91 Chapel Drive, Te Awamutu
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 |
|
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.
Creators Waipa is one of three not-for-profit services under the same ownership. It has a philosophy based on Christian values and the Reggio Emilia teaching approach. Governed by Creators Educational Trust, a centre manager oversees a teaching team of qualified and unqualified teachers. Of the children enrolled, a small number are identified as Māori or Pacific.
The service curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Kaiako engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships, building children’s social competency. Positive steps are taken to respect and acknowledge the aspirations held by parents and whānau for their children.
Learning environments are language rich. These environments offer a range of experiences and opportunities both indoors and out, individually and in groups to extend children’s learning and development.
Next steps include:
continuing to build consistent and shared understanding of culturally responsive practices in assessment and the daily curriculum to further enhance success for all learners.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
9 August 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Creators Waipa |
|
Profile Number |
46534 |
|
Location |
Te Awamutu |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
40 children aged over 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
42 |
|
Review team on site |
July 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
9 August 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akarangi | Quality Evaluation, June 2021 Previously reviewed as Waipa Christian Kindergarten: |
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.
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.
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 regulatory 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
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.
Akarangi | 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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Creators Waipa are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
|
What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
|
Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
|
Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
Creators Waipa is a privately owned education and care service. The centre is governed and managed by Creators Educational Trust, which owns and operates a number of early childhood services across the Waikato region. Day-to-day operations are led by a long-standing manager who is supported by the trust.
The curriculum is effectively planned through the context of the child, their family and shared values, and beliefs. The environment is well-prepared, resourced and purposefully designed to provide a rich natural learning space for children. Authentic connections with the wider community enrich the meaningful local curriculum. Children’s belonging and learning is enhanced through connections with their environment.
Meaningful relationships between teachers and whānau result in a cohesive community of learners. Teachers engage in intentional professional learning opportunities. This supports them to work in partnership with whānau to grow a shared understanding of how best to support children’s learning. Children are empowered to take full responsibility to lead their own learning.
Te ao Māori is meaningfully acknowledged, valued, and prioritised in the curriculum. Children's learning pathways are identified, valuing what children know and what they bring to their learning. Teachers practice builds inclusion and removes barriers to learning for children. Leaders have identified a continuing need to further deepen their understanding, knowledge, expertise, and cultural competence.
Respectful practices are highly evident in interactions between adults and children. They encourage children to explore their working theories through meaningful conversation, providing effective oral language support. The Reggio Emilia and Christian based philosophies are strongly evident in all aspects of centre operation. Children and their families experience a calm and settled learning environment.
Leaders are dedicated to providing equitable and inclusive opportunities for children to learn that contributes to positive learning outcomes for children. Robust and effective systems, processes, and internal evaluation support equitable learning outcomes for children. There is a strong focus on continual improvement. The strategic plan is providing an effective framework to guide teaching, learning and centre operations. Appraisal processes are designed to sustain teachers’ reflective practice.
Creators Waipa will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning.
Continue the journey of deepening and developing a shared understanding of:
Before the review, the staff and management of Creators Waipa 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
28 June 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Creators Waipa |
| Profile Number | 46534 |
| Location | Te Awamutu |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
40 children aged over 2 years |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
42 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 10, NZ European/Pākehā 29, Other ethnic groups 3. |
|
Review team on site |
May 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
28 June 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, June 2017. |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Creators @ Waipa Christian Kindergarten is a privately owned education and care service located in the Waikato township of Te Awamutu. It caters for children between the ages of two and five. It is licensed for 40 children. There are currently 48 children on the roll, six of whom are Māori. The centre operates two rooms, one for children between two and three and one for those from three to five. The centre operates a full day service from 8.00am until 4.00pm each week day.
An effectively documented philosophy and learning model are underpinned by Christian beliefs and the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. The philosophy states that 'children are uniquely created in the image of God, full of wonder and potential, constructing their own knowledge.'
The Centre is governed and managed by Creators Educational Trust, which owns and operates a number of early childhood services in Hamilton and the Waikato. Day-to-day operations are led by an experienced manager who is well supported by the trust. Most teachers at the centre are fully qualified.
The centre is two and a half years old and this is its first ERO review.
Children enjoy positive, nurturing relationships with teachers, who respect their rights and talk with them about decisions that affect them. They benefit from a learning model that emphasises the centrality of the child, the value of listening to children's talk and discussion, as a way of promoting their ongoing exploration of the world. Children are provided with rich experiences that promote key competencies such as working collaboratively, higher order thinking and good oral language. Children also have many opportunities to solve problems and experiment. Children's knowledge and learning is extended through experiences that promote sustainability, social and self-managing skills, which are delivered though a Christian world view.
There is a useful framework to guide teachers to notice, recognise and respond to individual and groups of children. Individual learning plans for children, developed in consultation with children and parents, create the potential for teachers to respond meaningfully to each child's strengths, interests, and development priorities. An inquiry approach to the teacher-led component of the curriculum provides teachers with a framework for developing provocations and projects for children that encourage them to explore their world and develop their thinking. Children are given many opportunities to revisit their learning via attractive individual learning portfolios and high quality teacher produced resources. Smooth transitions for children turning five are promoted by a close relationship between the centre and the neighbouring school.
Teachers value the contribution of parents and whānau, and provide many opportunities for them to become involved in the daily programme.
A clear strategic vision for the centre is evident, which recognises the bicultural nature of Aotearoa/New Zealand and states a commitment to equity and social justice. Children are developing knowledge and understanding of New Zealand's dual cultural heritage.
Trust leaders have developed well thought out processes for building the organisational culture of the centre. These include a strong induction programme, regular mentoring, and focussed professional development. A comprehensive, high quality policy framework provides guidance for teachers in all aspects of centre operations.
Self review and teacher performance appraisal have been linked in a way which strengthens both processes, and ensures that all staff have the opportunity to be involved in creating initiatives leading to improvement. Children are benefiting from the outcomes of self review particularly in relation to the learning environment, music, and the natural world.
Strengthen planning for individual children by:
further developing learning partnerships with parents to more meaningfully contribute to children's goals
strengthening systems for monitoring and tracking how teachers are responding to children’s goals
ensuring that responding to children’s goals is a central component of programme planning
reporting more intentionally on children’s progress against their goals in learning portfolios.
Continue to strengthen the inclusion of Māori perspectives and knowledge in the daily programme by:
implementing a bicultural framework to underpin the curriculum
researching ways in which Māori perspectives of the child and development that can be incorporated in to teacher practice
developing a systematic approach to the teaching of local iwi, community history, and traditions.
At the time of this review ERO observed teachers operating in a more teacher directed, whole-group approach to programme delivery. It is now time to revisit the centre philosophy and learning model, with teachers, and develop clear, agreed expectations for how the individual child-led aspect of their philosophy is fully enacted. In addition, leaders need to support teachers to be more accountable in delivering the curriculum that is clearly expressed in the philosophy.
Strengthen teacher performance management by including an observation component to the appraisal system which also includes high quality formative feedback.
Before the review, the staff and management of Creators @ Waipa Christian Kindergarten 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.
The next ERO review of Creators @ Waipa Christian Kindergarten will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato / Bay of Plenty
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.
|
Location |
Te Awamutu |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46534 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
48 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 27 Boys 21 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:9 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
March 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
19 June 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
No previous ERO reports |
||
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:
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.