Busy Bees Taupo

Education institution number:
47657
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
65
Telephone:
Address:

6 Opepe Street, Taupo

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Learning Links Taupo

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

This privately owned service is part of Learning Links Childcare group. The centre manager oversees a team of qualified and unqualified staff. Approximately a fifth of children enrolled identify as Māori and there are a small number of Pacific heritage. The service returned to a full licence in September 2022.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning, interests, whānau and life contexts. The curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Children are supported to be confident in their own culture and are encouraged to respect other cultures.

Teachers engage in meaningful and positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences.

Positive steps are in place to respect and acknowledge the aspirations held by parents and whānau for their children.   

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

  • increasing the involvement of whānau Māori in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the service’s local curriculum

  • identifying and implementing teaching strategies to extend, support and sustain the complexity of learning for older children.

Next ERO Review

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

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

19 April 2023 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Learning Links Taupo

Profile Number

47657

Location 

Taupo

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

80 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

71

Review team on site

February 2023

Date of this report

19 April 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Akanuku | Assurance Review, June 2021;

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 regulatory 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)

  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

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.

Learning Links Taupo

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

Not meeting

Premises and facilities

Meeting

Health and safety

Not meeting

Governance, management and administration

Meeting

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

Background

Learning Links Taupō provides an all-day education and care service for children. One director is the service provider. The centre manager oversees two leaders and a team of qualified and unqualified staff.

This the first ERO review for this service.

Summary of Review Findings

Teachers respond to the learning, interests, strengths and capabilities of children. Teacher practice that supports each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages them to understand and respect other cultures, needs strengthening. The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences.

Consistent implementation of health and safety practices is required to meet all aspects of regulatory compliance.

Actions for Compliance

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

  • evidence of the curriculum respecting and supporting the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourage children to understand and respect other cultures
  • carrying out relevant emergency drills with children on an at least three-monthly basis
  • implementation of the sleep procedure to ensure children do not have access to food or liquids while in bed
  • the analysis of accident/incident records to identify hazards so that appropriate action is taken.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008 C6, HS8, HS9, HS12]

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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

15 June 2021 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name Learning Links Taupo
Profile Number 47657
Location Taupō

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

80 children, including up to 20 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

80

Ethnic composition

Māori 31, NZ European/Pākehā 27, European 13, Other ethnic groups 9

Review team on site

13 April 2021

Date of this report

15 June 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

First ERO review of 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.