11 Waipapa Road, Thames
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 Pukekos Educare 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 |
Pukekos Educare Thames is a privately-owned, mixed-age service. Sustainability, whanaungatanga (relationships) and a curriculum that is entwined with nature are central to the service’s philosophy. Of the children enrolled, a small number are of Pacific heritage, and a third are Māori.
Children learn through a highly responsive curriculum, and they are supported by effective teaching to make choices about their learning. They have opportunities to be creative and engage in developmentally appropriate risk-taking and challenge. A play-based literacy program is in place that supports children's transition to school. Children are encouraged to be competent and confident learners.
Children with diverse learning needs benefit from an inclusive curriculum. They are well supported by teachers to learn. A calm, slow pace allows younger children time to explore and answer their own curiosities. Children’s social and emotional needs are nurtured. Individual children’s interests are planned for and responded to. Teachers understand children’s ways of learning and progress made in relation to the intended outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Learning-focused partnerships between teachers and parents positively impact children’s learning. Although there is knowledge of children’s individual cultures and languages, the service is yet to consistently embed strategies that reflect and respond to culturally valued knowledge. Māori children’s language and culture are reflected in the environment and curriculum. Leaders have identified that te reo Māori practices are an ongoing area for growth.
Teachers collaborate and share their knowledge to grow their practice. Internal evaluation is promoting improvements overtime. A stronger focus on what is working well for different groups of children is required in evaluation. Leaders ensure that organisational conditions promote collective understanding and enactment of the centre’s philosophy and values. Children and their families benefit from a shared leadership approach within the experienced teaching team.
Pukekos Educare will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Strengthen evaluation practices to ensure a focus on identifying what is and isn’t working well, and for which groups of children, with regards to progressing the valued learning outcomes of Te Whāriki.
Work in partnership with families to further develop culturally responsive practices to ensure a response to each child’s languages, cultures, and identity.
Strengthen opportunities that children have to hear and use meaningful te reo Māori in the daily curriculum.
Before the review, the staff and management of Pukekos Educare Thames 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.
Since the onsite phase of the review the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Ensuring that items intended for children to sleep on are covered with or made of a non-porous material that does not allow liquid to pass through it (PF30).
Ensuring checks to equipment, premises and facilities being undertaken on every day of operation include all items required by the licensing criterion (HS12).
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
21 June 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Pukekos Educare Thames |
|
Profile Number |
34089 |
|
Location |
Thames |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
44 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
39 |
|
Review team on site |
April 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
21 June 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, August 2019; Education Review, June 2014 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Pukekos Educare Thames is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Pukekos Educare Thames is situated south of Thames. The centre provides all-day education and care in a mixed age setting for children to school age. The centre is licensed for 44 children including 10 up to the age of two years. The current roll is 48 children of whom eight identify as Māori.
Pukekos Educare Limited sold two of their three centres in 2018. Pukekos Educare Thames is now a stand-alone service. There has been significant changes to personnel roles and responsibilities in 2018.
At Pukekos, teachers advocate everyone’s right to a place to be me, to nurture knowledge, skills and attitudes for life and about life. Aspirations and diversity are embraced and celebrated, collaboration and co -operation is the cherished approach to centre life, in a holistic environment that is natural, stimulating and engaging.
Management have responded well to the key next steps identified in the 2014 ERO review related to self review, transitions to school and centre routines.
The service's philosophy, vision, and mission statement are clearly evident in the life of the centre. Clear policies and procedures, alongside regular and systematic self review lead to centre wide improvement. Expectations for high-quality teaching practice has been collaboratively developed by leaders and teachers. There is now a need to consolidate the new teaching team to consistently implement centre expectations. Management actively promotes positive and equitable outcomes for all children.
Centre leadership is focused on building teachers' confidence and capability. Shared roles and responsibilities are providing emergent leadership opportunities for teachers. There is a high level of relational trust and collaborative ways of working are fostered. Responsive and respectful relationships with parents and whānau support children’s sense of belonging.
A wide range of experiences provide rich programmes for learning. A team approach to planning is informed by child voice and the emergent curriculum. There is a focus on the natural world and kaitiakitanga. Literacy, mathematics, oral language and science are seamlessly integrated into all areas of the curriculum. The environment promotes risk taking, creativity, and problem solving. The bicultural curriculum is visible throughout the centre environment and in assessment and planning. Children are actively encouraged to make their own choices.
Teaching practices promote positive outcomes for children. Teachers respect and value children's ideas and decisions through sensitive and responsive interactions. They promote a calm and unhurried approach to learning through play. There is a balance of child-initiated and teacher-led activities with multiple opportunities for independent, group and sustained play. Teachers engage children in learning conversations and use open-ended questioning to extend children’s thinking. Children are empowered to take increased responsibility for the wellbeing of themselves, others and the group.
Children up the age of two years are nurtured in a calm, responsive environment. Relationships between families and teachers supports infants' natural rhythms and routines.
There are effective transition processes into, through and out of the centre. An inclusive approach supports children with additional needs and their whānau well. Teachers know and respond to specific learning and behaviour needs and plans and strategies are developed alongside parents and external agencies.
