The Juni Uni Ltd is well placed to further promote positive outcomes for children.
Juni Uni is a privately owned all day education and care service located in a modified home in Tauranga. The centre is licensed for fifty children and currently has twenty seven on the roll between the ages of three and four years. The physical environment includes a central play area, separate library, computer suite, music room and a well resourced outdoor area.
Since the last review in 2010 significant staff turnover has occurred. A completely new teaching team is now in place and a new senior teacher was appointed at the beginning of 2013. The centre owner acknowledges the need to focus on team building and develop shared understandings about what good practice looks like in the centre. Teachers have been involved in training about literacy and mathematics learning, transition to school and positive behaviour management strategies.
The services philosophy aims to ‘strive to help children develop a strong sense of self awareness, self confidence, self belief and self esteem’. The programme of learning is based on a combination of teacher directed and child initiated experiences.
The centre owner has a strong and clear vision for the development and direction of the service. A range of useful policies and procedures is in place and have been reviewed.
Relationships between children and teachers are responsive, respectful and appropriate. Teachers are strongly supportive of each child’s well being and use effective strategies to manage children’s behaviour.
The centre effectively recognises and affirms the cultural identity of each child and provides many opportunities for parents to share unique aspects of their culture with all the children. Teachers have made a positive start in integrating and using a Maōri dimension in the programme. Teachers use a range of strategies to successfully promote early literacy and mathematics learning.
The environment is carefully planned by teachers to enable children to have ongoing access to high quality resources and equipment. Learning areas provide opportunities for children to challenge their ideas, explore and experiment both independently and alongside their teachers.
Parents are kept well informed about their child’s involvement with the centre programme through learning journals that contain photographs and descriptions of learning experiences.
ERO and the centre owner agree that an important area for development and review is to ensure that self review contributes more directly to improved learning and teaching practice. To achieve this it is necessary to:
ERO recommends that staff undertake ongoing externally facilitated professional development on building the centres capacity to build a sound and sustainable system for self review and on continually improving the quality of education and care.
Before the review, the staff and management of Juni Uni Ltd 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.
ERO identified an area of non-compliance. To address this the owner must:
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS6]
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dale Bailey National Manager Review Services Northern Region
7 March 2013
Location |
Tauranga |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
40334 |
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Licence type |
Education and Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
27 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 19 Girls 8 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā Māori Indian Other Asian Other |
13 3 6 4 1 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
Review team on site |
February 2013 |
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Date of this report |
7 March 2013 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2010 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews |
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:
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 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.
Individual ERO school and early childhood service reports are public information and may be copied or sent electronically. However, the Education Review Office can guarantee only the authenticity of original documents which have been obtained in hard copy directly from either the local ERO office or ERO National Office in Wellington.