1215 Hinemoa Street, Rotorua Central, Rotorua
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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.
PORSE Bay of Plenty/Rotorua S3 is a standard home-based education and care network operating under the umbrella of PORSE In-Home Childcare Network (NZ) Ltd. It is one of four PORSE networks operating in the Bay of Plenty/Rotorua area. Of the 77 children enrolled, 26 are Māori.
The PORSE vision is, ‘expanding the hearts, minds and wellbeing of a nation through nurturing child-care in-home’.
Qualified and registered programme tutors work alongside educators and nannies to implement and support learning programmes for children in homes with a focus on care and education. A national team provides governance and management support for all PORSE services.
PORSE offers two options for education and care. The home educator model where the educator works in their own home; and the nanny educator model where an educator works in a family’s home. In this network all educators have at least a level three qualification in early education and care.
Since the 2011 ERO review, PORSE In-Home Childcare Network (NZ) Ltd has changed ownership. The Evolve Education Group Limited (EEG Ltd) purchased PORSE in September 2014. Existing structures for national and community team management have continued through the change of ownership. The PORSE senior leadership team, who are responsible for operations, report to the EEG Ltd board of directors.
The 2011 ERO report identified key next steps in relation to bicultural practices, self review, assessment practice, resourcing and health and safety. There has been significant development in relation to bicultural resources, health and safety systems and practices, and self review.
This review was part of a cluster four reviews in PORSE In-Home Childcare Bay of Plenty/Rotorua.
Parent aspirations for their children are strongly reflected in the design of the curriculum and its implementation. Partnerships with parents and whānau are respectful and reciprocal. Programme tutors have a key role in facilitating responsive care arrangements between educators and families. These partnerships contribute to children's wellbeing and secure relationships with their educator.
Children benefit from child-centred teaching and learning practices in a small family-like setting. Relationships between families, children, educators and programme tutors are meaningful and affirming. Inclusive processes and practices ensure children with additional needs and their families are well supported. Individual needs are carefully considered when pairing educators and children. Transitions into and beyond the service are well managed. These are responsive to each family and support continuity of care and wellbeing for children. Experiences for children up to two years are enhanced through small and intimate home settings where a culture of respectful care is highly evident. Educators know children well and effectively respond to individual routines, needs and interests.
A feature of the PORSE curriculum are the real-life home experiences that promote meaningful literacy and mathematics learning to support and extend children’s emerging interests. Additional resourcing provided by PORSE is well used and supplement and enhance in-home learning. Programme tutors and educators also access a wide range of resources that support educators and children's learning about Māori language and culture. Children have extensive opportunities to make connections, explore and learn in the wider community. Participation in a number of organised groups and outings enables them to socialise, problem solve and try new things in a wider group of adults and children.
Assessment for learning is developing. Some individual assessment records provide good evidence of children’s identity, interests, dispositions and learning overtime. Assessment records are easily accessible to whānau and families who value the opportunity to view and reflect on their child's learning.
Regional leaders provide effective and targeted support and coaching for programme tutors. This fosters ongoing professional learning and leadership opportunities within the service. Leaders empower programme tutors to work collaboratively across networks, and to reflect on and growing their own and educators practice. The annual appraisal process further supports educators to develop their practice through self assessment, feedback from programme tutors and families, and goal setting. Leaders have a strong commitment to effective teaching and learning that contributes to positive learning outcomes for all children.
Strategic goals and self review clearly focus on enhancing positive outcomes for children and their families that is improvement focused. A range of relevant and up-to-date policies guide health and safety practices in homes. There are clear systems, framework and expectations for performance management. A deliberate and responsive approach to training for educators along with ongoing professional learning and development is growing the capability of educators to consistently promote positive learning outcomes for all children.
ERO and service leaders agree that PORSE needs to:
use self review to more deliberately to design and implement a localised curriculum in each network
formalise the attestation process for registered teachers, monitor appraisal goals in an ongoing way and ensure that evidence is linked to the appropriate teaching standards
review the service’s vision and philosophy to reflect the bicultural nature of Aotearoa and align to Te Whāriki 2017.
Service leaders and programme tutors need to strengthen:
advice and guidance to educators in relation to regulatory requirements and appraisal goals
the deliberate modelling of effective assessment for learning strategies.
ERO recommends that PORSE accesses professional learning and development for programme tutors to strengthen their understanding of Education Council requirements for teacher registration and appraisal.
Before the review, the staff and management of PORSE Bay of Plenty/Rotorua S3 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:
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.
The next ERO review of PORSE Bay of Plenty/Rotorua S3 will be in three years.
Adrienne Fowler
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region
2 October 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.
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Location |
Rotorua |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
55455 |
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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 |
77 |
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Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
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Gender composition |
Girls 41 Boys 36 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
26 |
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Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
2 |
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Required ratios of staff educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
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Over 2 |
1:4 |
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Review team on site |
August 2018 |
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Date of this report |
2 October 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2011 |
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Education Review |
August 2006 |
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Education Review |
October 2003 |
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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 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.
