7 Roxburgh Place, Tinwald, Ashburton
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.
Tiddlywinks Preschool is a privately owned centre which opened in 2009 and relocated to a purpose-built building in 2019. It is intentionally designed and resourced to reflect the nature-based philosophy of the service. The co-owners manage the centre and lead a team of teachers with support from team leaders. Two aged-based areas cater for children from infants to school age.
Children experience a programme that is consistent with the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Respectful, positive interactions with infants, toddlers and young children are promoted. Children’s exploration and learning is encouraged through planned and spontaneous experiences. Teachers respond to the learning, interests, strengths and capabilities of the children. The premises and facilities reflect the nature-based philosophy of the service and are resourced to provide for the learning and abilities of the children attending. Health and safety procedures are monitored, and changes made when required. A policy framework and annual planning guide centre operation.
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
8 March 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Tiddlywinks Preschool Ltd |
| Profile Number | 70164 |
| Location | Ashburton |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 14 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
83 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 8, NZ European/Pākehā 66, Other ethnicities 9. |
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Review team on site |
January 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
8 March 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, January 2016; Education Review, August 2014. |
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 (PDF 1MB). 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 |
Tiddlywinks Preschool Ltd is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Tiddlywinks Preschool Ltd is a small centre catering for infants and toddlers, and children up to school age in two separate areas. The infants and toddlers and the older children each have their own indoor and outdoor spaces.
The managers and nearly all the teachers are qualified early childhood teachers who have worked at the centre for a number of years. Other staff members are training to become early childhood teachers.
The managers and teachers have made significant progress since the 2014 ERO review. Management systems, procedures and practices are nearly all in place and well understood by those working in the centre. The managers have worked closely with external advisors to help them sustain and continue to improve the quality of education and care for children. Self review has still to be fully implemented.
Children enjoy respectful and caring relationships with their teachers. Teachers involve themselves in the children’s play and engage them in conversations about their learning. They encourage children to use a range of resources to extend their ideas and thinking. Children work well independently and in small groups.
Infants and toddlers are nurtured, listened to and their wellbeing promoted by teachers who know each child and their family well. Teachers actively encourage infants and toddlers to develop their language and communication skills. They ensure routines are flexible to meet the needs of the children and their families.
Te reo and tikanga Māori are becoming well integrated into the programme. Wall displays and group plans include aspects of Māori language and culture. Teachers regularly use te reo Māori in their conversations with children and many of the older children know their mihi. Managers and teachers regularly participate in professional development to increase their confidence and knowledge of te reo and tikanga Māori. They are establishing relationships with the local marae.
The centre is inclusive and welcoming to all children and their families. Children with diverse needs are well supported within the programme. Home cultures and languages are celebrated in the programmes and included in children’s assessments and plans.
The centre provides a good range of resources that children can easily access and use in a variety of ways to extend their play. Children also experience a wide range of experiences within the centre and the wider community.
Managers actively encourage teachers to be leaders, take responsibility and share their skills and interests. Delegations for the curriculum and management of the centre are promoting teachers' pride in the centre and the work that they do collectively to benefit children and their learning.
The managers are establishing useful management systems and practices that should ensure the centre can maintain and continue to improve the quality of learning and teaching. These include:
The managers and ERO agree that the key next steps for improving the quality of education and care include:
A further next step is reviewing group planning and evaluation to make closer links to child assessment and planning processes.
Before the review, the staff and management of Tiddlywinks Preschool Ltd 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.
ERO recommends that the managers review:
The next ERO review of Tiddlywinks Preschool Ltd will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
18 January 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 |
Ashburton |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70164 |
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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 |
38 children, including up to 8 aged under two |
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Service roll |
60 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 31; Girls 29 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Tongan South East Asian |
8 47 2 3 |
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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 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
December 2015 |
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Date of this report |
18 January 2016 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
August 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
November 2011 |
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.