74 East Belt, Rangiora
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Little Peppertree Preschool are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
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Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whāngai Establishing |
Little Peppertree Preschool is one of four privately-owned centres under the same ownership. A curriculum leader has oversight for teaching and learning across services, and a long-serving head teacher has responsibility for daily operations. A small number of Māori children attend. Progress has been made towards key next steps identified in ERO’s 2019 report in relation to assessment and professional growth cycles. However, there has been little progress in the increasing the visibility of cultures, languages, and identity in assessment documentation, specifically for Māori learners.
Children experience a broad curriculum that provides meaningful opportunities to learn about sustainable practices within the kaupapa Māori concept of kaitiakitanga. Key learning priorities include a focus on science and children developing ideas and theories about the world. Teachers are responsive to children’s interests promoting independence through spontaneous play and intentional teaching.
Children with additional learning needs are well supported. Leaders and teachers work with parents, whānau and external agencies to plan for their learning and development.
Aspects of te ao Māori are evident. Te reo Māori is used in teacher-led activities but is minimally evident during play-based learning. While there are displays of landmarks significant to mana whenua, there is potential for leaders and teachers to further explore local pūrākau and the histories of mana whenua and incorporate these in the curriculum.
A useful organisation-wide assessment framework guides teachers’ documentation of children’s learning. Assessment information shows children's progress over time in relation to the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Leaders and kaiako are yet to show children's home languages and identities in assessment documentation.
A process of internal evaluation is used across the organisation. When monitoring and evaluating, leaders and teachers are yet to measure the impact of improvements made on outcomes for individual and groups of learners. The process also needs strengthening to include an evaluative question and the use of measurable indicators of quality at all stages of an evaluation.
There is a range of suitable systems and processes to monitor and evaluate teachers’ professional growth, annual planning, and the governance and management of the organisation. Some policies require updating to ensure they align with current regulations.
Little Peppertree Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Seek the perspectives of local mana whenua, including pūrākau, and include these in the local curriculum.
Consult with whānau Māori regarding the aspirations of their iwi and hapū and use this information to extend the curriculum to promote their tamaiti success as a Māori learner.
Make all children’s languages, cultures and identities visible in assessment documentation.
Build leaders’ and teachers’ capability to effectively do and use internal evaluation, to know what is working or not, and for whom.
Before the review, the staff and management of Little Peppertree Preschool completed an ERO 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.
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:
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 registration; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
ERO identified the following area of non-compliance:
Ensuring the design and layout of the premises support effective adult supervision so that children's access to the licensed space (indoor and outdoor) is not unnecessarily limited.
Licencing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, PF2.
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure non-compliances identified in this report are addressed.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
28 June 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Little Peppertree Preschool |
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Profile Number |
70573 |
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Location |
Rangiora |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
25 children over 2 years |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
31 |
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Review team on site |
April 2023 |
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Date of this report |
28 June 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, October 2019 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Little Peppertree Preschool is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Little Peppertree Preschool is one of two Peppertree centres operating in Rangiora, and one of four owned by the licensee. An overarching management structure supports the four services, and a curriculum manager and supervisor provide professional support and guidance for teachers.
This centre caters for the learning and education of up to 25 children over two years old within a home-like environment. All staff, have early childhood qualifications and are registered teachers.
The centre's philosophy emphasises the Enviroschools' principles and values, which include a commitment to sustainable practices, promoting children's understanding of, and respect for the environment, energy, water conservation and waste management. The centre has been awarded the Enviroschools' bronze award.
The owner and teachers have made progress towards meeting the recommendations related to strategic planning, assessment and internal evaluation that were identified in the 2016 ERO report.
The centre is a member of the North Canterbury Liaison Group and Puketeraki Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning (COL).
This review was part of two early childhood centre reviews in Peppertree preschool services.
Children play cooperatively and purposefully in a calm, unhurried environment. They enjoy a variety of activities and make choices about their learning. Teachers offer experiences that encourage children to inquire and collaborate. The natural outdoor environment offers challenges and interest that invite children to become fully involved in a wide variety of learning experiences. This supports children's curiosity and exploration, particularly in sustainable practices and science.
There is a strong focus on relationships and teachers know families well. Children's interests and learning are shared verbally, in profile books and digitally with families. Feedback is encouraged.
Transitions into the centre, and onto school are personalised and well paced to meet the needs of individual children and their families. Teachers make use of their local community to enrich children's learning experiences. They work closely with external agencies to support children with additional learning needs.
Teachers value Māori children's identity as Māori. They use this as the foundation for and key to success as Māori. There is an understanding of te ao Maori perspectives in the curriculum, with te reo Māori and natural resources incorporated into the daily programme. The next step is to make this more visible in assessment, planning and evaluation.
Teachers are building a collaborative team culture where individual talents and skills complement each other. Teachers actively foster respectful, reciprocal relationships within the centre and with the local community.
Centre operations are underpinned by a framework of relevant policies and procedures. Centre leaders have high professional standards and expectations that have a clear focus on improvement. Changes have been made to the environment and centre operations as a result of internal evaluation. The centre has recently adopted a new appraisal system. This needs to be embedded to include observations and consistency of teacher reflections.
ERO and centre leaders agree that the services key next steps are to continue to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Little Peppertree 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:
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 registration; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini
Southern Region
11 October 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.
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Location |
Rangiora |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70573 |
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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 |
25 children aged 2 and over |
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Service roll |
28 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 13, Boys 15 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
4 |
|
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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 |
Over 2 |
1:9 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
July 2019 |
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Date of this report |
11 October 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
September 2016 |
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|
Education Review |
August 2013 |
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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 will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.