Huntsbury Preschool is well placed to promote children’s wellbeing and learning.
The preschool operates for four sessions each week in a hall shared with other community groups.
It is managed by a committee of volunteer parents and a long-serving, dedicated team of registered teachers.
The teachers set up the learning environment on a daily basis. The outdoor spaces provide children with many opportunities to explore, interact and discover the natural world and learn about caring for the environment.
Positive, caring and affirming relationships (whānaungatanga) are evident between children and teachers and among children. Teachers value children as individuals and nurture and respect them (manaakitanga). Children confidently involve teachers and other children in their play and in their learning.
Children enjoy an unhurried and flexible programme where they make choices and follow their own learning interests. They enjoy revisiting these experiences recorded in easily accessible and well-presented profile books, containing their early childhood journey.
Teachers listen carefully to children, giving them time to think and respond, supporting them to get excited about their learning. They use questions that encourage children to extend on their ideas and develop their literacy skills.
Parents are highly involved in the management of the centre and daily programme. They are welcomed and encouraged to spend time at the centre. Teachers' close relationships with parents help them learn more about individual children and their interests.
Teachers plan for a wide range of learning experiences. This includes regular contributions from parents, whānau and other members of the community with particular strengths. Teachers have identified, and ERO agrees, that the programme should include more opportunities for children to learn about Māori concepts, language, and customs.
Teachers work well together to benefit children’s learning and wellbeing. They share useful information during the programme, plan together and regularly discuss individual children’s interests and abilities. The next step is for teachers to continue to build on current planning, assessment and self-review practices to focus more on how to improve learning outcomes for children.
Interesting child-centred learning experiences and effective parent and educator partnerships are strong aspects of the centre’s programme. The next step for the parent committee and teachers is to further strengthen long-term and annual planning, so that the centre’s priorities are met and existing good practices continue to benefit children.
Before the review, the management of Huntsbury Preschool Inc completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they select ‘have’ or ‘have not’ 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.Click here to enter text.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services Southern Region
21 February 2013
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Location |
Beckenham, Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70373 |
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Licence type |
Education and Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
50 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 27 Girls 23 |
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Ethnic composition |
New Zealand European/Pākehā Māori Other Ethnicities |
46 3 1 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
December 2012 |
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Date of this report |
21 February 2013 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
June 2009 October 2005 January 2003 |
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that reviews schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
ERO's education reviews in early childhood services focus on the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. ERO evaluates how well placed the service is to make and sustain improvements for the benefit of all children at the service. To reach these findings ERO considers:
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of self review and partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.