68 Rawhiti Road, One Tree Hill, Auckland
View on mapToybox on Rawhiti
Toybox on Rawhiti
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 Toybox on Rawhiti are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding Whakaū Embedding |
2 Context of the Service
Toybox on Rawhiti is a family-owned service. Two qualified owners are responsible for governance, management and overseeing daily operations. They lead a team of three qualified teachers and two staff.
3 Summary of findings
Children and families from diverse cultural backgrounds experience an environment where they are an integral part of the service. Children are confident and settled and this is fostered by the secure, trusting relationships they have developed with teachers. Teachers work closely with parents to support children’s social competence and emotional wellbeing. As a result, children and families demonstrate a strong sense of belonging at the centre.
The service’s philosophy is based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. It also includes the Forest Kindergarten approach (making use of natural environments in the community to facilitate children’s learning). Parents’ aspirations, cultural knowledge and their contributions are regularly sought to inform the local curriculum. Assessment and planning records celebrate the learning progress of individuals and groups of children, including their diverse cultural heritages.
Children are provided with frequent opportunities to make choices about their play and to actively co-create the curriculum. Teachers see children as competent learners and provide a range of opportunities to foster their independence. Children are actively involved in a curriculum cooking initiative which fosters lifelong cooking skills.
Leaders and teachers use their cultural knowledge to provide an inclusive curriculum that meets the needs of all children. Aspects of tikanga Māori are integrated into the curriculum and environment. Leaders and teachers are considering ways to further strengthen their use of te reo Māori in their everyday practice.
Leaders have created a positive environment for staff that promotes the delivery of a well-considered curriculum. Relational trust between leaders and teachers supports team collaboration. Opportunities for professional learning and a development focus on enhancing outcomes for children aim to build the collective capability of the team.
Policies, and procedures that support service operations are evident. A positive working environment facilitates low teacher turnover and is conducive to the building and sustaining of quality adult: child ratios.
4 Improvement actions
Toybox on Rawhiti will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
-
Continue to increase the use of te reo Māori in daily teaching practices.
-
Grow teachers’ individual and collective capability to use internal evaluation effectively, with a focus on identifying how well equitable outcomes for all learners are being realised.
5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Toybox on Rawhiti 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 May 2023
6 About the Early Childhood Service
Early Childhood Service Name |
Toybox on Rawhiti |
Profile Number |
45886 |
Location |
One Tree Hill, Auckland |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
30 children over 2 years of age |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
Service roll |
32 |
Review team on site |
March 2023 |
Date of this report |
30 May 2023 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, June 2021 |
Toybox on Rawhiti - 4/06/2021
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 |
Curriculum |
Meeting |
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
Health and safety |
Meeting |
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Background
Toybox on Rawhiti is a privately owned and family operated service. The two owners are qualified teachers. They lead a team of two qualified teachers and one unqualified teacher. The service philosophy is underpinned by the Forest Kindergarten approach that makes use of natural environments in the community to facilitate children’s learning.
Summary of Review Findings
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful and positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The service curriculum provides a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning. There are a range of experiences and opportunities provided to enhance and extend children’s learning and development.
Service leaders must monitor that policies and practices meet all aspects of regulatory compliance and are consistently implemented.
Compliance
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
- documenting a schedule showing the timelines for planned review and recorded outcomes from the review process (GMA6)
- ensuring all children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014, including having a written procedure for safety checking that meets the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014 (GMA7A)
- documenting evidence of how evaluation of relevant emergency drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan (HS8)
- maintaining a record of the time each child attending the service sleeps, and checks made by adults during that time (HS9)
- monitoring equipment, premises and facilities every day of operation for all hazards required to be checked (HS12)
- maintaining a record of illnesses that occur at the service and evidence that parents have been notified/informed of injuries, illnesses and incidents that occur at the service (HS27)
- maintaining a record of all medicine given to children attending the service and evidence of parental acknowledgement that medicine was administered (HS28).
Next ERO Review
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
4 June 2021
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name | Toybox on Rawhiti |
Profile Number | 45886 |
Location | One Tree Hill, Auckland |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
30 children, over 2 years of age |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
Service roll |
37 |
Ethnic composition |
Māori 1 |
Review team on site |
April 2021 |
Date of this report |
4 June 2021 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 2017 |
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.
Toybox on Rawhiti - 24/03/2017
1 Evaluation of Toybox on Rawhiti
How well placed is Toybox on Rawhiti to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Background
Toybox on Rawhiti is a family owned early childhood service licensed for 30 children aged two to five years. The centre's philosophy promotes opportunities for children to make sense of the natural world. This includes regular excursions to Cornwall Park and into the surrounding neighbourhood. Children are therefore connected to the local community with a focus on learning about environmental sustainability.
The two owners and staff are all qualified teachers. The owners share centre leadership and management. Teachers are of diverse ethnicities, and speak several languages.
The 2013 ERO report noted that children experience high quality care and positive, sensitive relationships that provide meaningful opportunities for them to learn about the natural environment. Positive features identified in 2013 have been sustained. ERO recommended that owners and teachers improve self review and curriculum systems. Very good progress has been made in these areas.
The Review Findings
Children settle quickly into the stimulating centre environment. They are familiar with routines and have good access to a wide variety of resources. Regular visits to Cornwall Park provide rich experiences that challenge and extend children's confidence, oral language and theories about the natural world.
Children enjoy trusting and respectful relationships with their teachers. They are confident explorers who direct their own play and relate well with their peers. Children connect socially with their peers through shared experiences. As a result, children are independent and develop friendships. They participate in imaginative and creative play opportunities with enthusiasm. Children display positive attitudes to physical activity.
The learning programme fosters curiosity and leadership. It promotes child-led learning. Teachers know children well and are responsive to their ideas. They skilfully work alongside children to negotiate and promote children's thinking and problem solving. There is rich conversation between children and teachers.
Bicultural approaches are evident in daily programmes. Te reo and tikanga Māori are incorporated into the programme. Sustainability, recycling and conservation concepts are key part of the centre's curriculum. Children develop a sense of themselves as kaitiaki of the environment.
Children's individual assessment journals clearly show how the programme and teaching practices contribute to their learning and progress over time. Teachers work together well to identify children's emerging interests and use this information purposefully to plan individual programmes that extend children's learning. Parents add comments to journal records of their children's learning. Children revisit their journals to relive and extend experiences.
Teachers are open to learning. They have regular opportunities to strengthen their professional practice. This impacts positively on children's learning and wellbeing. Owners and teachers co-construct their appraisal goals, which are aligned to the centre's strategic direction. Leaders and teachers collaboratively evaluate programmes with a strong focus on ongoing improvement. Systematic internal evaluation includes teachers' research into current theory that is relevant to the centre's needs. Centre leaders present to, and facilitate learning for, others in the profession.
Key Next Steps
To enhance current high quality practices, owners and teachers intend to:
-
continue to strengthen the bicultural curriculum
-
increase professional learning opportunities for teachers to build leadership, mentoring and teaching skills.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Toybox on Rawhiti 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.
Next ERO Review
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Toybox on Rawhiti will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
24 March 2017
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 |
One Tree Hill, Auckland |
||
Ministry of Education profile number |
45886 |
||
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
Number licensed for |
30 children, over 2 years of age |
||
Service roll |
42 |
||
Gender composition |
Boys 23 Girls 21 |
||
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Asian Samoan others |
4 31 6 1 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
Review team on site |
February 2017 |
||
Date of this report |
24 March 2017 |
||
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
December 2013 |
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 and Next Review
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:
- Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
- Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
- Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
- Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education
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.