Busy Bees Western Heights

Education institution number:
40274
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
40
Telephone:
Address:

195 Clayton Road, Western Heights, Rotorua

View on map

Mountain View Preschool Limited

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

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Mountain View Preschool Limited is governed by Provincial Education Group Ltd. A full license was re- issued in January 2021 after the service working with the Ministry of Education. Children play in two aged-based settings. The diverse teaching team of 13 includes both qualified, unqualified and in-training kaiako. The centre philosophy incorporates core Māori values.

Summary of Review Findings

Infants, toddlers, and young children experience an inclusive, language-rich environment where their interests and choices are valued. Their development is enhanced through a range of age-appropriate equipment and experiences that extend learning and promote social competence. The service’s curriculum is underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, reflecting Māori as tangata whenua.

Aspirations held by parents for their children are respected and acknowledged. The service curriculum is informed by assessment, planning, and evaluation.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

21 January 2022 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Mountain View Preschool Limited

Profile Number

40274

Location

Rotorua

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

42 children, including up to 15 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

46

Ethnic composition

Māori 23, NZ European/Pākehā 12, Afrikaans 4, Other ethnic groups 7

Review team on site

Dec 2021

Date of this report

21 January 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, June 2020; 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.

Mountain View Preschool Limited - 17/06/2020

1 Evaluation of Mountain View Preschool Limited

How well placed is Mountain View Preschool Limited to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Mountain View Preschool Limited is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Mountain View Preschool is located in Western Heights, Rotorua. The centre is licensed to provide all-day education and care for 42 children, including 15 up to the age of two years. At the time of this review there were 47 children enrolled, including 27 Māori children.

The centre is governed by Provincial Education Group. Senior leaders provide ongoing support and guidance for the centre manager who is responsible for the day-to-day running of the preschool. The core team includes a mix of fully qualified teachers and staff who are currently undertaking study towards teaching qualifications.

The centre's philosophy emphasises partnerships with parents and a curriculum that reflects culturally appropriate and equitable opportunities.

Since the previous ERO report in 2017, a new centre manager has been appointed.

The Review Findings

Children learn in a settled and supportive environment. Respectful teaching practice encourages children to manage themselves and to develop social competency. The intentional integration of te reo and tikanga Māori is highly evident in daily routines and teachers' interactions with children. Parents and whānau feel welcome and are encouraged to participate in centre activities. Teachers are highly responsive to children's care needs. Children under the age of two are catered for in a separate room and have individualised care plans. Transitions into and through the centre are responsive to the needs of individual children. Teachers liaise with local schools to support children's transitions out of the centre. Children’s sense of belonging and wellbeing is fostered.

Coherent systems support a well-considered and consistent approach to assessment, planning and evaluation of children’s learning. Parent and whānau aspirations are regularly captured and enacted in programme planning and assessment. Continuity of learning is supported through individualised planning and is evident in children's learning portfolios. Assessment of children's progress is well documented and shared with parents. Children's dispositions and interests are supported by responsive teaching practices. These practices could be further strengthened by teachers modelling a wider variety of language and developing the centre's bi-cultural practice.

Centre leadership is highly effective. A culture of strong relational trust and collaboration is evident among leaders and teachers. A systematic internal evaluation process supports ongoing review and improvement aligned to strategic goals. Regular consultation with parents and whānau is used to inform decision-making and centre direction. The centre manager builds leadership capacity and provides individual coaching and mentoring for all teachers. Children benefit from knowledgeable leadership and teaching practice.

Key Next Steps

To further strengthen current practices, leaders and ERO agree that next steps include:

  • considering ways that children's documented assessment might reflect the integration of te ao Māori that is evident in observations of teaching practice

  • continuing to develop place-based learning to extend curriculum opportunities

  • further enriching children's vocabulary and use of increasingly complex language through play.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Mountain View Preschool Limited 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.

Darcy Te Hau

Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)

Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

17 June 2020

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

Rotorua

Ministry of Education profile number

40274

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

42 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Service roll

47

Gender composition

Female 27 Male 20

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Pacific
Other ethnic groups

27
14
3
3

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

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2020

Date of this report

17 June 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

March 2017

Education Review

April 2014

Supplementary Review

March 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

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.

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.