261 Kennedy Road, Onekawa, Napier
View on mapERO’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.
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.
Kidspace Quality Early Learning Centre is a privately owned service for children aged from birth to school age. Half of the children enrolled are Māori. Teachers enact a play-based curriculum. The philosophy places value on tuakana teina relationships. The service is under new management, and a centre manager is responsible for day-to-day operations and curriculum.
Children experience a range of opportunities to extend their learning and development both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. The curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua.
Children are seen as confident and competent learners. Teachers respond to the interests and capabilities of infants, toddlers, and older children. Children’s interests and developing capabilities are reflected through assessment planning and evaluation processes. Positive steps are taken to respect and acknowledge parent and whānau aspirations.
A policy framework and an annual plan guide the centre’s operation. Teacher appraisal and internal evaluation processes are established. The service is effectively managed in accordance with good management practices.
Next steps include:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
19 December 2023
| Early Childhood Service Name | Kidspace Quality Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 55430 |
| Location | Napier |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 40 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 100% |
| Service roll | 45 |
| Review team on site | November 2023 |
| Date of this report | 19 December 2023 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, February 2019; Education Review, February 2016 |
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.
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:
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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
KIDSPACE Quality Early Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
KIDSPACE Quality Early Learning Centre is situated in Napier. It is licensed to provide all day education and care for up to 40 children from birth to school age, five days a week. At the time of this ERO review, 17 of the children enrolled identified as Māori.
The centre's philosophy focuses on children having space to move, explore, learn and grow at their own pace, supported by caring and dedicated teachers.
Since the February 2016 ERO report, a new centre manager was appointed. The centre manager oversees the day-to-day operations and supports the teaching team. Most teachers are qualified. They represent a diverse range of cultures.
The previous ERO report identified areas requiring further improvement. These included strengthening assessment, planning and the internal evaluative processes. Good progress has been made to address these areas.
The centre is owned and operated by Provincial Education Group Ltd (the organisation), it provides governance and management support. A substantial management team oversees a number of services nationwide. This includes a professional leader who provides support and guidance to the teaching team. Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles are central to the organisation's philosophy and practices.
Children participate in a play-based curriculum. They have access to a range of resources that support their play. Routines are consistently implemented, giving children a sense of security. There is a strong focus on building children’s social competence, so they can meaningfully engage with their peers and teachers.
Infants and toddlers are well cared for by responsive teachers. They offer children choices about their learning and care. The mixed-age settings provide rich opportunities for learning and play alongside their older children.
Children with additional learning needs are well supported to participate fully in the learning programme. Teachers work collaboratively with parents to determine learning goals. Targeted professional learning and development helps to grow their practice to effectively support these children. External support is accessed when required.
Leaders have identified the need to strengthen their practice to better promote Māori and Pacific children's educational success. The centre should consider how best they can engage with whānau Māori and their Pacific community to determine what educational success looks like for them and their children.
Aspects of te ao Māori is evident in the programme. Teachers use te reo Māori and Māori concepts in teacher-led group learning activities. A next step is to enrich the bicultural programme through more consistent use of te reo Māori in everyday practice. In addition, leaders should investigate how they can acknowledge local places of significant value for Māori and reflect these within the curriculum.
Assessment, planning and evaluation of children’s learning is currently under development. Aims are to more clearly identify learning linked to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and set learning goals in collaboration with parents and whānau. As this process is developed, leaders and teachers should consider how they can: consistently make children’s culture, language and identity more visible in their learning; and show children’s engagement and learning progress more clearly through assessment documentation.
Leaders and teachers are using a sound evaluation framework to guide improvement in practice and outcomes for children. This should be strengthened by developing relevant indicators of high quality practice to support analysis and decision making.
Provincial Education Group senior leadership has high expectations for teacher practice. Systems and processes are in place to promote improvements, for the benefit of children and whānau. Teachers are encouraged to grow their understanding and take on distributed leadership roles.
A sound appraisal framework is in place that leads teachers to investigate aspects of their practice and make ongoing improvements.
A well-considered policy framework is in place to guide teacher practice. The organisation places considerable emphasis on the health, safety and wellbeing of children. A formal reporting process, now being implemented, provides feedback to teachers about the focus of professional leaders' visits.
A parent survey has affirmed teacher practice and provided feedback for ongoing consideration. Leaders have actively responded to the survey’s findings.
