149 Derby Street, Westport
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 |
Meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Kawatiri Kids is a privately-owned and operated education and care service, previously known as Leaps and Bounds Westport. It caters for children from infants to school age. It was relicensed under new ownership in May 2017. The service is a part of the Provincial Education Group. The centre manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations.
The service curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children's learning, their interests, whānau and life contexts. Children experience meaningful, positive interactions with adults. Parent aspirations are respected and acknowledged. Children have opportunities to develop an understanding of the dual heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Health, safety and wellbeing of children are supported by regular monitoring of systems and processes. Annual planning guides centre operation, sound human resource management practices are implemented, and suitable records are maintained. The regional manager supports the centre manager to provide leadership to the teaching team.
Next steps include continuing to strengthen:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
11 May 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Kawatiri Kids |
| Profile Number | 46060 |
| Location | Westport |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
72 children, including up to 18 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
62 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 16, NZ European/Pākehā 40, Other ethnicities 6. |
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Review team on site |
March 2021 |
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Date of this report |
11 May 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, January 2016. |
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.
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:
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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Leaps and Bounds, Westport, is well placed to promote positive outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Leaps and Bounds, Westport, is part of the Evolve Education Group. The privately-owned company purchased the centre in December 2014. Evolve provides the policy and administration framework. The centre is well supported by the new owners with an area manager who regularly provides professional support and guidance to the centre manager and staff. Since the centre was bought there have been significant changes in management and staff.
The centre provides education and care for infants, toddlers and children to school age. Children have opportunities to learn in mixed-age groups, or in a room with their own peers.
The spacious, renovated building provides a range of indoor and outdoor spaces for children’s play and development. There is a small team of qualified teachers and other staff. This is the centre’s first Education Review.
Children are focused and work positively together. They are supported to be independent learners and have the freedom to explore the environment and make choices about their play. Children’s ideas and opinions are valued and extended. They experience responsive, respectful relationships with their teachers and each other. Children have opportunities to hear and speak te reo Māori in the learning programme. Bicultural practices are becoming more established across the centre.
Teachers use a range of practices to support and develop children’s ideas, skills and interests. They are responsive to children with diverse learning needs. Teachers provide a wide range of learning experiences that promote science, literacy and mathematical concepts. They build on previous learning and affirm children’s progress. Teachers have made a number of appropriate changes to resources and the environment to further support children’s learning.
Children under two years have warm, positive relationships with their key teachers who foster a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing. They experience calm and unhurried routines and have access to an appropriate range of resources and equipment. The younger children enjoy opportunities to play with older children at various times of the day.
Transitions into and within the centre are child led and flexible. Relationships with parents and whānau are well established. Centre leaders continue to work on ways to deepen learning partnerships with parents.
Centre leaders are fostering a culture of reflective practice. Shared leadership has helped to build teachers’ commitment to ensuring the quality of learning and teaching over a time of change. Leaders ensure that staff appraisal processes are focused on improving teaching practice.
The managers and ERO agrees, that the following developments will further strengthen consistent practices across the centre. These include strengthening:
It is timely to revisit and define what the centre’s philosophy looks like in practice and to refine self-review practices to ensure an effective, systematic process of inquiry.
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 Leaps and Bounds Wesport will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
14 January 2016
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 |
Westport |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46060 |
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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 |
72 children, including up to 18 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
55 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 34; Girls 21 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā Māori African Other |
44 9 1 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 |
November 2015 |
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Date of this report |
14 January 2016 |
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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:
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.