1 Pohutukawa Crescent, Burwood, Christchurch
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 |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
This is the first ERO report for Bottle Lake Preschool since a change of ownership to the Provincial Education Group. The service was relicensed in November 2020. A team of 14 registered teachers and seven support teachers work across three teaching and learning environments. The centre manager is supported by a regional manager.
Infants, toddlers, and older tamariki experience positive interactions with adults and an inclusive curriculum. The environment is respectful of local iwi knowledge. Whānau cultures, identities, home languages, are valued and visible. The design and layout of premises and facilities support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences. Health and safety processes are established and monitored to ensure the wellbeing of all tamariki. Parents and whānau contribute to the development and review of organisation documents.
Next steps include:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
24 June 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Bottle Lake Preschool |
| Profile Number | 70063 |
| Location | Christchurch |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
100 children, including up to 20 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
105 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 20, NZ European/Pākehā 63, Other European 12, Other ethnicities 10. |
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Review team on site |
April 2021 |
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Date of this report |
24 June 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 2016; Education Review, March 2012. |
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 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Bottle Lake Preschool is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Bottle Lake Preschool was established in 2015. It was previously ABC Tamara Park and ABC Rua Tamara Park. At the time of this review, there were two teachers from the previous centres.
The preschool caters for children from birth to school age in a nursery, preschool and kindergarten. Each led by a senior teacher.
During 2015, the licensee appointed new managers, head teachers and teaching teams. Most staff are qualified, permanent teachers and some who are training. Relievers who work for the service are very familiar with the centre's philosophy and know the children well.
The centre has been supported by a series of Ministry of Education led professional development. This has resulted in ongoing and major review of the philosophy, curriculum, planning, assessment appraisal and teaching practice.
This is the first review of Bottle Lake Preschool under its new owner.
Positive relationships between children, parents, staff, and management have resulted in creating an environment with a strong sense of belonging. Parents' ideas and aspirations for their children are regularly sought, valued and included into children's learning. Staff are getting to know the children and their families well. There is a strong focus on children's and families' pastoral care and wellbeing.
Staff members are developing a shared understanding of the centre's new philosophy. The philosophy is closely aligned to the principles of Te Whāriki, the Early Childhood Curriculum. The new philosophy is increasingly evident in teachers' practices. Children are given good opportunities to make choices and decisions about their learning. Older children play well together. The licensee, managers and teachers are reflective and inclusive of the cultures and communities within it.
Children's learning is well supported by teachers, who critically reflect on learning opportunities. The development of consistent and shared planning processes ensures children's interests, their ideas and parents' views are well-documented. Children and staff effectively use technology to support learning and communication with parents and families.
Children have a broad range of learning experiences. The environments and programmes in each age group effectively include a bicultural and multicultural focus and successfully integrate literacy and mathematics in activities and group times. Staff are making good use of parents and community members' knowledge and skills.
Children are involved and busy in the environment. Spacious indoor and outdoor areas, and a good range of resources, equipment and facilities promote children's independence and support them to investigate their ideas.
Transitions into, within and out of the centre are well planned. The head teachers and staff in the kindergarten part of the preschool, work closely with local primary schools. This collaboration has resulted in a programme, with expectations, that are likely to support children's needs when transitioning to school.
Children under two have individualised programmes involving their families. To best support infants' learning and development, the centre has sometimes placed extra staff in this area.
The centre has experienced significant change since opening. The licensee has been strategic in staff appointments so that their skills, knowledge and backgrounds support the centre's philosophy.
Leaders and teachers are building staff professional capability. A robust appraisal process supported by professional development, links with the centre's philosophy and strategic direction.
The centre's philosophy, vision and strategic direction now needs time to be embedded. These documents are providing useful guidelines to support ongoing improvement. A stronger focus on goals to improve learning outcomes for children would strengthen the usefulness of these plans.
The licensee, managers and head teachers have identified that they will continue to strengthen:
Before the review, the staff and management of Bottle Lake Preschool 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 Bottle Lake Preschool will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
9 March 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.
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Location |
Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70063 |
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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 |
100 children, including up to 20 aged under two |
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Service roll |
123 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 65; Boys 58 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Asian Other European Other ethnicities |
12% 77% 5% 5% 1% |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+Based on funding rates |
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 |
February 2016 |
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Date of this report |
9 March 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report |
No previous ERO reports |
New owner |
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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:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
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.