2 Shortland Street, Regent, Whangarei
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 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 Geckos (The Nest) Early Learning Centre Ltd are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakatō Emerging |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakatō Emerging Whakatō Emerging |
Geckos (The Nest) Early Learning Centre is one of four services in Whangarei with the same two Auckland based owners. A centre manager oversees the daily operations of the centre and is supported by an operations manager. Most of the children who attend the service are of Māori heritage.
Children experience a caring, respectful and unhurried learning environment. Their choices are acknowledged and supported. This enables smooth transitions between routines. Children are viewed as confident and capable learners, and they are given time and space to lead their own learning. Teachers provide some challenges for children, which increases their confidence.
Teachers provide experiences that promote bicultural practices. Children have opportunities to hear te reo Māori, waiata and karakia throughout the programme.
Whānau engagement is valued by leaders and teachers. They are beginning to explore various ways to connect with parents and whānau to focus on children’s learning and progress. Teachers should also consider how to capture all children’s identity, cultures, and languages, and make these visible in planning and assessment documentation.
Leaders have a focus on relationships and are building a professional organisational culture within the new team. They have developed a professional growth cycle for teachers. This learning-focused process is yet to be implemented. It would be beneficial to develop a systematic process to show how teachers are building their teaching and leadership capabilities towards improving outcomes for children.
Leaders and teachers are at the early stage of using internal evaluation to support positive learning outcomes for children. It is timely now for leaders and teachers to have a shared understanding of how to do and use evaluation for improvement.
Geckos (The Nest) Early Learning Centre Ltd will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Build the teaching team’s capacity to use individual children’s assessment and evaluation to improve outcomes for learners and to show children's identity, cultures and languages.
Develop and implement an internal evaluation process with a focus on how improvements are impacting on children’s learning.
Continue to regularly mentor teachers to build teaching and leadership capabilities with a focus on shifts in practices and outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Geckos (The Nest) Early Learning Centre Ltd 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)
12 October 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Geckos (The Nest) Early Learning Centre Ltd |
|
Profile Number |
11566 |
|
Location |
Whangarei |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
28 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers (delete if not applicable) |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
24 |
|
Review team on site |
August 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
12 October 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, March 2020 Education Review, June 2016 |
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that have now been addressed.
Geckos (The Nest) Early Learning Centre Ltd was relicensed under new ownership in June 2018. An operations manager and centre manager were appointed in September 2019. The centre manager oversees the daily operations of the service. The operations manager is responsible for three Geckos early learning centres in Whangarei.
Adults engage in meaningful interactions and nurture reciprocal relationships that enhance children’s learning. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. The curriculum provides a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning.
There is sufficient quality and variety of indoor and outdoor equipment, and materials appropriate for the learning and abilities of the children attending. Premises and furnishings are hygienic and maintained in good condition. An annual plan guides the centre’s operations. Managers need to address several areas, including staff safety checking and financial reporting.
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances relating to:
cots, beds, stretchers or mattresses being securely covered with or made of a non-porous material that does not allow liquid to pass through it
the provision of information to parents about the amount and details of the expenditure of any Ministry of Education funding received by the service
The next ERO review is likely to be an Education Review.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
26 March 2020
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Geckos (The Nest) Early Learning Centre Ltd |
|
Profile Number |
11566 |
|
Location |
Regent, Whangarei |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
28 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Reported ratio of staff to children under 2 |
1:4 - Better than regulatory standards |
|
Reported ratio of staff to children over 2 |
1:4 - Better than regulatory standards |
|
Service roll |
8 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys 5 Girls 3 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 3 |
|
Review team on site |
December 2019 |
|
Date of this report |
26 March 2020 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review June 2016 |
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.
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:
As part of an 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:
As part of an Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through: