Diocesan School for Girls Foundation Class

Education institution number:
45671
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
24
Telephone:
Address:

Clyde Street, Epsom, Auckland

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Diocesan School for Girls Foundation Class

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 judgements

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

Diocesan School for Girls Foundation Class is on the grounds of Diocesan School for Girls. The deputy principal and head of the junior school provide governance support. The teaching team includes a qualified lead teacher and four other qualified teachers. The majority of children attending are of Chinese heritage.

Summary of Review Findings

Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The curriculum provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development, both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups.

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. They are supported to be confident in their own cultures and encouraged to understand and respect other cultures. The service curriculum provides a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps include increasing:

  • the extent to which Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, is visible and woven through the Primary Years Programme, and The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme

  • opportunities for children to hear and speak te reo Māori in meaningful learning contexts.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

3 July 2023

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Diocesan School for Girls Foundation Class

Profile Number

45671

Location

Epsom, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

40 children over two years of age

Percentage of qualified teachers

100%

Service roll

29

Review team on site

June 2023

Date of this report

3 July 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Akanuku | Assurance Review, May 2021
Education Review, June 2016

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 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.

Diocesan School for Girls Foundation Class

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

Not meeting

At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.

Background

Diocesan School for Girls Foundation Class is led by a dean who works closely with the head of the junior school. All teachers are qualified and registered. A small number of Māori children are enrolled.

Summary of Review Findings

Teachers are inclusive and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions that enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Positive steps are taken to respect and acknowledge the aspirations that parents and whānau have for their children.

The service curriculum is informed by assessment, planning, and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning, their interests, whānau, and life contexts.

Service leaders must ensure that they regularly monitor, evaluate and implement systems, policies and procedures to meet and sustain licensing criteria requirements.

Actions for Compliance

ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:

  • having a written procedure for safety checking and re-checking of children’s workers that meets the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014, and ensuring safety checks are recorded and the record kept as long as the person is employed at the service.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7A.

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • documenting a procedure for hygienic laundering (off-site or on-site) of linen used by children or adults (HS2)
  • maintaining records that show parents have been notified of incidents, illness or injury to children that occur at the service (HS27)
  • maintaining a record of food served during the service’s hours of operation that records the type of food provided (HS19)
  • ensuring medication records include evidence of parental acknowledgement that medication was administered (HS28)
  • checking equipment, premises and facilities daily for hazards to children (HS12)
  • maintaining a procedure for monitoring children’s sleep and a record of the time each child sleeps and checks made by adults (HS9).

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

28 May 2021 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name Diocesan School for Girls Foundation Class
Profile Number 45671
Location Epsom, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

40 children

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

38

Ethnic composition

Māori  2
NZ European/Pākehā 7
Chinese 21
other ethnic groups 8

Review team on site

February 2021

Date of this report

28 May 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, June 2016
Education Review, February 2013

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.