51 Coulter Road, Swanson
View on mapAkarangi | 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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Farm Friends Early Childhood Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
Farm Friends Early Childhood Centre is situated on a semi-rural 10-acre block. The owner and centre manager are qualified teachers. Together they lead a team of five qualified teachers and a cook. Almost 20 percent of the children enrolled are Māori or have Pacific heritages.
Children experience a play-based curriculum that provides them with opportunities to challenge themselves physically. They benefit from daily hikoi (walks) on the property. These provide holistic learning opportunities which enable children to explore and connect with Papatuanuku (Mother Earth), as reflected in the service’s philosophy.
Teachers provide meaningful opportunities for children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The annual celebration of Matariki is a highlight for children and their whānau. Māori values and concepts are woven well throughout the service philosophy and curriculum.
Leaders and teachers have developed positive relationships with whānau. Informal opportunities for whānau to contribute to children’s experiences are provided, through conversations and participation in events and celebrations. An important next step for the service is to provide formal opportunities for parents and whānau to contribute to their children’s learning and progression of learning overtime.
Systems to guide review and internal evaluation have been developed. These processes are improvement focused and aim to support teachers to plan for and action the service’s goals. Aligning internal evaluation to Ngā Aronga Whai Hua: Improving quality in early childhood education could help leaders and teachers to develop increased knowledge of the purpose and use of evaluation that results in ongoing improvement. Scrutinising what is happening at the service through the use of carefully considered inquiry questions, could guide the service to make informed changes that improve outcomes for learners.
The service is inclusive and responsive to the needs of individual children and whānau. Those responsible for governance and management aim to provide opportunities that ensure equity of access for children. A positive working environment has supported the retention of long-standing staff members at the service. As a result, leaders are working with whānau to support them and to remove barriers for their child’s participation in early learning.
Farm Friends Early Childhood Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Farm Friends Early Childhood Centre completed an ERO 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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
6 December 2023
| Early Childhood Service Name | Farm Friends Early Childhood Centre |
| Profile Number | 10008 |
| Location | Swanson |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 36 children over 2 years of age |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 100% |
| Service roll | 54 |
| Review team on site | October 2023 |
| Date of this report | 6 December 2023 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, July 2021; Education Review, November 2017 |
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.
Regulatory standards | ERO’s judgement |
| Curriculum | Meeting |
| Premises and facilities | Meeting |
| Health and safety | Meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Meeting |
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Farm Friends Early Childhood Centre is situated on a semi-rural 10 acre block and provides for children over the age of two years. A qualified service provider and centre manager lead a team of four qualified teachers and five unqualified staff. Twenty percent of the children enrolled are Māori.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. 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. The design and layout of the service supports the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences.
Since the onsite review the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
29 July 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Farm Friends Early Childhood Centre |
| Profile Number | 10008 |
| Location | Swanson, Auckland |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 36 children over the age of two years |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
| Service roll | 46 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 7, NZ European/Pākehā 27, Asian 6, other European 4, other ethnic groups 2 |
| Review team on site | June 2021 |
| Date of this report | 29 July 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, November 2017 Education Review, December 2013 |
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:
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Farm Friends is an owner-operated centre that provides education and care for 36 children in a mixed-age group from two to five years of age. The centre is located on a 10 acre block of semi-rural land, which includes a stream and small forest that is used daily as part of the programme.
Families are able to choose between flexible sessions and attending full time. Families are also able to contribute to the decision-making in the centre through surveys and opportunities to comment about intended changes.
The philosophy for the centre is about to be reviewed. At present it provides a detailed picture of teachers' ambitions for children's learning. It places a strong focus on relationships with families. The philosophy and programmes are underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles.
Centre leaders include the owner/manager, head teacher and deputy head teacher, who guide and support the two full-time, qualified staff. Two part-time staff support lunch breaks and release time for the head teacher. The teaching team has changed considerably over the past year.
At the time of the 2013 ERO report ownership had recently changed. The report highlighted children's enthusiasm for their interactions and play. The manager's professional leadership was developing teachers' practice. ERO's report also listed improvements that would help the centre to move forward. These included developing a strategic plan and teacher performance management systems. Both have now been developed and embedded.
Children are engaged, independent risk takers who are enthusiastic about their learning and highly articulate. They play well together, collaborating and following their own ideas through problem-solving and experimentation. Children are encouraged to make their own decisions about their play and to contribute to the organisation of the programme.
Teachers welcome children into a calm, quiet indoor environment. Attractively arranged, cosy spaces invite children to play and explore. Children respond very positively to the provocations that teachers provide.
Daily access to the surrounding forest and farm is an important part of the programme. Teachers make a point of emphasising respect and care for the natural environment. These visits provide authentic learning opportunities and build children's resilience. They support children's understanding about Papatūānuku.
The programme also has a strong focus on environmental sustainability and recycling. Children engage in the process of growing plants in their garden and using clay from the forest. They have access to a wide range of high quality resources, many made of natural materials.
Teachers are beginning to use te reo and tikanga Māori. The centre celebrates festivals that are important to Māori, as well as those of other cultural groups in the community. The manager and head teacher acknowledge that their journey in implementing a bicultural programme is still developing.
There are many opportunities outdoors in the redeveloped playground for children to extend their physical skills and be challenged. Teachers encourage children's self-management skills and independence.
Teachers work well together. New teachers are building partnerships with families and some are able to support children who use languages other than English at home.
Teachers are trialling new programme planning processes. Parents are well informed about the programme, and an online portal has increased their comments and responses. Teachers plan to re-establish paper portfolios so that children can contribute their thinking to inform programme planning. Teachers' spontaneous reviews are beginning to add value to the programme.
The centre is well managed. Long and short term plans are monitored and linked to the centre's strategic direction and philosophy. It would be useful to include strategic goals, as part of the renewed appraisal process. Policies and procedures are regularly reviewed in consultation with teachers and parents.
The manager supports teachers to grow their leadership capability through distributed responsibility for the programme and for relevant professional learning. Teachers' strengths and interests add to the variety of the programme. The teaching team plans to undertake a year-long pedagogical leadership course.
The manager's priority for the future is to continue developing a collaborative, consultative community of learners with teachers, parents and children. She aims to make processes and programmes transparent, to give parents a greater sense of ownership in the centre. She has started this process with regular consultation and sharing information with parents.
Key next steps include strengthening:
Before the review, the staff and management of Farm Friends Early Childhood 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:
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 Farm Friends Early Childhood Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
14 November 2017
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 | Swanson, Auckland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 10008 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 36 children over 2 years of age | ||
| Service roll | 44 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 23 Girls 21 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā other European | 5 37 2 | |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Over 2 | 1:6 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Review team on site | September 2017 | ||
| Date of this report | 14 November 2017 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | December 2013 | |
| Education Review | February 2011 | ||
| Education Review | December 2007 | ||
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.