- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
How well placed is The Rumpus Room to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
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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.
The Rumpus Room is a privately-owned education and care service that operates from a remodelled house in Point Chevalier, Auckland. It is licensed for 49 children, including 15 up to two years of age. Children play in two age-related groups. The newly modified house and outdoor learning environments feature practical and innovative designs. Parents express very positive feedback about the care and education their children receive.
The centre opened in October 2012 and this is the centre’s first ERO review. The owners, along with the centre manager, are developing a positive organisational culture and a strong sense of community.
The centre philosophy clearly outlines the intentions of the centre and is a useful guide for staff. The centre manager understands the importance of constantly reviewing the philosophy in light of new staff and families enrolling at the centre. A noteworthy feature of the centre is the importance that is placed on using visual representation within centre practice. Art-works, photos, and signs are displayed strategically for children, parents and teachers. The whānau tree with each new child’s thumb print symbolises unity and growth.
Positive, respectful relationships between teachers, children and their parents/whānau give children and their families a sense of belonging. Teachers know their families and community well. All children and families are included and are supported according to their diverse needs. As a next step in affirming children and families, teachers could explore ways to make the centre environment more reflective of Pacific and other cultures.
Children are affirmed as capable and confident learners. They freely explore their environment and can access a variety of well selected resources that support their learning. Children engage in independent and co-operative play. They have opportunities to direct their own learning and can talk about their feelings and ideas with peers and teachers. Teachers actively promote language development and have meaningful conversations with children. They are now well placed to further extend children’s critical thinking and inquiry as part of their learning.
Children are happy and engaged. They display a great love of books. Whānau pukapuka and large photo story books capture visual stories of families and children’s previous learning experiences. Both are accessible for children to read. Comfortable bean bags and large couches are positioned strategically throughout the centre to encourage children to spend time reading. These good features support children’s early literacy development.
Infants and toddlers play and learn together in an environment that encourages them to explore and interact with each other. Teachers support infants and toddlers to develop resilience and to become self managing. Responsive self review that includes parent feedback helps teachers reflect on how well younger children in particular, respond to the emphasis that is placed on independence and self management in the programme.
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, guides the programme. The centre is researching approaches that could help enhance their philosophy and practice. The programme is informed by teachers’ knowledge of children’s individual and group interests and needs. Teachers plan well to engage children and to help extend their understanding. Children’s portfolios are a very good record of their learning development over time and include a sequence of detailed photos capturing the child’s learning progress.
The centre programme reflects the bicultural intentions of Te Whāriki. The use of te reo and tikanga Māori is valued and encouraged. A special feature of the centre is the Graduation Korowai used for celebrating children’s move onto school.
The centre has established good relationships with a local marae. Teacher skill and knowledge of biculturalism supports the growth of te reo and tikanga Māori. Staff are continuing to explore ways to strengthen their bicultural practices and share their skills. They could now consider using the Ministry of Education resource Tātaiako - Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, as part of the appraisal process.
Centre staff have established a culture that supports ongoing improvement. Whole centre and individual professional development informs centre practice. The centre manager provides good direction and leadership, and is working towards developing leadership amongst teachers. Self review is well documented and ongoing. To develop this further teachers’ could now consider including current research and increasing evaluative thinking practice within the self review cycle.
The centre is developing effective governance and management practices. Good working relationships between the centre owners and manger are evident. Considerable thought is been given to clarifying and developing the centre culture.
During the review the centre staff and ERO agreed that the key next steps for future growth and development would be to:
Before the review, the staff and management of The Rumpus Room 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 The Rumpus Room will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
12 September 2014
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 |
Point Chevalier, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46019 |
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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 |
49 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
62 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 36 Girls 26 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Indian British |
3 54 4 1 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
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 |
July 2014 |
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Date of this report |
12 September 2014 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) These are available at www.ero.govt.nz |
No previous ERO reports |
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.
