18 Owens Road, Devonport, 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 |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Not meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Devonport Methodist Childcare Centre is owned by the Devonport Methodist Centre Trust. It is governed by a board comprised of the church, parents, and community representatives. Separate programmes are provided for three groups of children based on their ages. The service roll includes a small number of Māori and Pacific children.
Children are provided with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development – both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The curriculum provides a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning.
The curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. It acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Children have opportunities to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Consistent implementation and monitoring of health and safety and governance, management and administration practices is required to maintain regulatory standards.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
having an ongoing process of self-review and internal evaluation that helps the service maintain and improve the quality of its education and care
implementing human resource management practices that include documented staff induction procedures and a system of regular appraisal of staff.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA6, GMA7].
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Analysing accident/incident records and daily hazard checks to identify hazards and take appropriate action (HS12).
Ensuring documentation required for excursions includes the signature of the person responsible for giving approval (HS17).
Ensuring that records of all medicine given to children attending the service include evidence of parental acknowledgement that medicine was administered to their child (HS28).
Having a written child protection policy that includes provisions for the service’s identification and reporting of child abuse and neglect (HS31).
Having an annual plan that guides the services’ operation (GMA8).
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
23 February 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Devonport Methodist Childcare Centre |
|
Profile Number |
20328 |
|
Location |
Devonport, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 22 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
63 |
|
Review team on site |
November 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
23 February 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 2019; Education Review, March 2015 |
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 license 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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Devonport Methodist Childcare Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Devonport Methodist Childcare Centre provides for up to 60 children, including 20 under two years of age. The centre is owned by the Devonport Methodist Centre Trust and governed by a board comprised of church, parent and community representatives.
Programmes are provided for children in three age groups. The caterpillar room offers learning programmes suited to babies and toddlers. The chrysalis room providing for two year olds, and the butterfly room for older children, have a shared outdoor area. The majority of teachers are qualified, and meals are prepared onsite by an experienced cook.
At the time of the 2015 ERO report, centre facilities including the bathroom and kitchen, had been upgraded and the centre had been relicensed for an increased roll. ERO's report noted positive respectful relationships that supported children's learning and progress, and recommended improving programmes, particularly in the areas of bicultural practices and transition to school.
In mid-2018, a new centre director and administrator were appointed. The new director, together with the long-serving head teacher, are undertaking an extensive review of centre operations.
Recent programme changes are having a positive impact on children's learning experiences. Teachers' planning has become more responsive to children's interests, allowing opportunities for extended play and better access to resources. Teachers enable children to lead their learning and provide uninterrupted time for them to explore the environment and engage in creative and imaginative play.
Children's health and wellbeing are central to teachers' practices. Respectful relationships between children and adults support children to develop confidence and trust. Teachers nurture and cater for infants' and toddlers' individual needs. Older children enjoy friendships with others that enhance their social skills and oral language. They are physically active, engage enthusiastically, and understand teachers' expectations and centre routines.
Many families have had a long association with the centre. Teachers know the children and their families well and welcome information from home. Children's diverse cultures and home languages are valued. Teachers promote the use of te reo and tikanga Māori throughout the programme. In addition to written portfolios, new digital ways of documenting and sharing children's learning progress have been recently introduced.
The centre is currently undergoing a period of extensive internal review. The new director has prioritised the learning philosophy as a key area for consultation and evaluation. Teachers are reviewing the extent to which outcomes for children align with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Professional development planned for 2019 should support teachers to implement improvements in centre procedures and practices.
Reporting to the board is becoming more systematic, particularly in relation to health and safety, and personnel management. Centre policies are being updated and rationalised. Plans for improving the main outdoor area are being progressed. The development of a long-term strategic plan would provide a framework for internal evaluation and a better guide for reporting in relation to the centre's annual goals.
The director and board chair have the capability to continue guiding centre developments. They agree that priorities for further improvement include:
continuing to explore the potential of Te Whāriki 2017 to support the development of a local, bicultural curriculum
rationalising the number of centre policies, and completing the review of policies and procedures to ensure consistency with the Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education & Care Services 2008
developing long-term plans that align with annual goals and systematic reporting expectations
conducting a staffing review and ensuring that there is a meaningful appraisal and performance management process for qualified and unqualified staff.
ERO recommends that external professional development be purposefully targeted towards improving assessment and programme planning practices, extending opportunities for more complex and challenging learning, and evaluating learning outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Devonport Methodist Childcare 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.
In order to improve practice, the director should develop robust and systematic reporting processes to assure the board of Devonport Methodist Childcare Centre Trust that:
all staff have been safety checked in relation to the Vulnerable Children's Act, and unqualified staff have been systematically police vetted
health and safety regulations are being met and reported hazards are promptly addressed.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
29 March 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.
|
Location |
Devonport, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20328 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
79 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 48 Boys 31 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
11 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
November 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
29 March 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
March 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
April 2009 |
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|
Education Review |
September 2006 |
||
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.