- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
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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.
PAUA (Preschoolers at-Home Uniquely Achieving), provides home-based education and care for young children within communities throughout New Zealand. The director has oversight of all PAUA operations. She is supported by a team directly responsible for teaching and learning. The education team leader oversees visiting teachers who support educators to provide education and care for children. Peer leaders mentor visiting teachers in their work. All PAUA staff regularly monitor health and safety practices in educators' homes.
Most children in Poppetts 1 are placed with nanny educators who work from children's homes. A significant number of educators are Chinese with English as their second language. Two visiting teachers work with educators and children in this service. A second teacher manages the PAUA educational toy shop and the nanny/babysitting recruitment service.
The network is licensed for a maximum of 80 children, including 40 up to two years old. The roll at the time of this review is thirteen. The network is located in Auckland.
This review was part of a cluster of five home-based education and care service reviews in the PAUA organisation.
The visiting teachers model good early childhood practices to support educators', families' and children's learning. They acknowledge that further work is needed to develop strategies that support educators' understanding about children's learning and their teaching role.
Children's cultures, languages and identities are well supported in meaningful learning contexts. Their learning journeys incorporate their first language.
The curriculum is meaningful and children have fun. Information shows that children engage in a curriculum that is based on their observed interests. Educators are well supported by the visiting teachers to provide a wide range of learning experiences. Suitable resources provided by educators and PAUA promote infants', toddlers' and young children's engagement in activities. A commitment to inclusive practices is evident. Children with diverse needs are well catered for.
Children's learning is clearly depicted in assessment documents. The visiting teachers effectively support educators to record children's learning and share this with families and whānau. Photographs, identification of links to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and various forms of research are used to guide educators in their understanding. Parents and whānau access children's assessment information electronically. Their comments are used to enhance their child's experiences at the educator's home.
The visiting teachers support and encourage educators to use assessment practices that identify children's learning, next steps and progress. Continuing to strengthen this practice is an ongoing focus for the visiting teachers.
Most children have a range of opportunities to mix with other children while in their educator's care. Some educators develop community networks and attend various events outside the home to complement what happens in the smaller group. The visiting teachers plan playgroups based on children's interests.
PAUA has well developed processes to monitor that its expectations for provision of quality education and care are being met. Visiting teachers develop monthly records of significant events for children and individual educators. Weekly reflections inform visiting teachers' own development and these are recorded against the Practising Teacher Criteria. Through PAUA systems, the director is assured that staff take all reasonable steps to implement practices that promote positive learning outcomes for children.
As an organisation, PAUA management has identified that strategic planning, review and internal evaluation and supporting the educator to develop an understanding of their role in promoting children's learning are areas that require strengthening. ERO's external evaluation supports this direction.
The development of an appraisal policy and procedures should assist visiting teachers to reflect on their current practice and plan future development. Leaders should formalise and strengthen teacher appraisal.
Before the review, the staff and management of PAUA Poppetts 1 completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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 PAUA Poppetts 1 will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
21 June 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 |
Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10307 |
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Institution type |
Homebased Network |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 40 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
13 |
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Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
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Gender composition |
Boys 8, Girls 5 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā Chinese Samoan |
7 5 1 |
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Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
Two |
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Required ratios of educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
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Over 2 |
1:4 |
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Review team on site |
May 2016 |
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Date of this report |
21 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review |
December 2013 |
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Education Review (as Poppetts Get Ready) |
April 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:
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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014
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.
