55 Isabella Street, Glengarry, Invercargill
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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Surrey Park Early Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakaū Embedding |
Surrey Park Early Learning Centre is a not-for-profit, community-based education and care service for children from birth to school age. A parent committee and director oversee governance and management. A head and assistant head teacher support team leaders in five age-based rooms. Most teachers are qualified early childhood educators.
The service is welcoming and inclusive, enacting its values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga. Children’s learning is strongly supported by caring relationships and a focus on holistic wellbeing. Infants and toddlers play and learn in a calm environment. They and older children benefit from responsive, one-to-one, respectful and attentive interactions.
Children experience a broad and responsive curriculum that is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. They have rich opportunities for physical exploration, imaginative play, early literacy, and building social-emotional competency. Further development of teachers’ knowledge of te reo Māori and aspects of te ao Māori is required to provide more opportunities for all children to hear te reo Māori and experience a rich bicultural curriculum.
Teachers increasingly use the Te Whāriki learning outcomes to guide their work. A new system for planning and assessing children’s learning has resulted in more deliberate teaching strategies, resourcing and experiences. Individual learning records value parents’ contributions and show children’s progress over time against their goals. Records could better value children’s cultures and better show the strategies teachers use to support children’s learning.
Children with additional needs are very well supported. Leaders and teachers work closely with families and external experts to help these children fully access the curriculum.
Strong, shared leadership and effective systems result in ongoing improvement. Children’s learning and wellbeing are prioritised in decision making. Clear expectations and sound monitoring systems contribute to consistency across this large service.
Senior leaders work collaboratively to build professional knowledge. Staff benefit from relevant internal and external professional development and regularly meet to discuss, design and implement a responsive curriculum. A sound process for evaluating teaching and learning has resulted in improved teaching practices and outcomes for children. There is some variability in teachers’ confidence and effective use of the internal evaluation process.
The governing committee and director foreground the service’s vision to provide high quality care and education for children. Worthy strategic priorities have been identified and practices carefully aligned to these to drive improvement. Some policies and procedures are hard to follow due to their size.
Surrey Park Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These are to continue to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Surrey Park Early Learning Centre 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
3 March 2022
| Early Childhood Service Name | Surrey Park Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 45622 |
| Location | Invercargill |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
150 children, including up to 50 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
164 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 37%, NZ European/Pākehā 51%, Latin American 4%, Indian 3%, other ethnic groups 5% |
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Review team on site |
November 2021 |
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Date of this report |
3 March 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, April 2018; Education Review, March 2015. |
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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.
Surrey Park Early Learning Centre is a not-for-profit community-based education and care service. It has a long history within the community. Murihiku Young Parents Learning Centre is now attached to it. The four centres that used to make up Surrey Park Early Learning Centre Incorporated now operate under one licence.
A parent committee and director govern and manage the centre. A head teacher (recently appointed) and assistant head teacher support the four team leaders and teachers.
Surrey Park is licensed for 150 children up to school age, including up to 50 children under two years of age. Children are grouped in to four age-based rooms. Each room is a led by a team leader. Currently the groupings are up to 25 under two year old children, two rooms with two to three and a half year olds and the fourth room with three and a half to school entry.
The centre's mission statement is to empower lifelong enthusiasm for learning, and provide excellent education and care for children within its community. Centre practices and operations are underpinned by the values of whanaungatanga/relationships, manaakitanga/caring, pono/integrity and whakamana (supporting children to reach their potential).
Since the last review of the four centres, significant progress has been made in the identified areas.
Children learn and play in calm and safe environments that reflect a sense of community. They enjoy respectful and positive relations with their teachers. The children show a strong sense of belonging to their centre. They have choices in their activities that are meaningful and relevant to them as learners.
Children's learning is well supported by:
The centre's planning procedures are followed consistently across all rooms. This consistency of practice makes for smoother transitions for parents as their children move through the different rooms.
Infants and toddlers are well supported in their learning and wellbeing by teachers who are sensitive, responsive and nurturing. Teachers provide an environment where young children have the space to explore and develop their physical skills and confidence. Routines are flexible and infants and toddlers have many opportunities to play and develop positive relationships with their teachers and other children.
Bicultural practices are increasingly becoming integral to centre operations within the programme and documents. Teachers and leaders are extending their knowledge of Māori concepts and values. This is helping them develop further their bicultural practices.
Children with diverse learning needs are well supported. This includes:
Centre leaders use effective practices of internal evaluation for improvement. Central to the successful change management is the alignment of relevant professional learning and development and teachers appraisal goals. Leaders make their expectations of practice clear and give constructive feedback to teams and individuals. Centre leaders have identified that their current internal evaluation practices need to give them assurance that expectations and improvements are being sustained.
The governance committee and director have consulted widely to inform the strategic direction of the centre. Further work is being undertaken to ensure a useful planning format.
Centre leaders need to extend internal evaluation practices to regularly review operations to be assured improvements and expectations are being sustained.
The committee and leaders need to redevelop how they set out their strategic plan so the format is meaningful and useful, and clearly reflects the centre's priorities for development.
Before the review, the staff and management of Surrey Park Early Learning Centre 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 Surrey Park Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
6 April 2018
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 |
Invercargill |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45622 |
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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 |
150 children, including up to 50 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
156 |
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Gender composition |
Girls: 79 Boys: 77 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
42 |
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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 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
February 2018 |
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Date of this report |
6 April 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2015 |
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Education Review |
May 2013 |
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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.