaged in tertiary study and extensive action research on social competencies. The interim findings from this research have had a significant and positive impact on the centre. Teachers confidently support or observe children's interactions. They engage children in conversations and value their ideas to extend play.  

A particular focus in the programme in the last year has been on physical activity and healthy eating. A careful and thoughtful melding of these two topics has provided children with a good understanding of the impact of their decisions about what they eat and how they exercise. Integrating early literacy, mathematics and science into programmes has provided children with a strong foundation for learning. Excursions outside the centre are focused on providing extra opportunities for children to extend their physical skills and confidence.

Teachers have high levels of understanding and knowledge about children and their families. Regular consultation with parents and self review about how well they connect with families have resulted in sound partnerships. Teachers have made carefully planned, positive changes to the outdoor area to promote physically active play and provide appropriate opportunities for risk taking and challenge in a natural environment. Parent support has helped to realise this project.

Teachers have made a strong start to embedding bicultural learning and understanding into programmes. Teachers are deliberate in their use of te reo Māori and their teaching about tikanga Māori. Visual evidence in the centre provides confirmation of teachers' commitment to supporting bicultural understanding for parents and children.

Management of the centre is generally efficient and well organised. Strategic planning guides decision-making and is linked to the provision of professional learning for teachers, evaluation topics and to the annual plan. Professional learning and development informs teachers' practices. Systems for appraising teachers' professional practice are being aligned to the Practising Teacher Criteria and the Teachers Council expectations of good practice. The owner provides very well for teachers to continue to develop their own learning and higher level studies.

Key Next Steps

ERO suggests, and centre leaders agree, that the next key steps for the centre are to continue to:

  • strengthen bicultural programmes and consider adding bicultural values to the philosophy
  • deepen the evaluation of programmes and practice on outcomes for children
  • ensure that performance management systems are strengthened to meet the Education Council requirements. 

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Flying Start Kindergarten 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Flying Start Kindergarten will be in four years. 

Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

15 August 2016 

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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. 

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service 

Location

Mt Eden, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

20493

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

27 children, including up to 0 aged under 2

Service roll

46

Gender composition

Boys      24
Girls       22

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
other

  2
36
  8

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49%       50-79%       80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

April 2016

Date of this report

15 August 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

May 2013

Education Review

May 2010

Education Review

March 2007

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.