ERO and centre management agree that the next key steps are to strengthen:
the use of te reo Māori throughout daily interactions
evaluation of curriculum focus areas for ongoing improvement
teachers use and understanding of Te Whāriki.
Before the review, the staff and management of Pukekos Educare Thames 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
16 August 2019
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.
|
Location |
Thames |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
34089 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
44 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
48 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Male 25 Female 23 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
January 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
16 August 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
June 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
December 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
August 2007 |
||
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.
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Pukekos Educare Thames is situated at Totara, just south of Thames. The centre provides all-day education and care in a mixed-age setting for children up to five years old from Thames and surrounding districts. Of the 37 children on the roll, six are under two years old and two are identified as Māori. The centre is owned by the managing director who also owns and manages Pukekos Educare centres in the nearby towns of Paeroa and Ngatea. She is assisted in her overseeing of all three centres by the recently appointed principal. Teaching teams from the three Pukekos Educare centres share professional development opportunities and regular discussions about best practice in early childhood education. The teaching team at Pukekos Educare Thames includes four qualified early childhood teachers and one in training.
The centre has a positive reporting history with ERO. The previous ERO report in 2010 identified highly effective governance practices including, well established self review and generous support for staff professional development. There were positive and inclusive partnerships with parents and families. This review finds that these positive features have been sustained.
Centre leaders have responded positively to the 2010 ERO report. Since that review, the managing director has continued to develop her vision for co-operative leadership and management among staff in all Pukekos Educare centres. There has been significant redevelopment and extension of the indoor and outdoor play and utility areas. As a result the centre’s license has been increased to cater for more children.
The philosophy of Pukekos Educare Centres is to provide a place where children, teachers and families can be themselves. Respect, communication, relationships and working together are highly valued. These beliefs and attitudes are reflected in practices throughout the centre. A calm, family-like environment is provided for infants, toddlers and young children.
Children are capable and confident learners. They benefit from high-quality responsive and respectful interactions with teachers who participate actively in their play. Conversations include extending children’s interests, skills and thinking which sustain engagement in their activities of choice. Te reo Māori is increasingly incorporated into routines and discussions. Transitions into the centre include a formal induction process that helps teachers to understand the requirements of individual children and their families. Friendships and positive play among children of all age groups are actively promoted. Teachers are in the process of reviewing how well they encourage children’s thinking and critical reflection.
The programme is informed by children’s individual interests. Every-day contexts such as cooking, construction and gardening ensure that learning is meaningful and enjoyable. Opportunities to develop literacy, mathematics, science, music and creative skills are effectively woven into the programme. Well-considered wall displays celebrate children’s achievements and make their learning visible to children and parents. Large floor books effectively record earlier programme planning to enable children to revisit and extend their learning experiences. In preparation for transition to school, four-year-old children participate in the 'Whā Club', which provides opportunities for the extension of literacy and numeracy skills according to current topics of interest.
High-quality attractive e-portfolios record assessments of individual children’s learning and effectively demonstrate progress over time. Portfolio entries are shared digitally with parents and children at the centre and are also provided to families for home discussions. Parents have opportunities to formally discuss their child’s learning and development at twice-yearly parent interviews. This enhances the home-centre partnership by ensuring that parents and children have a voice in programme assessment and planning.
High-quality learning environments are very thoughtfully considered, attractively presented and make the centre welcoming for children and parents. Māori perspectives are represented by historical photographs of a local marae and an explicit emphasis on whakapapa and bilingual signage. This represents the centre’s emphasis on supporting children’s culture, language and identity. Resources, including natural materials, are readily accessible. The outdoor area maximises opportunities for social play and exploration.
Education and care for infants and toddlers is warm and nurturing. Teaching practices reflect the centre’s emphasis on the importance of parent partnerships, respectful interactions and nurture for very young children. A permanent full-time teaching team contributes to consistent care. Children’s individual needs and routines are responded to with sensitivity. They have many opportunities to become confident communicators and explorers in a mixed-age setting. Parents have daily opportunities to discuss any matters relating to their children.
The managing director is an experienced, knowledgeable and enthusiastic professional leader with strong professional networks. She has a clear vision for continuing strategic development and has made good use of current theory and recognised best practice in early childhood education to develop 'The Pukekos Way'. This approach is based on co-operative leadership and high-quality practices. Carefully planned professional development and inclusive self review has ensured consistent implementation of the Pukekos philosophy for long-serving and newly appointed teachers. Shared staff leadership encourages teachers to take responsibility for centre tasks and decision making. Strong management systems, including a robust staff appraisal process, reflect the shared understandings and high expectations of managers and teachers. Extensive self review has resulted in continual improvements for children and families.
The managing director and centre representatives agree that priorities for future development are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Pukekos Educare Thames completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they select ‘have’ or ‘have not’ 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 Pukekos Educare Thames will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
23 June 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.
|
Location |
Thames |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
34089 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
44 children, including up to 6 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
37 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 19 Girls 18 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Other |
2 34 1 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
April 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
23 June 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
August 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 2004 |
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.