Ellerton Preschool

Ellerton Preschool - 06 May 2024

Akanuku | Assurance Review

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 non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.

Background

Ellerton Preschool opened in 2019 and has undergone several changes of ownership. The owners are qualified teachers who work in the centre with the support of a qualified manager and one unqualified staff member. The majority of children attending the service are of Asian heritages.

Summary of Review Findings

Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The curriculum supports children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour.

The service curriculum provides a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning and provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development – both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups.

Strengthened understanding of the Licensing Criteria is required by service leaders to ensure practices and processes are implemented and monitored to maintain regulatory standards.

Actions for Compliance

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

• having evidence of how evaluation of emergency drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan
• ensuring that accident/incident records are analysed to identify hazards and appropriate action is then taken.

Licensing Criteria for Centre-based Education and Care Services 2008, HS8, & HS12.

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

• Including information on how emergency supplies will be maintained and details of the roles and responsibilities that will apply during an emergency situation within the written emergency plan (HS7).
• Having a record of written authority from parents for the administration of medicine used for the ongoing treatment of a pre-diagnosed condition (category (iii)) in accordance with the requirements outlined in Appendix 3 of the Licensing Criteria (HS28).
• Including provisions for the service’s reporting of child abuse and neglect within the written child protection policy (HS31).
• Implementing suitable human resource management practices that include an induction procedure into the service (GMA7).
• Having a written procedure for safety checking all children’s workers that includes details of periodic rechecking and ensuring all children’s workers are safety checked as required by the Children’s Act 2014 before they are employed or engaged and every three years thereafter (GMA7A).
• Identifying on the annual plan how key tasks will have regard to the Statement of National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) (GMA8).

Recommendation to Ministry of Education 

ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.

Next ERO Review 

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

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

6 May 2024

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 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.