Southern Cross Campus Preschool

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

At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.

Background

Southern Cross Campus Preschool is governed by a board of trustees. A qualified centre manager leads a team of four qualified teachers and one support teacher. Teachers reflect the diverse Pacific community. They promote children’s home languages and practices to support their cultural identity. The service values strong relationships with children, whānau and the community and aspires to encourage children’s desire to learn.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understand and respect other cultures. It acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The curriculum is responsive to children, their preferences are respected, and they are involved in making decisions about their learning experiences.

Service leaders must ensure teachers share responsibility for the effective implementation of health and safety systems and processes, to meet and maintain compliance with regulatory standards.

Actions for Compliance

ERO found an area of non-compliance in the service relating to:

• ensuring all children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7A.

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

• Having evidence that windows accessible to children are either made of safety glass or covered by an adhesive film designed to hold the glass in place in the event of it being broken (PF7).

• Ensuring the kitchen and cooking facilities are designed, located, or fitted with safety devices to ensure that children cannot access them without adult assistance or supervision (PF17).

• Securing or fixing to the wall heavy furniture that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage (HS6).

• Equipment, premises and facilities are checked every day of operation for hazards to children, and hazards to the safety of children are eliminated, isolated or minimised (HS12).

• Ensuring when children leave the premises on an excursion, assessment and management of risk is undertaken (HS17).

• Providing an ample supply of water that is fit to drink is always available to children, and older children are able to access this water independently (HS21).

• Records of all medicine given to children attending the service include name and amount of medicine given, date and time medicine was administered and evidence of parental acknowledgement (HS28).

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence issued to this service provider. ERO will not undertake a further review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets regulatory standards.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

12 August 2022 

Information About the Service

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.