9 St Leonards Road, Kelston, Auckland
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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Kelston Community Early Childhood Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakaū Embedding |
Kelston Community Early Childhood Centre is governed by the Kelston Community Trust. A trust contact person oversees governance of the service on behalf of the trust. A centre manager leads a team of four teachers. Most of the children attending are Māori or have Pacific heritages. The service provides for an increasingly diverse ethnic community.
Children are well supported to transition into the service. Whānau who spoke with ERO, appreciate the positive relationships teachers establish with their children, and themselves. Children confidently share their feelings, interests and ideas with each other and their teachers. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging.
Teachers value the languages and cultures of children and families. Whānau have opportunities to contribute to a curriculum that recognises and responds to home languages and cultures. Children benefit from teachers’ purposeful integration of meaningful experiences that reflect te ao Māori (the Māori world). These practices affirm children’s mana and cultural identity.
Children’s language development is supported by teachers encouraging them to participate in small group conversations. Teachers skilfully promote children’s independence, and decision making. Children with additional learning needs are well supported to fully participate in the curriculum provided.
Learning environments are well designed and richly resourced. Children have access to print-rich environments and a range of materials to express their ideas. Mathematical symbols and concepts are incorporated into the teaching and learning. Children can revisit their learning.
Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to build their professional knowledge. Teachers are supported to take responsibility for their own professional learning. They are continuing to increase their understanding of how to use internal evaluation to identify the impacts of improvements made. There are established systems that support decision making and an ongoing focus on what is happening for children and their learning. Consistent implementation of these practices is likely to support continued improvements.
Kelston Community Early Childhood Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kelston Community Early Childhood 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.
During the onsite visit the service provided ERO with evidence to show it had addressed the following non-compliances:
Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
13 October 2021
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Kelston Community Early Childhood Centre |
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Profile Number |
10347 |
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Location |
Kelston, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
40 children over 2 years of age |
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Percentage of qualified teachers (delete if not applicable) |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
35 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 8, NZ European/Pākehā 2, Samoan 11, Tongan 5, Asian 5, other ethnic groups 4 |
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Review team on site |
July 2021 |
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Date of this report |
13 October 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, October 2017; Education Review, April 2015 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kelston Early Childhood Centre has contracted external advisory support to continue progress towards establishing effective leadership and more in-depth knowledge at governance and management levels. This support is also required to increase the consistency of good quality teaching practices.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
The Kelston Early Childhood Centre offers programmes for up to 40 children over two years of age, from a wide range of ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. The centre was established by the Kelston Community Trust. Six principals from local schools have been involved in the governance of the centre since its inception.
The Trust also promotes learning opportunities for local children and their families through a HIPPY programme, which operates in the same building. The HIPPY manager is the Trust contact person. Many parents have participated in the HIPPY programmes and some have then trained as HIPPY educators, or as early childhood or primary school teachers.
Some families attend the centre for short periods. The Trust manages funding carefully to enable children to attend without fee payment.
Since the 2015 ERO review, Ministry of Education other external support has focused on improving curriculum management, self review and appraisal practices. These improvements were recommended by ERO in 2012. They are still to be fully implemented. Leadership, governance and management have not been effective in supporting consistent improvement.
In the past month, a new Trust chairperson has been appointed and the Trust is currently advertising for a new centre manager to lead curriculum developments. There has also been progress with strategic planning and professional support for teachers.
The centre's philosophy is partly evident in the programme. A richly resourced, natural and attractive, child-centred learning environment engages children in play. Children are cared for and are nurtured well by teachers. The teachers' commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi, through the inclusion of bicultural values, is also evident in the learning environment.
The team of qualified teachers is representative of the culturally diverse community. Most teachers speak more than one language and identify culturally with many of the children. Children hear and are encouraged to use their home languages in the centre. However, teachers' conversational interactions with children should be more frequent and focused on supporting learning.
Improved communication and partnership relationships with parents should be a goal, to help develop shared understandings about the parents' role in supporting and participating in their children's learning.
Leadership of the curriculum, strategic governance and management have not been collaborative or effective. Teachers have had opportunities to develop their individual knowledge through professional training. However, sharing new knowledge with their colleagues would help them to establish a more collaborative and knowledgeable team.
The Trust has recently contracted an external adviser to help address the next steps identified in this report. Ongoing work with this adviser should help the Trust, centre manager and teachers to develop:
skilled, strategic governance, management and curriculum leadership
systematic, improvement focused, internal evaluation that includes ascertaining the impact of managers' and teachers' professional learning on outcomes for children
strategic and management planning, and regular monitoring of progress towards strategic goals.
effective assessment, programme planning and evaluation to support increasingly good quality programmes for children that align with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
The Trust has agreed to develop a plan to address these areas for development and to provide a six-month progress report.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kelston Early Childhood 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:
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.
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to governance, management, curriculum and leadership. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
Assessment, programme planning, evaluation and programme implementation that reflect Te Whāriki and knowledge of relevant theories and practice in early childhood education.
Suitable personnel policies and practices, including managers' and teachers' appraisal that promotes high quality practices.
Systematic, ongoing and improvement focused internal evaluation.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, C1-4, GMA6, 7.
The next ERO review of Kelston Early Childhood Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
4 October 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 |
Kelston, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10347 |
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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, over 2 years of age |
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Service roll |
58 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 36 Girls 22 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
12 |
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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 |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
July 2017 |
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Date of this report |
4 October 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2015 |
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Education Review |
May 2012 |
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Education Review |
May 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.