4A Camrose Place, Glenfield, Auckland
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 review of Active Explorers Camrose, which was purchased by Evolve Education Group in December 2017. An experienced centre manager is supported by the company’s management personnel. The centre is separated into three age-group learning spaces. The teaching team and children are from diverse ethnic groups.
The service curriculum provides a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning. A range of experiences is provided to enhance and extend children’s learning and development, both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. The curriculum supports children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour.
A policy framework and an annual plan guides centre operations. Teacher appraisal and internal evaluation processes are established. Health and safety procedures are consistently monitored and reviewed. The premises and facilities are resourced to provide for different types of indoor and outdoor experiences for the learning and abilities of the children attending.
Next steps include continuing to develop the capability of leaders to:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
25 February 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Active Explorers Camrose |
| Profile Number | 45708 |
| Location | Glenfield, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 20 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
64 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 6 |
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Review team on site |
January 2021 |
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Date of this report |
25 February 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Previously reviewed as Camrose Kids Learning Centre: |
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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Camrose Kids Early Learning Centre is licensed to provide education and care for up to 80 children, including 20 under two years of age. The purpose built centre opened in 2011. The facility has three separate play spaces for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers.
The centre is privately owned and managed. A number of changes in staffing has impacted on the centre's ability to sustain improvement initiatives. Reorganisation of the leadership structure has improved consistency and stability for children and staff. This year the owner has taken on the role of centre director in the centre and an experienced head teacher is mentoring teachers. Together with a newly appointed Education and Practice Manager and a Centre Administrator the management lead nine qualified teachers and four unqualified staff. An experienced head teacher is also mentoring teachers.
The centre philosophy has recently been reviewed. This review is ongoing as new centre staff are employed and inducted, and as all teachers develop shared understandings of what the philosophy looks like in practice.
The 2013 ERO evaluation found that review and change had been an important feature of centre practice. Teachers and children were benefitting from professional development in planning and assessment. Continued progress in these early developments were the priorities for improvement. This review finds that the owner and centre management have begun to implement some useful strategies to strengthen the sustainability of the centre and to improve progress.
Children in this centre are confident and articulate. They enjoy opportunities to make friends and to develop their social competencies. Learning environments are well resourced, attractive and welcoming to all children. Literacy, maths and the natural world are included in the programme and children are encouraged to be creative. Teachers provide environments and resources that encourage meaningful and enjoyable exploration. The youngest children experience a calm and settled environment where the pace of the day is unhurried.
Relationships between teachers and children are warm and supportive. Adults provide caring and nurturing interactions. Teachers are respectful and responsive to children. Parents are warmly greeted and this supports children's sense of belonging.
There are some good models of assessment and planning to improve consistency of practice throughout the centre. In the best examples, assessments provide good records of children's individual learning and builds the child's identity as a successful learner. Teachers value and seek the contributions of parents to programmes. Children's home languages and cultures are well supported.
The management team leads an effective process of internal evaluation to drive improvement. There is a commitment to building teacher's understanding of teaching as inquiry that contributes to positive outcomes for all children. Management should continue to develop team relationships and shared understanding by implementing a cohesive plan to build teachers' emergent leadership.
Management have planned strategically for teachers to improve their bicultural practices. Teachers use some basic te reo, karakia and waiata in the programme. Consideration could be given to professional development to deepen teachers' knowledge of te ao Maori, and supporting an authentic local curriculum.
A staff appraisal process has recently been established. Centre management are aware of the need to continue to strengthen the process to align with the requirements of the Education Council. The centre continues to endeavour to recruit and retain qualified teaching staff. Centre policies and procedures have recently undergone review and development. The 2013 ERO review identified the need to implement an appraisal and personnel policy and procedures. Aspects of these procedures have recently been developed and management are continuing to fully address these matters.
The owner and centre leaders agree that their priorities for improvement are:
for teachers to access professional development to improve their implementation of a bicultural curriculum
build collaborative ways of working towards the strategic goals and the enactment of the centre vision
to recruit and develop competent teachers
to ensure all policies and procedures required to meet Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008 and Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework, are established.
Before the review, the staff and management of Camrose Kids Early Learning Centre 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.
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to human resource management. To meet requirements the service’s managers must develop and implement a policy which outlines suitable human resource management practices including:
selection and appointment procedures
job/role descriptions
induction procedures into the service
a system of appraisal
a definition of serious misconduct
discipline/dismissal procedures.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres, 2008; Governance, management and administration; professional practices: GMA7.
The next ERO review of Camrose Kids Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
23 September 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 |
Glenfield, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45708 |
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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 |
80 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
87 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 43 Boys 44 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese Indian Middle Eastern |
5 58 19 3 2 |
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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 |
July 2016 |
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Date of this report |
23 September 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 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 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.