Pauanui Pre-School

Education institution number:
34119
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
19
Telephone:
Address:

Sheppard Avenue, Pauanui Beach

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Pauanui Pre-School

1 ERO’s Judgements 

Akarangi | 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 ​Pauanui Pre-School​ are as follows: 

Outcome Indicators 

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) 



Whāngai Establishing​ 

Ngā Akatoro Domains 

 
Learning Conditions 
Organisational Conditions 

Whāngai Establishing​ 

Whāngai Establishing​ 

2 Context of the Service 

Pauanui Pre-School is a not-for-profit, community-owned service governed by a parent board. Children from birth to school-age play and learn in a mixed aged environment. The current roll includes a small number of children who have Māori heritage.   

3 Summary of findings 

Children experience a curriculum that positively responds to their interests. Nurturing relationships with teachers enhance infants’ emotional wellbeing. Regular excursions around the community build children’s sense of belonging. Tuakana / teina relationships support the inclusion and participation of younger and older children in the daily curriculum. Teaching practices promote children’s oral language skills, social competency, independence, and their early literacy and mathematical learning. 

The service is working towards integrating children’s home languages and cultures into the curriculum. Valued events within the learning community are celebrated. Some assessment of children’s learning links to their home and family contexts.  

New connections are being made with mana whenua to help teachers build their understanding and use of te reo Māori. The learning environment and resources reflect aspects of the Māori culture and language. Leaders have identified a need to develop a local curriculum that includes bicultural practices, and which makes evident shared understandings of what matters most for this community. 

Parents have regular opportunities to discuss their children’s learning and development goals with teachers. Planning and assessment records show children’s developing interests, understandings and progress over time. The valued learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are included in some assessment information. 

Parent contributions are valued and influence decision making. Those on the trust board influence strategic priorities relating to sustainability of the premises. Organisational systems help teachers to build their professional knowledge and to use evaluation processes that lead to improvement. Leaders and teachers are yet to use this information to document the impact of changes made on children’s learning.  

4 Improvement actions 

Pauanui Pre-School​ will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning: 

  • Consistently respond to, and document, children’s developing capabilities in relation to the valued outcomes in Te Whāriki, as part of planning, assessment and evaluation processes.  
  • Use internal evaluation processes to monitor the impact of changes made on individuals and groups of children’s learning.  
  • Review the service’s philosophy as part of developing a local curriculum to reflect the things that are important to children and their families, teachers, mana whenua and the wider community.  

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements 

Before the review, the staff and management of ​Pauanui Pre-School​ 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)  

​30 November 2023​    

6 About the Early Childhood Service  

Early Childhood Service NamePauanui Pre-School​ 
Profile Number34119​
LocationPauanui
Service type  ​Education and care service​ 
Number licensed for  25 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 
Percentage of qualified teachers  ​100%​ 
Service roll 27 
Review team on site October 2023 
Date of this report ​30 November 2023​ 
Most recent ERO report(s) Akanuku | Assurance Review​, ​July 2022​; ​Education Review​, ​November 2019​ 

 

Pauanui Pre-School

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.

ERO’s Judgement

Regulatory standards

ERO’s judgement

CurriculumMeeting
Premises and facilitiesMeeting
Health and safetyMeeting
Governance, management and administrationMeeting

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Pauanui Pre-School is a not-for-profit, community owned service governed by a parent board. Children from birth to school age play and learn in a mixed aged environment. The head teacher leads a team of five qualified teachers. The current roll of 24 children includes a small number who identify as Māori. The service has responded positively to ERO’s previous review findings.

Summary of Review Findings

Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning. The curriculum supports children’s developing social competence and is responsive to children as competent, confident learners. The curriculum provides a language rich environment that supports children’s learning and is informed by assessment and planning. Children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi

There are regular opportunities for parents to communicate and be involved in decision making concerning their child’s learning. An annual plan and philosophy statement guides service operations.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

  • increase the opportunities children have to hear and speak te reo Māori in meaningful learning contexts
  • strengthen the extent to which information documented about children’s learning reflects their identity, language and culture.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

27 July 2022 

Information About the Service

Service typeEducation and care service
Number licensed for25 children, including up to 8 aged under 2
Percentage of qualified teachers80-99%
Service roll24
Review team on siteJune 2022
Date of this report27 July 2022
Most recent ERO report(s)Education Review, November 2019; Education Review, May 2016

General Information about Assurance Reviews

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.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
  • previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
  • that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
  • that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
  • where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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:

  • curriculum
  • premises and facilities
  • health and safety practices
  • governance, management and administration.

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:

  • 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 certification; ratios)
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

  • discussions with those involved in the service
  • consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
  • observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.

