1/25 Maich Road, Manurewa, Auckland
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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Small Oaks Early Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakaū Embedding |
Small Oaks Early Learning Centre is a well-established service providing education and care for up to 25 children in a mixed-age setting. An experienced owner, who is a qualified teacher, leads a team of three qualified teachers and a teacher in training. Half of the children enrolled are Māori.
Children engage in sustained periods of self-directed play. They interact in caring and respectful ways with teachers and other children. Centre routines and the well-designed learning environments allow time and space for children to explore and investigate. Teachers’ conversations with children support their participation as capable learners in the curriculum.
Teachers plan and enact a rich, culturally responsive curriculum, that is informed by children’s interests and strengths, and by parent aspirations for their child’s learning. Parents and whānau have developed positive relationships with teachers.
A high level of relational trust results in effective collaboration amongst the teaching team. Teachers’ individual strengths contribute to building the collective knowledge and capability of the whole team. Teachers are continuing to embed effective bicultural practices to enrich the curriculum experiences provided for children.
Regular and ongoing self-review reflects what is meaningful and relevant to children, families, teachers, and the local community. This is leading to improved professional practice and supports positive outcomes for children, parents and whānau.
Effective governance and management systems are well established and support the service’s strategic direction and vision. Regular review of these systems ensure they remain meaningful and reflective of the service’s philosophy and values.
Small Oaks Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Small Oaks Early Learning 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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
24 September 2021
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Small Oaks Early Learning Centre |
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Profile Number |
25248 |
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Location |
Manurewa, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 5 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
32 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 15, NZ European/Pākehā 12, other ethnic groups 5 |
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Review team on site |
May 2021 |
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Date of this report |
24 September 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, November 2017; Education Review, March 2014 |
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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.
Small Oaks Early Learning Centre provides education and care for children up to school age, in a renovated villa in Manurewa. It is licenced for 25 children, including four under two years of age. The indoor layout of the centre allows for mixed-age grouping. There is a separate play room for infants and toddlers if they require it for uninterrupted play.
The centre has changed ownership since the 2014 ERO review. The centre owner/manager oversees centre operations. She is also the curriculum leader and guides staff in providing learning programmes for children. A cook provides meals for children. The manager and two other staff are registered teachers.
The centre serves many Māori families and a culturally diverse community. Teachers reflect this diversity. The roll has been increasing. There is good support for children with special learning needs.
The centre’s philosophy places a strong emphasis on children being socially competent, and values the children's home languages and cultural identity. The philosophy reflects Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and recognises the dual cultural heritages of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Children are provided with an environment that is welcoming, caring and accepting of their diversity. Effective and inclusive teaching practices affirm and build on the strengths that children bring to their play. Children are confident, socially competent and well supported to be independent. They are keen learners and engage well in the range of activities teachers provide. Children are given the space to initiate their own play and to have conversations with each other.
Teachers support children’s learning and development by providing a play-based curriculum that engages them. The atmosphere is unhurried and calm, allowing children the time to explore their environment. Attractive, well defined areas of play contribute to children’s engagement in the programme. Children’s work is valued and displayed on the walls. Children explore literacy, mathematics, technology and science through the learning experiences teachers provide.
Children with Māori and Pacific heritages learn about and can see their cultures reflected and valued in the programme. The programme celebrates the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand and shows respect for Māori as tangata whenua.
The programme for infants and toddlers is well suited to their needs. There is a good flow between indoor and outdoor areas enabling children to explore and persist with challenges in their play. A flexible and relaxed tone is evident in the mixed age group programme. Teachers' responsive caregiving supports infants’ need for secure attachments.
Teachers' internal evaluation is focused on exploring ways to strengthen the curriculum, understanding infant and toddler care and development, and becoming more knowledgeable about children's diverse cultural backgrounds. Continued professional learning about the younger age group is something teachers know would strengthen their practices and programmes.
Teachers are committed to promoting smooth transitions to school for all children, in particular for children with diverse learning needs. The centre manager has established strong relationships with schools that these children will attend and will work with parents closely to ensure transitions are seamless.
Teachers’ respectful relationships with children and their whānau are a strength of the centre. They are developing ways that could build parent/whānau contributions to the centre’s programme. They use collaborative leadership processes well. Teachers encourage and support parents and whānau and children to take on leadership roles and responsibilities in the programme.
Parents who spoke to ERO, appreciate that teachers help them to understand how children learn through play and build positive relationships in the community. The manager and teachers are proactive in encouraging families to participate in their children's learning experiences. Partnerships between teachers, children and their whānau are positive and give each child and their family a strong sense of belonging.
Strong professional leadership enables the centre to maintain its focus on providing good governance and quality early childhood education and care. Positive working relationships, mentoring and collaboration between the manager and staff help to create a culture of trust and respect.
The centre is well placed to continue building on improvements made since the change of ownership. Key next steps for centre development include:
increasing the extent to which children's portfolios reflect their cultural identity, and parents' desired outcomes for their children
continuing to deepen the analysis of children's assessment information to enhance teachers' planning for extending children's learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Small Oaks Early Learning 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.
The next ERO review of Small Oaks Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
2 November 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 |
Manurewa, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
25248 |
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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 |
25 children, including up to 4 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
32 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 17 Girls 15 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
16 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
August 2017 |
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Date of this report |
2 November 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
November 2012 |
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|
Education Review |
June 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:
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.