373 Thames Street, Morrinsville
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 Morrinsville Kids Ltd 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 |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakaū Embedding |
Morrinsville Kids Ltd is a privately owned and operated education and care service located in the rural township of Morrinsville. The centre owner and two head teachers lead a team of 13 qualified and seven unqualified teachers. The service has a positive reporting history with ERO since opening in 2014.
The service gives priority to whanaungatanga and this is strongly evident throughout the philosophy and curriculum. Leaders and teachers maintain respectful and responsive relationships with parents and whānau. There are many opportunities for parents to share information and insights about their child. Teachers’ knowledge of children’s whānau and life contexts supports the implementation of a meaningful play-based, learning-focused curriculum.
The service is working towards implementing a responsive curriculum that provides all children with equitable opportunities to learn. Teachers of infants and toddlers draw on contemporary theory and practices. A calm, slow pace is maintained that gives children space and time to lead their own learning. Children with additional learning needs experience inclusive and affirming curriculum practices. Their parents engage in learning-focused partnerships that include opportunities to share information about their child’s progress.
Responsiveness to children’s cultures, languages and identities is not yet consistent. Leaders have identified te reo and tikanga Māori, in day-to-day teaching practice, is an area to strengthen.
Engagement with professional learning has grown teachers’ understanding of curriculum. They are increasingly intentional in using the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki to inform planning. Reflective teaching and learning practices and dispositional learning are strongly evident in the curriculum. However, these are not yet reflected in, or supported by, assessment documentation. Teachers’ participation in internal evaluation knowledge building activities, supports children’s developing social competence, emotional well-being, and connectedness.
Leaders are embedding conditions, including relational trust, to enable collaboration for evaluation and improvement. Leaders support teachers’ critical reflection on practice. Processes to enable understanding of how well improvement actions have realised priorities for learning are not yet in place. The service’s internal evaluation is creating positive shifts towards an individualised approach to teaching and learning.
Morrinsville Kids Ltd will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Morrinsville Kids Ltd 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.
During the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
14 June 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Morrinsville Kids Ltd |
| Profile Number | 46590 |
| Location | Morrinsville |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 25 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
106 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 13, NZ European/Pākehā 78, Indian 8, Other ethnic groups 7. |
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Review team on site |
March 2021 |
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Date of this report |
14 June 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, February 2017. |
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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.
Morrinsville Kids Ltd is an education and care service located on the outskirts of Morrinsville township. It is licensed to cater for 75 children, including up to 25 children under two years of age. The service opened near the end of 2014. It was developed and is managed by the owners, who both work full time in the service. One of the owners is a very experienced early education teacher and administrator. The service is open from 7am until 5.45pm on week days.
The centre is organised in four age-group areas, children up to 2 years, 2 year olds, 3 year olds and a separate building and playground caters for 4-year olds. There is a lead teacher for each age group area, and two head teachers are responsible for the day-to-day management of the centre.
At the time of this ERO review, the roll of 119 children includes 8 Māori, and a small number of children from a diverse range of cultures. Children and families are drawn from a wide geographical area.
A high proportion of the teachers has a recognised early childhood education qualification.
The centre philosophy emphasises the importance of:
This review is the first ERO review of the service.
Children settle quickly to play in warmly welcoming, inviting leaning environments. They enjoy strong, positive, and responsive relationships with teachers, who know them very well. The four age-group areas are well set up to offer children a wide range of choice, and include appropriate risks and challenges. Children are highly engaged in active play and learning, in both indoor and outdoor play areas.
Children up to two respond to the secure, calm and predictable environment, which offers them opportunities to explore independently and develop their physical and communication skills. They have a high level of interest in books, and engage in oral and non-verbal communication with teachers and their peers. Babies and toddlers are growing up as confident learners and explorers.
The learning environments in each area are well-resourced and organised to stimulate children's curiosity and provoke further investigation. Children's physical skills are developing well in playgrounds that are thoughtfully developed, and provide children with opportunities to develop their gross motor skills, be involved in imaginative play, construction and have fun.
The service's curriculum effectively supports children's literacy skills, with a strong focus on oral language development. Children's ideas and understandings about mathematics are integrated naturally in learning and play. Teachers are undertaking a long-term review of biculturalism in the centre. As a result, they are developing their knowledge and understanding of Māori children, their parents and whānau, and experiences they bring to the service. This ongoing review is contributing to teachers' shared understandings and centre expectations about the bicultural curriculum.
The centre has established a highly effective and positive approach to managing children's behaviours and social competence. Children are learning to make appropriate choices and developing a sense of care and responsibility for others.
Leaders and teachers are strong advocates for children and families, especially for those with special needs or circumstances. They seek advice and professional development to understand and meet the needs of these children and support families to access specialist assistance. Displays in the centre show the development of children's interests and their active involvement in sustained projects. Families appreciate the high level of support and flexible approach to hours and days of attendance.
Teachers plan programmes to respond to children's strengths and interests and take account of parent aspirations. They recognise, record and respond to children's development and progress through detailed learning story assessments. These assessments are shared with parents through termly meetings, individual portfolios and an online interactive website. Teachers also regularly share information with parents at drop-off and collection times.
Since opening nearly two years ago, leaders have established and maintained an organisational culture of teamwork. They are strongly committed to working in the best interest of children and their families. Their strategic approach to centre development has contributed to strong relationships with parents, and rapid roll growth. Leaders and teachers have undertaken focused professional development to improve their practice and have a well-developed understanding of self review for improvement. Decisions about centre development are based on a breadth of evidence including consideration of relevant research, and the development of an increasingly reflective learning culture among teachers.
The centre owners are providing strong governance and direction for the service, and a consistent clarity of vision for teachers and whānau. They set high expectations for teachers and leaders, and support them to continually improve their practice.
ERO and centre management agree that a valuable next step is to strengthen teacher appraisal by including documented evidence of:
Attention to these aspects of teacher appraisal is likely to provide a more thoroughly documented record of each teachers' professional growth and provide robust evidence about the extent to which each teacher is meeting the practising teacher criteria of the Education Council New Zealand.
Before the review, the staff and management of Morrinsville Kids Ltd 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.
The next ERO review of Morrinsville Kids Ltd will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
10 February 2017
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 |
Morrinsville |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46590 |
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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 |
75 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
119 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 81 Girls 38 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā South East Asian Other European Indian Chinese Samoan Tongan |
8 99 4 3 2 1 1 1 |
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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 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
September 2016 |
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Date of this report |
10 February 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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No previous ERO reports |
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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:
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 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.