11 Marlborough Street, Silverstream, Upper Hutt
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.
Marlborough Street Childcare Centre is a community-based, purpose-built, all-day early learning service in Silverstream, Upper Hutt. It has been providing education and care for its community for several years. Children from diverse cultural backgrounds attend the service. The service is governed by a parent committee.
Children participate in a play-based programme. The service’s curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning, development and interests. Adults providing education and care, engage in positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.
The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences. Parents and whānau are provided opportunities to collaborate with leaders and teachers about their child’s learning.
Next steps include:
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
10 March 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Marlborough Street Childcare Centre |
| Profile Number | 60297 |
| Location | Upper Hutt |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
35 |
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Gender composition |
Male 16, Female 19 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 3, NZ European/Pākehā 20, Pacific heritage 4, other ethnicities 8. |
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Review team on site |
October 2020 |
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Date of this report |
10 March 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, September 2017 |
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 |
Systems to support sustained good practice and improvement of outcomes for children require strengthening. Some key aspects of operation are not sufficiently developed.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Marlborough St Childcare Centre is a community-based, all-day early learning service located in Silverstream, Upper Hutt. It is licensed for 30 children including 15 aged up to two years. Of the 35 children enrolled, two are Māori. The centre has a long-term, well-demonstrated commitment to working with children that require additional learning support.
A trust board has oversight of operation. A committee made up of parents has management responsibility, works in collaboration with the head teacher and reports to the board.
The majority of the staff have worked at the centre for many years. Six out of the eight teachers are qualified and registered.
The philosophy underpinning teaching and learning emphasises the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tuakana teina (collaboration) and the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
The centre is resourced to provide a variety of learning experiences. Literacy and mathematics are well integrated into the programme in play-based ways. Children have choices about their involvement at certain times of the day. At these times they are well engaged in their learning. They are supported by a team of caring and respectful adults who know them well. To better support children's independence and empowerment as learners, teachers should:
review the balance between child-initiated and adult-directed learning to provide more opportunities for child choice and perseverance in play.
provide ongoing opportunities for children to participate in creative, open-ended activities in sustained ways.
Enduring relationships with families have led to high levels of family support. Parents' and whānau views are sought and valued to inform decision-making about operation.
Provision for children requiring additional learning support is prioritised. Good knowledge of support agencies in the local community is evident.
Flexible routines and consistency of caregiving, support infants' and toddlers' wellbeing and sense of belonging. However, aspects of provision for these youngest children need further development, particularly in relation to the organisation and implementation of play and routine times.
Teachers plan for children's transitions into and out of the centre. New children are supported by an entry process that is suitably flexible and based on their own and their family's needs. A programme and practices are in place to support children's transitions from the service to primary school. The next step is to further develop relationships with local schools and seek ways of sharing information about children's learning with new-entrant teachers.
The philosophy expresses a commitment to integrating a Māori perspective into the programme. Short phrases in te reo Māori are used by some staff and some resourcing has been put in place. Priority should be given to strengthening understanding of te ao Māori to inform a more bicultural approach and better support for Māori learners and their families.
Written guidelines outline expectations for the development of the learning programme for children. Teachers regularly identify themes and children's interests in play and use these as a basis for planning activities. Some portfolios show how teachers are noticing, recognising and responding to children's interests and working to include parents' input in their approach. To strengthen planning for learning, teachers should:
increase the emphasis on children's learning and progress and plan strategies to add complexity to their learning over time
continue to encourage parents' input into their children's profile books and formally plan to meet the aspirations they have for their learning
acknowledge families' cultures, languages and identities in assessment documentation
consider reviewing their approach to planning for the group.
Self review is at a very early stage of implementation. Teachers should develop and use a framework for evaluation that supports good decision-making about change and results in improved outcomes for children.
The staff team is well established. Although teachers are collaborative and supportive of each other, at the time of this review there was insufficient support in place to build and sustain the quality of their professional practice. Building staff capability is identified as strategic priority, however it is not sufficiently funded, nor is it well supported through the appraisal process. A revised approach to appraisal is being developed that has the potential to better support teachers' build their capability and reflect on their practice, in relation to professional teaching requirements.
The management committee works collaboratively with the head teacher to govern and manage the service. High levels of commitment from members are evident. Regular meetings support discussion about issues and plans for development. Decision-making is informed by a suitable reporting process. A strategic plan outlines priorities for development. To further promote improvement and decision-making committee members should:
further define governance roles and responsibilities
redevelop the annual management plan to better support the timely review of policies, and other governance requirements
identify desired outcomes, timelines, actions and responsibilities in the strategic plan to support the reporting of progress and decisions about next development steps.
ERO's evaluation has found that next steps for development are to strengthen:
the programme for infants and toddlers
planning and organisation for children's learning, including routines and resourcing
the development of teachers' understanding of te ao Maori and implementation of a
more bicultural perspective across the service
ongoing support for teacher capability through planned development opportunities linked to centre priorities and teacher needs
review and internal evaluation to support sustained good practice and continuous improvement.
Before the review, the staff and management of Marlborough St Childcare 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 recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
The next ERO review of Marlborough St Childcare Centre will be within two years.
Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
29 September 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 |
Upper Hutt |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60297 |
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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 |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
35 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 18, Girls 17 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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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 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
August 2017 |
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Date of this report |
29 September 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2014 |
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Education Review |
September 2011 |
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Education Review |
June 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.