PORSE (Play, Observe, Record, Support, Extend, Evaluate), Rotorua, is part of a privately owned national home based care service. Children from birth to school age are cared for in their own homes by nanny educators, or in the homes of educators who are registered with PORSE. The network is managed from the PORSE office in central Rotorua, and operates within a framework of training, systems and policies provided by the PORSE National Support Organisation (NSO). Such policies outline clear expectations to guide educators’ interactions with children, learning programmes, and health and safety systems and practices.
The PORSE philosophy strongly promotes the concept of children being nurtured and educated by well supported adults. Children are benefiting from quality learning experiences in home environments and the wider community. Outings and playschools are well planned and provide opportunities for social networking, and play and learning in a wide variety of interesting and stimulating settings.
Relationships are respectful and responsive and are a significant feature of the service at all levels. Interactions between educators and children are caring, affectionate and based on trust and secure attachment. Educators demonstrate an ability to communicate and collaborate with children to extend interests and ideas. Programme tutors work alongside educators and encourage them to become increasingly knowledgeable, thoughtful and sensitively attuned to children.
At the time of this review in December 2010 there were 88 children enrolled, eight of whom identify as Māori. The PORSE service has clearly stated expectations about establishing meaningful relationships with Māori children and their families. These expectations encourage whānau involvement and in depth family knowledge of children. As programme tutors continue to shape priorities for service development in Rotorua they should now review and develop strategies and practices to more specifically engage with Māori families and whānau.
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO will review the service again within three years.
Before the review, the management of PORSE Rotorua S1 was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by PORSE Rotorua S1 to contribute to the scope of the review.
The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the management and staff. This discussion focused on existing information held by the service (including self-review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to positive outcomes for children atPORSE Rotorua S1.
All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:
ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below.
This is the first ERO review of the Rotorua PORSE network. Both programme tutors are new to their roles this term, and the Team Coach, while highly experienced in PORSE, is new to her role with the Rotorua team. The overall PORSE philosophy and mission statement express aspirations that aim to provide work-based adult education. This education is flexible, self-paced and designed to enhance the life-long learning and capability of adults caring for and educating infants, toddlers and young children.
Relationships: Respectful, responsive and reciprocal relationships are a significant feature of the service. These relationships are characterised by, and promoted through:
The PORSE mission statement of educators nurturing and educating children in their care provides a strong framework for highly effective interactions and relationships.
Children as learners: Children experience a comprehensive range of quality learning experiences in home environments and the wider community. Children’s trust in their educators supports their confidence to participate in both familiar and new situations. Well-planned outings and playschools provide opportunities for social networking, exploration and learning in a wide variety of interesting and stimulating settings. Educators are increasingly using strategies that support children’s developing social competence and view of themselves as capable and confident decision makers and learners.
Adults as learners: PORSE demonstrates a high level of commitment to providing individualised learning pathways for educators and employees. A wide range of flexible training opportunities, coaching and mentoring allow individuals to achieve self-directed goals and establish meaningful career pathways. Well established systems and practices provide useful frameworks for ongoing review, reflection, support and development that positively contribute to the quality education and care experienced by infants, toddlers and young children.
Building capability: Programme tutors should continue to emphasise the importance of family and whānau involvement in children’s learning. They should further develop planning guidelines to promote the significance of family, and children’s cultural identity. Such development is likely to enhance whānau involvement in planning and learning, and enable programme tutors and educators to increasingly respond to the cultural diversity of families and children using the service.
ERO provides information about the education system as a whole through its national reports. This information will be used as the basis for long term and systemic educational improvement.
As part of this review ERO evaluated the extent to which:
There are eight Māori children enrolled in this service. Enrolment documentation and practices are inclusive of Māori and invite whānau to share information specific to their cultural identity and affiliations. PORSE also has a policy that acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua. Educators and programme tutors have opportunities to access professional learning and development designed to enhance their knowledge and understanding of Māori language and culture.
Valuing whānau voice: The PORSE service has clearly stated expectations about establishing meaningful relationships with Māori children and their families. These expectations promote whānau involvement through respecting and building on in-depth family knowledge of children.
Strengthening partnerships with Māori: As this new team shapes priorities for service development in Rotorua, it is timely for them to review strategies and practices to more specifically engage with Māori. Stronger recognition of local iwi, customs and culture is likely to enhance the sense of belonging of, and partnerships with Māori, and more fully realise PORSE policy expectations.
Before the review, the management and staff of PORSE Rotorua S1 completed an ERO Home-Based CareManagement Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they have attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO will review the service again within three years.
Richard Thornton
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region
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Licence type |
Home-Based Care |
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Licensed under |
Education (Home-based Care) Order 1992 |
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Roll number |
88 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 49 Boys 39 |
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Ethnic composition |
Other Ethnicities 48 New Zealand Pākehā/European 22 New Zealand Māori 8 Other European 10 |
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Review team onsite |
December 2010 |
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Date of this report |
02 March 2011 |
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Previous ERO reports |
Education Review August 2006 |