A national initiative, led by the organisation, provides opportunities for parents and whānau to contribute to the valued outcomes of the service. The organisation should draw from these national findings to inform their strategic direction.
ERO and leaders agree that their priority next steps are to:
ERO and Provincial Education Group agree that to further strengthen practice, their next step are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of KIDSPACE Quality 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.
The next ERO review of KIDSPACE Quality Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
19 February 2019
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.
| Location | Napier | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 55430 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 40 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 52 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 28, Girls 24 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Other ethnic groups | 17 29 6 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:4 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:8 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | December 2018 | ||
| Date of this report | 19 February 2019 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | February 2016 | |
| Education Review | May 2013 | ||
| Education Review | April 2010 | ||
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.
| Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
KIDSPACE Quality Early Learning Centre provides education and care for children aged from birth to five years in a mixed age setting. The centre is licensed for 40 children, with provision for 10 children up to two years of age.
Since the May 2013 ERO report, a new teaching team has been established. In March 2015, the centre changed ownership to Provincial Childcare Holdings (the owners) and a new centre manager was appointed. The owners provide management and administrative support. The centre manager is responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre. Staffing stability and sound systems and processes have contributed to a smooth transition to the new owners.
There has been an increase in the enrolment of infants and toddlers. Inquiring into, and catering for the learning needs of this group is a current focus. Plans to provide a separate space for infants who are not yet mobile are underway.
The centre has a positive reporting history with ERO.
During a time of change teachers have maintained a settled environment and continued to ensure positive outcomes for children.
Children are nurtured in an environment that is welcoming and strongly reflects the centre’s philosophy. Parents spend time playing with their child. Teachers know children and their families well and friendships are promoted. A home-like atmosphere prevails.
Children lead their own learning. The environment allows them to move freely between the indoor and outdoor play areas. Children access a wide range of activities and resources that promote and extend their interests. They are able to challenge themselves and engage in exploration and imaginary play. Regular excursions into the community provide further learning opportunities.
Teachers are included in children’s play. They make the most of opportunities to support and extend children’s learning and foster language development. Literacy, mathematics and science are well integrated into learning experiences.
Routines are responsive to the mixed age group. These provide opportunities for children to develop independence and self-help skills. Teachers provide support appropriate to their ages and stages of development.
Teachers work in collaboration with each other to ensure the needs of young children are met. Infants and toddlers have access to an environment that encourages exploration.
There has been a strategic focus on strengthening the documentation of planning and assessment. Improved systems and process enable teachers to better respond and document learning. Teachers acknowledge they need to continue to strengthen assessment and planning by revisiting individual learning to ensure that this is extended over time.
Profiles are accessible to children and their parents. These are an attractive record of children's engagement in learning and development while at the centre. Profiles capture and celebrate the diverse cultures of children attending the centre. E-portfolios have increased the contribution of parents, families and whānau to children’s learning.
Positive relations between the centre staff and the local school supports older children’s transition. A summary report of each child’s learning provides useful information for children, families and whānau to share with schools.
Children with diverse needs are well supported by teachers. Staff work in collaboration with parents and whānau and seek advice and guidance from appropriate agencies when necessary.
Te ao Māori is well reflected through the authentic use of te reo Māori, resources and relationships with whānau. Strengthening te ao in the environment is the focus of an ongoing review. Teachers expressed a strong commitment to building their cultural competencies.
Teachers are very reflective and focused on further developing and improving their practice. The appraisal process provides a sound platform to support this. The new owners are actively supporting emergent leadership and building the capability and capacity of teachers.
The centre has a well-established process for self review that is responsive to identified priorities. It informs decision making and is used to improve outcomes for children. Shifting the reviews from focusing on what they are doing, to evaluating how well teaching and learning practices strengthen outcomes for children, is a next step.
Management and staff agree that they need to continue to strengthen:
Before the review, the staff and management of KIDSPACE Quality 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.
The next ERO review of KIDSPACE Quality Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
3 February 2016
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.
| Location | Napier | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 55430 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 40 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 46 | ||
| Gender composition | Girls 26, Boys 20 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Samoan Other ethnic groups | 13 24 2 7 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates | 80% | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:4 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:8 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | December 2015 | ||
| Date of this report | 3 February 2016 | ||
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review | May 2013 | |
| Education Review | April 2010 | ||
| Education Review | April 2006 |
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.