Aynsley Street Preschool

Education institution number:
70059
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
37
Telephone:
Address:

17 Aynsley Street, Watlington, Timaru

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Aynsley Street Preschool

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 review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

This is the first ERO review of Aynsley Street Preschool since it was re-licensed in 2019 under new ownership. Governance is overseen by the owner who supports the centre manager and staff. There are two aged-based areas catering for tamariki from infants to school age.

Summary of Review Findings

The play-based curriculum is inclusive and designed to support tamariki to develop social competence skills. Kaiako promote positive, respectful interactions with tamariki. The service is beginning to apply the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, to analyse and interpret significant learning from which to build a relevant curriculum.

The indoor and outdoor environments offer tamariki opportunities to experience a wide range of activities. Leadership has established sound procedures and processes for managing the health, safety, and wellbeing of tamariki.

Key Next Steps:

  • strengthen the extent to which information documented about learning reflects the identity, language, and culture of all tamariki and their whānau
  • review the effectiveness of consultation with parents and whānau about their children’s learning to ensure the processes are culturally appropriate and effective for all.

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

28 July 2021 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name Aynsley Street Preschool
Profile Number 70059
Location Timaru

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

33 children, including up to 8 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

33

Ethnic composition

Māori 13, NZ European/Pākehā 15, Other ethnicities 5.

Review team on site

May 2021

Date of this report

28 July 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review June 2017; Education Review May 2014.

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.

Aynsley Street Preschool Limited - 27/06/2017

1 Evaluation of Aynsley Street Preschool Limited

How well placed is Aynsley Street Preschool Limited to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Aynsley Street Preschool is a privately owned early learning centre. The service's programme is based on the Montessori philosophy. It has two separate areas that provide full-day education and care for infants, toddlers and young children. The service is licensed for up to 33 children, including 8 under the age of two. Two fully registered teachers lead the service, and other staff are working towards full registration or in training.

Since the 2014 ERO review, there has been a new owner and new staff have been appointed. Leadership of the centre includes the owner, who is the director, the centre's manager who also has responsibility for the infants and toddlers, and the supervisor who is responsible for the older children.

The new owner has responded to the areas for further improvement identified in the previous ERO report relating to expectations for teaching and learning, and internal review. She has strengthened leadership and built a positive staff culture of teamwork and continuous improvement.

The Review Findings

The new director and the leadership team at Anysley Street Preschool have a strong commitment to high quality teaching and learning. They have a shared understanding and clear vision for the philosophy to be implemented in this service. These high expectations are lifting teacher practice and promoting positive outcomes for children.

Teachers engage in responsive, reciprocal relationships with children and their parents or whānau. Teachers use conversations with and observations of children to know children's interests and help children lead their own learning. 

Montessori values are to the forefront of much of the teaching and learning. A strong emphasis on respect is evident. Routines are well established so children know what is expected and how they should respond. The environment and resources encourage exploration, positive interactions and fun. Infants and toddlers benefit from caring relationships with their teachers. Teachers have established a calm, slow pace where there is ample time to meet the needs of the children.

The staff are responsive to the needs of families and whānau, and are welcoming and engaging. They take care to understand the child in the context of the family. Teachers build on their knowledge of each child to prepare well-documented individual plans. Plans are supported by profile stories which show good evidence of next steps and feedback from parents and whānau.

There is trust and mutual respect in the leadership group. After a very large turnover of staff with the arrival of the new director, there has been a concerted effort to build stronger working relationships within the teaching team. The leaders have provided very good guidance for staff on the quality expected in their teaching. Leaders support teachers well in their reflective practice and for the evaluation of the impact of their teaching.

The director is committed to promoting bicultural practices to support tamariki and their whānau. The centre's purpose includes ensuring all children experience aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand's bicultural heritage. The next step is ensure greater consistency of teachers' practice in promoting bicultural aspects for Māori children and for all children.

The director has put major work into building sustainable governance practices. There has been significant progress since the change of ownership. The director and leadership team have supported this by creating a culture where each child and whānau is able to feel well included and experience success. The director has provided a large number of resources to support staff and for the ongoing development of the centre. The strategic plan gives clear direction.

A next step would be to ensure that the strategic plan shows clear links to expected outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

The key next steps are for leaders and teachers to:

  • continue to strengthen the quality and consistency of teachers' practices

  • ensure a commitment to the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa is evident in the action planning to support the strategic goal

  • continue to strengthen and embed internal evaluation at all levels of service operation, including the leadership team.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Aynsley Street Preschool Limited 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 Aynsley Street Preschool Limited will be in three years.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Te Waipounamu)

27 June 2017 

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

Timaru

Ministry of Education profile number

70059

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

33 children, including up to 8 aged under 2

Service roll

58

Gender composition

Girls: 33

Boys: 25

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Pacific
Other

12
37
3
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

April 2017

Date of this report

27 June 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

May 2014

Supplementary Review

January 2013

Education Review

April 2009

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.