327 Hobsonville Road, Hobsonville, Auckland
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 Real Kids Early Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Real Kids Early Learning Centre is privately owned. The owners oversee governance and management. The centre director leads the teaching team, supported by four registered team leaders. Children are cared for in separate learning areas, grouped according to their age and individual needs. The centre is supported by an administration manager and chef/nutritionist.
Children demonstrate a sense of belonging in the centre and are accepted for who they are. Teachers build strong collaborative relationships and learning partnerships with children and their whānau. Families have regular opportunities to contribute to the curriculum, which promotes effective learning and enriches children’s mana.
Children are highly engaged in their learning due to teachers’ intentional practices and use of the environment to provide rich learning experiences. Younger children have opportunities to lead their learning at their pace, through teachers’ responsive and unhurried interactions with them. The principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are used well to plan for and assess children’s learning.
Children with additional needs have access to high quality, inclusive education. Leaders and teachers identify and remove barriers to a child’s full acceptance, participation, and learning. Service leaders advocate for these children and work with their whānau and relevant external agencies to ensure children’s equity and access to the curriculum.
Leaders and teachers are highly reflective and committed to working together to promote ongoing, positive learning outcomes for children. Strong internal evaluation is a driving force behind the service’s focus on priorities for learning and addressing inequities and priorities in the local community. Empowering children to recognise, and be advocates for, equity is a feature of the service’s guiding beliefs and ideals.
Service leaders have created effective organisational conditions to sustain high-quality learning conditions. These include:
Those responsible for governance and management connect with community organisations to support equitable education outcomes, and initiatives that contribute to positive social and community priorities.
Real Kids Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Real Kids 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.
Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
21 December 2021
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Real Kids Early Learning Centre |
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Profile Number |
46702 |
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Location |
Hobsonville, Auckland 02 |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
130 children, including up to 40 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
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Service roll |
130 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 2%, NZ European/Pākehā 41%, Chinese 22%, Indian 8%, Korean 7%, Filipino 4%, other European 8%, other Asian 5%, other ethnic groups 3% |
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Review team on site |
August 2021 |
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Date of this report |
21 December 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, November 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.
Real Kids Early Learning Centre opened in May 2015 in Hobsonville, Auckland. It is a family owned business and operates in a well renovated building that was once a conference facility. Licensed for 97 children, including 30 up to two years of age, the centre is arranged into three spaces that cater for children of different ages and stages.
Real Babies caters for infants and toddlers until they are around two years of age, Real Tots provides for children aged two to around three years, and Real Kids caters for the older children until they go to school. Each space has its own indoor and outdoor environment. The entrance area is welcoming and provides a calm, hospitable space for families to sit and relax, and connect with other parents or centre managers.
The centre's philosophy promotes early childhood theory and practice based on the Reggio Emilia approach. It affirms children as capable, competent learners and promotes strong partnerships with parents.
The owners/directors provide overarching governance support and assist in the daily running of the service. A centre director is responsible for the overall management of the centre and leads the teaching team. She is well supported by two supervisors, three team leaders and well qualified teachers. The centre has teachers who speak a number of different languages, especially Mandarin and Korean, to support families who are new to Aotearoa New Zealand.
The centre currently has a waiting list, especially for families with younger children. To address this need, the owners are extending the facility to provide an additional space for children up to two years of age. This separate licence is due to open in early 2018.
Children are highly respected as competent individuals and as thinkers, explorers and learners. Children and families are warmly welcomed at the start of the day. Children become quickly involved in play areas of their choice, and younger children settle easily with their primary caregivers. Centre events outside of working hours provide good opportunities for families to connect with staff and other families. These occasions alongside other inclusive practices contribute to children feeling happy and secure, and having a strong sense of belonging in the centre environment.
Babies and toddlers experience calm, nurturing and respectful practices. Teachers are responsive to their care needs, following home routines and parents' preferences. Highly skilled teachers support these younger children to take well managed risks that invite exploration and evoke curiosity and wondering. The primary caregiver approach enhances children’s wellbeing and confidence, and ensures that children have good connections with the whole teaching team.
Older children are highly engaged in their play and learning. Teachers follow children's lead and are deliberate and thoughtful in how they support, prompt and enhance children's learning. Teachers provide high levels of challenge and promote children's critical thinking skills. They involve children in making decisions about their learning, and in planning programmes and projects that encourage collaboration. Teachers also provide real world learning contexts, and support children to connect meaningfully with people and organisations in the local community.
Collaboration is central to the success of teaching and learning programmes. The teaching philosophy is enacted throughout the centre. Teachers demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between the environment and practice. The centre environments are very well designed from a Reggio Emilia perspective and act as the third teacher for children. Teachers value the bicultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand and the many cultures of centre families and staff.
The centre is very well governed and led. An external consultant was employed to support the establishment of the centre especially in areas of governance and leadership. This consultant continues to provide guidance and support when needed.
The directors are dedicated to their vision of a high quality service where people are valued and trusted. They resource the centre generously, and continue to enhance the well-considered design of the facility. The directors have a clear understanding of their governance roles, and provide very good support for the centre director and staff. The policy framework is sound and supports children's and adults' entitlements. Internal evaluation is very well understood, and is used as a tool for improvement at all levels.
Centre leadership is also collaborative. Supervisors and teachers are respected as professionals and leaders, and valued for their strengths, interests and skills. High levels of relational trust support staff to take risks and challenge each other's practice. These honest and open team approaches result in high levels of staff morale.
Professional learning is generously resourced and well selected to continually strengthen teachers' and leaders' professional expertise. Parents also benefit from learning opportunities provided by the service to enhance their role as their children's first teachers. Very good systems, including the teachers' appraisal, ensure that the service is managed effectively for improvement and accountability.
Centre directors and leaders have established well considered plans to continue evaluating and improving all aspects of the service for children and families.
Before the review, the staff and management of Real Kids 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:
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 Real Kids Early Learning Centre will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
9 November 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 |
Hobsonville, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46702 |
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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 |
97 children, including up to 30 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
115 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 52% Girls 48% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3% |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
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 2017 |
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Date of this report |
9 November 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
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:
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.