101 Victoria Street, Pukekohe
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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Lambs Preschool Pukekohe are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakatō Emerging |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakatō Emerging Whakatō Emerging |
Lambs Preschool Pukekohe is one of two education and care services under the same ownership. The qualified owner and centre manager provide leadership for the teaching team. A recent licence extension enables the service to cater for infants and toddlers. A third of children enrolled are Māori, and a further third are of Pacific heritages.
Children and their whānau experience warm and positive relationships with teachers. Parents have opportunities to share their children’s home lives through an online platform. Children benefit from relationships where parents are confident to share their aspirations and individual child’s needs with teachers. Planning for children’s learning is in its infancy.
Infants and toddlers engage in a programme that successfully promotes oral language and responds to their care needs. Teachers work alongside parents and external agencies to enhance learning opportunities for children with additional needs. Children play and grow in an environment that respects their choices, promotes independence, and offers challenge. Teachers are at the initial stages in the use of learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Leaders and teachers are beginning to develop their cultural competencies to serve their diverse community. Aspects of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are practised, and Samoan and Tongan language weeks are celebrated. All children’s languages and cultures are yet to be effectively reflected in documentation and in the teaching and learning programme.
The service’s organisational conditions are in the early stages of implementation. There have been significant staff changes. The new team is yet to develop a shared philosophy. Those responsible for governance have a focus on equity and are supporting this through lower ratios and smaller group sizes. Professional growth cycles for teacher development are not yet in place. Evaluation systems are beginning to emerge to support positive outcomes that enable improvement and the promoting of children’s valued learning.
Lambs Preschool Pukekohe will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Review the services philosophy to ensure a shared understanding is in place that supports valued learning outcomes for children.
Leaders and those responsible for governance to determine and embed teachers’ professional growth cycles which evidence growth in practice that directly impacts on positive learning outcomes for children.
Provide governance support for new leaders to enable coherent conditions across the service.
Before the review, the staff and management of Lambs Preschool Pukekohe completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
2 November 2023
| Early Childhood Service Name | Lambs Preschool Pukekohe |
| Profile Number | 10013 |
|
Location |
Pukekohe |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
44 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
37 |
|
Review team on site |
July 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
2 November 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, May 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.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management, and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Lambs Preschool Pukekohe, previously known as Mini Miracles Educare – Pukekohe is a privately owned education and care service. It is licensed for children aged from two to five years. All teachers are qualified. The January 2018 ERO evaluation identified quality assurance processes that required improvement. Sufficient progress has been made in response.
The service curriculum is designed to be inclusive and based on the principles of Te Whāriki – the early childhood curriculum. Kaiako promote respectful interactions with children in a calm environment. They provide opportunities to develop and understand the dual heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. The premises and facilities are resourced to provide for the learning and abilities of the children.
A philosophy, policy framework, and annual planning guide operations. There is a process in place for internal evaluation that is being further developed. Health and safety processes are monitored, and changes are made when required.
Next steps include:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
25 May 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Lambs Preschool Pukekohe |
| Profile Number | 10013 |
| Location | Pukekohe |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
29 children aged over 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
30 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 4, NZ European/Pākehā 12, Pacific 6, Chinese 3, Other ethnicities 5 |
|
Review team on site |
November 2020 |
|
Date of this report |
25 May 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, January 2018; Education Review, May 2014 |
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:
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Mini Miracles Educare - Pukekohe Kindy is a privately owned centre providing all-day education and care for children from two years to school age. The centre was purchased by the current owner in May 2017, and is one of four under the same ownership. It is licensed for 29 children over two years of age. The current roll is 33, including seven children who identify as Māori.
The owner/director retains responsibility for governance matters, including employment, financial and property management, setting the strategic direction, and a policy framework to meet legislative requirements. She is supported by a regional manager who has responsibility for professional leadership. The on-site supervisor was a teacher in the centre prior to the change of ownership and was appointed to her position in July 2017. She has responsibility for day-to-day operations including planning and assessment. The remaining teachers are new to the centre, and all qualified in early childhood education.
The centre philosophy emphasises the provision of family-like environments and the establishment of genuine relationships between teachers, children and their families. The centre seeks to build links with their wider community.
The centre responded positively to recommendations in the 2014 ERO report. Self-review processes have been strengthened with both planned and spontaneous reviews focused on centre improvement. Planning and assessment are now responsive to children's individual learning dispositions.
A strength of the centre is the welcoming, genuine, sensitive relationships amongst teachers, children and parents. The ERO team observed highly engaged, settled and happy children, who are able to initiate their own learning, and have extended periods of uninterrupted play to develop sustained and complex learning. Familiar and purposeful routines support children to develop social competencies and build friendships. Shared celebrations foster children's sense of worth and belonging. The inclusive centre culture welcomes children who have additional learning and development needs, and teachers provide well-considered support for them and their families. Teachers recognise the need to further empower children of Pacific origin who are English language learners. Children are affirmed and supported to become confident and competent learners, within family-like environments.
The curriculum provides a rich range of learning opportunities to promote positive outcomes for all children. Teacher planning is closely linked to children’s current interests and strengths, and parent's aspirations. These aspirations are sought, respected and displayed. There are frequent examples of intentional teaching, when teachers make deliberate links to children's family and prior learning experiences. Teachers prepare individual assessment portfolios which are increasingly shared on-line. Children's play and exploration is well supported by appropriate resourcing of such areas as physical challenge, construction, sand/water play, art and creativity. Their learning experiences are further extended by natural world experiences including visits to the community. Children benefit from well-integrated literacy and mathematics learning opportunities. Children and their families are well supported prior to transition to school with reciprocal school visits. Aspects of practice related to the revised Te Whāriki curriculum and success for Māori children remain areas for further development by the new owners.
The supervisor and teachers recognise the importance of further strengthening the centre's culturally responsive practices and operations. The responsive and mutually respectful relationships amongst teachers, children and their whānau provide a strong foundation for this next step. Each child's pepeha is developed and displayed, and there are deliberate actions to increase all children's awareness of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Te Whāriki 2017 curriculum provides the expectations for a stronger local curriculum which should enhance success for Māori children.
The recently appointed supervisor is successfully building relational trust with the regional manager, teaching team and parent community. The teaching team demonstrates mutual trust and collaboration as it works together constructively to plan and deliver the curriculum. Teachers appreciate the mentoring role of the supervisor as she assists them to develop their own professional practice. Reflective practice is being encouraged through teaching as inquiry and internal evaluation processes. Sound leadership is building capability within the centre to promote positive learning outcomes for all children.
The new owner/director has developed a shared philosophy and the expectation to build parent partnerships and improved learning outcomes for children. The governance and centre support structures are at the consolidation stage. It is now important to formalise the professional development programme and appraisal processes for the supervisor and regional manager and to align these with the strategic plan and current requirements of the Education Council. These steps are necessary to support sustainability and the ongoing improvement of the centre.
The owner/director and ERO agree on the importance of strengthening quality assurance processes so she can be assured that professional practice and centre operations are consistently enhancing educational outcomes for all children. The continued strengthening of culturally responsive practice should be included in these regular reports.
Before the review, the staff and management of Mini Miracles Educare - Pukekohe Kindy 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.
The next ERO review of Mini Miracles Educare - Pukekohe Kindy will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region
31 January 2018
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.
|
Location |
Pukekohe |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10013 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
29 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
33 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 17 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
7 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
November 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
31 January 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
February 2008 |
||
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.