Pauanui Pre-School - 15/11/2019

1 Evaluation of Pauanui Pre-School

How well placed is Pauanui Pre-School to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Pauanui Pre-School requires further development so that centre governors and leaders ensure compliance with all health and safety licensing requirements, as outlined in the Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Pauanui Pre-School is located in the small coastal town of Pauanui, on the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula. This not-for-profit, community-based centre is governed by a parent board. The centre is licensed for 25 children, including eight aged up to two years old. Education and care is offered from 8.45am until 3pm Monday to Friday.

Since the May 2016 ERO evaluation, a new senior teacher position has been developed to support the centre manager and there have been several changes in the teaching team. In response to the previous ERO report, the appraisal process and the engagement of parents and whānau in contributing to their child’s learning have been strengthened. Good progress has been made in ensuring the language culture and identity of the children is valued.

The centre philosophy is aligned with the early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki and identifies empowering children, relationships with parents and the local community and a holistic view of the child as fundamental to their centre.

The centre is a member of the Coromandel Kāhui Ako.

The Review Findings

Required practices and procedures that promote children's health and safety are not sufficiently systematic and some key aspects not attended to. Those areas that required attention have now been addressed. The parent-led board, with leaders and teachers, need to have effective systems and processes to maintain for children, a physically safe environment.

Children's learning is well-supported by positive and responsive relationships with teachers. Teachers use a range of strategies to enhance learning. They actively engage in children's self-initiated play, model skills and use open-ended questions to deliberately extend children’s learning. Children are supported to change roles between teacher and learner. Ongoing interactions foster children's oral language along with early numeracy and literacy development. Teachers and learners have fun.

Children up to the age of two learn and play in an environment that is adaptive to their learning. Teachers work in partnership with parents to reflect a home-like environment. Children experience positive tuakana teina relationships.

Children benefit from a programme that reflects their interests. Teachers know and understand each child and their family well. In response to parent aspirations they provide a wide range of authentic contexts in which children can play and learn. Opportunities for independent play and decision making are evident.

Ways to actively maintain connections to children’s identity, including Māori and Pacific, are sought through celebration of significant cultural events, language and tikanga. Māori concepts such as kaitiakitanga, with a focus on sustainable environmental practices and whanaungatanga are woven into curriculum design. Children's portfolios capture a range of interests and involvement in the programme.

Children and their families are well-supported in the transition into the centre and on to school. Designed to be responsive and flexible, the process supports children to develop a strong sense of belonging. Children with additional needs are included and actively supported. Teachers work in collaboration with external agencies to ensure these children make progress towards their individual goals.

The collaborative approach to leadership is building the teaching and learning capability of all staff to further benefit children's learning and care. They actively engage in relevant professional learning and development and regularly seek professional support from the regional early learning services cluster, to grow their teaching and learning practices. Leaders give priority to building a team culture amongst the new and established staff, that is based on mutual respect and trust.

Key Next Steps

The board and leaders should give priority to the development and implementation of effective systems and processes to ensure required health and safety practices are in place, regularly reviewed and systematically monitored so that any areas of concern are immediately addressed.

The centre should continue to implement and embed the professional practice priorities as identified in their strategic plan through:

  • embedding the recently established appraisal process for new staff
  • making greater use of parent aspirations and goal setting to inform planning
  • prioritising the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki in the planning process.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Pauanui Pre-School 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:

  • 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; 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.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to health and safety. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:

  • the procedure for monitoring sleep. Staff must physically check sleeping children
  • securing heavy furniture or fixtures that could fall or topple and cause serious injury
  • hazards in the environment detrimental to the safety of children
  • suitability of playground equipment
  • emergency drills - centralisation of recording and evaluation of all emergency drills
  • analysis of accident records to mitigate future accidents
  • parental acknowledgment of the administration of medicine. [Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS9, HS6, HS12, HS8, HS27, HS28]

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has attended to the following non-compliance matters:

  • physically monitoring sleep

  • centralising the recording and evaluation of emergency drills

  • parental acknowledgement of the administration of medicine

  • evaluation of accidents

  • securing heavy furniture

  • hazards in the environment

  • suitability of playground equipment (HS6, HS8, HS9, HS12, HS27, HS28).

Development Plan Recommendation

ERO recommends that the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, develops a plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services 

Central Region

15 November 2019

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Pauanui Beach

Ministry of Education profile number

34119

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

25 children, including up to 8 aged under 2

Service roll

30

Gender composition

Male 17, Female 13

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Other ethnic groups

5

17

8

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:5

Meets minimum requirements

Over 2

1:6

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

October 2019

Date of this report

15 November 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

May 2016

Education Review

May 2013

Education Review

January 2010

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

  • Very well placed

  • Well placed

  • Requires further development

  • Not well placed

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.