12 Carr Road, Three Kings, 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 |
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.
Home Grown Education is a home-based service licensed for children from birth to school age. Most of the children enrolled have Pacific heritage. A small number of children are Māori.
There are currently 10 educators who work in homes, providing education and care for up to four children at a time. The service owner works alongside a coordinator to provide curriculum guidance and support to educators.
Educators engage in meaningful and positive interactions that nurture reciprocal relationships. The service curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understand and respect other cultures.
Regular opportunities, both formal and informal, are provided for parents to communicate with adults providing education and care about their child’s learning.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
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
3 March 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Home Grown Education |
| Profile Number | 46878 |
| Location | Mangere East, Auckland |
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Service type |
Home-based service |
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Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 30 aged under 2. |
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Service roll |
31 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 4 |
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Review team on site |
December 2020 |
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Date of this report |
3 March 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, May 2018 |
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 the service completed an ERO Home-based 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 |
The Home Grown Education director and staff require external support to improve the quality of governance, health and safety, and curriculum practices.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Home Grown Education is licensed to provide education and care for up to 60 children. This is the first review of the service since it became licensed in 2016. Educators provide programmes in their homes for up to four children at a time. At present there are 19 children on the roll. Most are from Pacific backgrounds.
The service's philosophy expresses a commitment to providing meaningful learning experiences that support children to be successful. Diversity is celebrated and there is a strong focus on building children's sense of self through their culture and home language.
The owner director is the service's director. She leads the two coordinators, professional development for educators, and the overall governance and management of the service. The director and coordinators have early childhood qualifications. The service employs an administrator.
Since the service was established the director has led assessment and programme planning for children. She has supported educators to implement plans and monitor health and safety. The service offers educational courses for parents and educators, and regular playgroups for children.
This review identifies that significant development is needed in all aspects of operation including the documentation of health and safety systems. The director and coordinators should develop robust operational and management systems to support educators to improve programmes for children. External professional support is needed to help achieve required improvements.
The curriculum is influenced by the philosophy of Reggio Emilia. There is a strong focus on outdoor education and the natural environment. The resources offered help to develop children's curiosity through science, maths and literacy. Children participate in excursions that foster social confidence and knowledge of the wider community. The service works with parents to support successful transitions to school.
Documentation shows that children are provided with a variety of home-based experiences. Many activities are linked to children's cultures and languages. Systems for providing for children's learning and monitoring coordinator visits could be improved to ensure consistent good practice across all home settings. The owner has a strong commitment to strengthening bicultural practice within the service.
Some documents show how children's individual interests are used as a basis for planning. Records of children's learning and development should also show how adults respond to children's individual interests, strengths and dispositions.
The director works with coordinators and plans professional development to build educator capacity. A stronger focus could be put on guiding educators to support children's learning and build their knowledge of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Recent professional learning opportunities for educators have focused on children's oral language development. Coaching educators to increase their professional knowledge and more systematic monitoring of the outcomes of their learning could help to improve programmes for children.
A process of internal evaluation is being established to guide improvement and accountability. The service's strategic plan is based on a business model. The director should develop and implement long-term and annual action plans that align with the service's strategic intent and inform internal evaluation priorities.
The director has sought support from an independent agency to improve financial management and practices. Guidance and support from an external facilitator will also be necessary to ensure that teachers' appraisals meet Education Council requirements.
The director articulates a strong commitment to implementing a home-based service that empowers parent educators. It is timely to review the service's framework of policies and procedures against recent changes in legal requirements.
The director should access external support to improve governance, health and safety, and curriculum practices and systems. She agrees that key next steps to improve the service include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Home Grown Education completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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.
To improve current practices, the owner should ensure that:
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to governance, health and safety, and curriculum. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
implementing programmes that reflect an understanding of learning and development, relevant theories and practices, and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum
developing a process for the evaluation of all aspects of service operations
ensuring child protection, adult safety checking and police vetting policies and practices are documented and implemented
ensuring that the coordinator's annual appraisals meet Education Council requirements
maintaining financial management and records.
Licensing Criteria for Home-based Education and Care Services 2008, C1,4; GMA2,6a,8; HS14 Education Amendment Act, 2010, s319,
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, 43(1a) Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
ERO recommends that the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, develops a plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
The next ERO review of Home Grown Education will be within two years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
11 May 2018
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 |
Mangere, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46878 |
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Institution type |
Homebased Network |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 30 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
19 |
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Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
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Gender composition |
Girls 14 Boys 5 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
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Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
1 |
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Required ratios of educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
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Over 2 |
1:4 |
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Review team on site |
February 2018 |
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Date of this report |
11 May 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
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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:
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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2008
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.