2 Waipani Road, Te Atatu Peninsula, 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 The Fire Station are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
The Fire Station is a well-established, privately owned service. The main building was a fire station and is a historical feature of the Te Atatu Peninsula community. There are four rooms for different age groups of children. One room provides for older children who attend on a sessional basis. Twenty percent of children enrolled are Māori or have Pacific heritages. The service’s community is culturally diverse.
Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging at the service. They experience an environment where teachers skilfully include te reo and tikanga Māori into the curriculum each day. Children confidently share their languages and cultures with others. Teachers’ culturally responsive practices contribute to children’s growing understanding of, and respect for other cultures.
Teachers intentionally respond to whānau aspirations for their children’s learning. The experiences and knowledge of whānau and children are valued by teachers and leaders. This inclusive practice reinforces mutual respect and impacts positively on teachers’ partnerships with whānau.
Teachers deliberately plan programmes to extend children’s interests and learning dispositions. Assessment of learning clearly shows how teachers support children’s investigation and learning. Some examples of assessment demonstrate how children’s learning progresses because of teachers’ guidance.
Leaders respect the skills and knowledge of teachers. Teachers capably share their diverse cultural experiences and individual strengths. This contributes to the overall capability and effectiveness of the teaching team. Teachers continually reflect on ways to improve their own practice with a focus on what is best for all children. Internal evaluation processes evidence a thorough, robust approach to continuous improvement that has been sustained over time.
Leaders and teachers have a shared understanding of the service’s philosophy, vision, goals, and priorities for children’s learning. Teachers and leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and enact this commitment by promoting te reo and tikanga Māori.
Those responsible for governance and management provide an environment where the health and safety of children, families and teachers is prioritised and well-monitored. The centre’s positive working environment creates a sense of stability and a learning community that contributes to the emotional wellbeing of children and staff.
The Fire Station will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of The Fire Station completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they select ‘have’ or ‘have not’ 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.
Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
2 November 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | The Fire Station |
| Profile Number | 46572 |
| Location | Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
120 children, including up to 32 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
149 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 10%, NZ European/Pākehā 40%, Chinese 6%, Pacific 10%, British 5%, other European 14%, other Asian 8%, other ethnic groups 7% |
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Review team on site |
July 2021 |
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Date of this report |
2 November 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, June 2017 |
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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.
Kid Country Te Atatu Ltd, trading as The Fire Station, opened in November 2014. The centre's building has been modified from a fully functioning fire station and is a feature of the Te Atatu Peninsula community.
The Fire Station has four separate rooms to cater for infants, toddlers, and children between the ages of three and five years of age. The centre offers the choice of a long-day preschool programme or a shorter length kindergarten programme for older children. These options are provided in response to parent needs.
The owners have experience in early childhood education. They have employed a manager to set up operational systems and to ensure that the centre was appropriately staffed and resourced. The manager is responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre. A head teacher in each room takes responsibility for the staff and learning programmes. All teachers are registered and several have significant experience in leading early childhood programmes.
Respectful relationships, fun and learning through play, are values that underpin practices in the curriculum. The learning programme responds to the interests and strengths of all children, especially those with special learning needs and capabilities. Children's learning is reinforced through teachers' increasing professional knowledge about how children grow and learn. The curriculum is adapted in response to teachers' knowledge about each child. Teachers interact with children to extend and challenge their thinking.
Te reo and tikanga Māori are becoming increasingly understood and embedded in practice. Children use Māori words confidently in conversations. Teachers' refreshed understanding of te ao Māori perspectives is enhancing bicultural aspects of the curriculum, resourcing and displays in the learning environment. Teachers are keen to make connections with local iwi and with teachers in neighbouring centres to share and promote tikanga and cultural values and knowledge.
The staff develop positive relationships with families that create a sense of belonging and acknowledge of the cultural heritages and diverse backgrounds of all whānau. They support the aspirations that whānau have for their children. This partnership enhances children's capacity to engage in learning. Effective teaching strategies and practices contribute to positive learning outcomes for children and enrich children's sense of themselves as successful learners.
Teachers work collaboratively to plan and implement strategies that focus on programme improvement and on children's learning. Planning, assessment and evaluation processes support children's strengths, interests and capabilities. The strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are used each term to measure children's progress, learning and development.
Transitions are sensitively managed as children and their whānau transition into the centre, and on to school. A positive focus on children's dispositions for learning, helps them prepare for school. Teachers are currently focusing on increasing their connections with local schools.
The teachers are exploring ways of establishing a digital network, where teachers from local centres and schools can share their professional knowledge and practices. These connections could support smooth transitions for older children into school.
Teachers continue to evaluate and improve the learning environment to promote positive learning opportunities for children. Reflection on their practices leads teachers to question and modify their own approaches to teaching. Internal evaluation is robust and includes whānau contributions and involvement. It guides decision making and is improving the quality of the service.
The manager has established very good foundations for centre operations. She is systematically strengthening and sharing centre leadership and management so that she can focus on supporting new centres. Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and policies guide practice.
Head teachers are taking on more shared responsibility to ensure the smooth operation of each component of the service. Staff are enthusiastic about changes and are working collaboratively to lift the quality of their collective work. Teachers who have relevant knowledge and expertise are strategically appointed into roles where their talents can be used to support children's learning. Ongoing staff development helps to reinforce teachers' professional knowledge and skills.
The manager promotes high quality teaching and learning. She continually builds and supports professional practice through training, teacher appraisals and mentoring. Parent and whānau aspirations are incorporated in annual plans.
Next steps for the centre are for all staff to continue:
using internal evaluation and strategic planning to sustain current good quality practices and support ongoing improvement
making bicultural practices more evident in the programme.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kid Country Te Atatu Ltd T/A The Fire Station 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 Kid Country Te Atatu Ltd T/A The Fire Station will be in three years.
Steffan Brough
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
15 June 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 |
Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46572 |
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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 |
100 children, including up to 24 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
127 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 58% Girls 42% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese Samoan other Pacific other Asian other European other |
13% 69% 6% 2% 5% 2% 2% 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 |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
May 2017 |
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Date of this report |
15 June 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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No previous ERO reports |
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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.