Ako Rolleston

Education institution number:
65073
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
43
Telephone:
Address:

4 John Street, Rolleston

View on map

Ako Rolleston

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

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 onsite visit the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it addressed an area of non-compliance and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Ako Rolleston is a privately-owned and operated education and care service. It was relicensed under new ownership in December 2019. The owner/centre manager leads a team of teachers. Three
age-based areas cater for children from infants to school age.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is inclusive and responsive to infants, toddlers and older children. Adults use positive, meaningful interactions with children. Children’s exploration is promoted through planned and spontaneous experiences in appropriately resourced environments. 

Strategies are in place to involve parents and whānau in their children’s learning. Consistently implemented health and safety practices promote the safety and wellbeing of children. A policy framework and annual planning guide centre operations. Suitable human resource management practices are implemented.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

  • building kaiako capability to use the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, to analyse and interpret significant learning from which to build a rich and relevant curriculum for every child
  • strengthening the bicultural curriculum to reflect the cultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand.

At the time of the onsite visit the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it addressed the following non-compliance:

  • heavy furniture that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage have been secured.
    Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008: HS 6.

Next ERO Review

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

3 May 2021

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name Ako Rolleston
Profile Number 65073
Location Rolleston, Christchurch

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

54 children, including up to 10 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

61

Ethnic composition

Māori 9, NZ European/Pākehā 43, Indian 3, African 3, Other ethnicities 3.

Review team on site

January 2021

Date of this report

3 May 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review March 2018; Education Review, February 2015.

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 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:

  • 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 certification; ratios)
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

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.

Ako - Rolleston - 19/03/2018

1 Evaluation of Ako - Rolleston

How well placed is Ako - Rolleston to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Ako - Rolleston is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Ako - Rolleston is a privately-owned centre that provides education and care for infants, toddlers and children through to school age. It is licenced for 50 children, including 15 under-two year olds.

The owner is the centre manager. She is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the centre and is supported by a curriculum leader. Most staff are qualified and certified early childhood teachers. Some staff are training to be early childhood teachers.

Leaders and teachers have made some good progress in addressing the key next steps from the 2015 ERO review report. Teachers' curriculum knowledge has been extended. The effectiveness of the poutama school readiness programme has been evaluated and refocused. Full implementation of a staff appraisal process remains an area for ongoing development.

The centre is part of the Ngā Peka o Tauwharekākaho (Rolleston) Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning (CoL).

The Review Findings

The centre philosophy provides a clear vision and guides centre practices, including a focus on building strong and reciprocal relationships.

Children are actively involved in an environment where they can choose from a wide range of resources in the indoor and outdoor areas. Teachers provide children with the time they need to make decisions and learn from watching their peers. Children choose from a wide range of resources and the centre is well resourced both inside and outdoors. Interactions between children, parents and teachers are respectful.

The specific wellbeing and learning needs of infants and toddlers are well met. They experience calm routines, a caring, sensitive, unhurried environment and have easy access to a range of equipment and resources. Teachers are responsive to the individual needs of infants and toddlers and use a range of ways to extend their language learning.

Teachers successfully follow children's interests and extend their learning through conversations and experiences. They effectively support children to problem-solve during their learning and in their social interactions with each other. Teachers provide a curriculum that is responsive to the individual interests, strengths and capabilities of each child.

Transitions into and within the centre are well managed and focused on the needs of children and their families. Child-paced involvement in the programme helps to give the children a sense of responsibility and promotes their independence and self-help skills.

Teachers work as a collaborative team. They regularly share information about children's learning and development. Centre leaders provide a range of professional learning and development for staff. The centre is yet to fully implement an appropriate appraisal system and attestation process for all teachers.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders and ERO agree that the key next steps to improve outcomes for children are to:

  • consolidate the assessment, planning and evaluation processes and strengthen the focus on learning and teaching
  • develop strategic plans that clearly identify the centre's priorities, how they will be achieved annually and evaluate the impact on outcomes for children
  • further refine internal evaluation processes
  • appraise all teachers and ensure that the appraisal and attestation processes meet all Education Council requirements.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Ako - Rolleston 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.

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. 

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Ako - Rolleston will be in three years.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

19 March 2018 

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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. 

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service 

Location

Rolleston

Ministry of Education profile number

65073

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Service roll

67

Gender composition

Boys 32: Girls 35

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Other ethnicities

  7
51
  9

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49%       50-79%       80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:5

Meets minimum requirements

Over 2

1:6

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2018

Date of this report

19 March 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

February 2015

Education Review

April 2011

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.