11 Dyson Street, Temuka
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.
Kids at Play Temuka is one of three education and care services operated by this owner. Prior to November 2019 it was known as Karaka Learning Centre. The former centre manager is the new owner. Most staff have been retained. This centre caters for children two-to-five years within a mixed-aged setting.
The service is developing a new philosophy underpinned by the values and beliefs of the learning community. The curriculum is designed to be inclusive and is informed through assessment, planning and evaluation systems aligned to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Children’s exploration is promoted through the provision of individual and group learning experiences which includes access to quiet spaces and outdoor areas for physically active play. A policy framework and annual planning guide centre operation. Health and safety procedures are monitored, and changes made when required.
Next steps include:
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and care Centres 2008, HS6, GMA7
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
8 April 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Kids at Play Temuka |
| Profile Number | 70041 |
| Location | Temuka |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
27 children, over the age of two years old |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
30 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 7, NZ European/Pākehā 17, Other ethnicities 6 |
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Review team on site |
December 2020 |
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Date of this report |
8 April 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2019, Education Review, April 2015 |
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 (PDF 1MB). 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 |
Karaka Learning Centre Temuka is well placed to promote positive outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Karaka Learning Centre Temuka is a small, privately-owned early childhood service in rural South Canterbury. The centre is licensed to provide care and education for up to 27 children aged between two and six. The opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 2.30pm. Karaka Learning Centre Temuka works collaboratively with its sister centre in Timaru and is part of the North Timaru Kāhui Ako.
The philosophy of Karaka Learning Centre Temuka is that tamariki, whānau and kaiako will work together to form a caring community where children feel valued, safe, happy, confident and can become lifelong learners. Valued outcomes for children include social independence, oral communication, understanding of themselves as learners, and caring for themselves, others and the environment.
The manager and head teacher work collaboratively with two staff to run the centre. All teachers have early childhood education qualifications and have completed professional development in a number of areas in the past year.
All children experience aspects of Māori culture. Teachers have a commitment to using an increasing amount of te reo Māori and building their understanding of tikanga Māori. Children's language, culture and identity are valued and respected.
Children have choices in their learning. Teachers are involved in, and observe their play in order to design learning plans. Individual children's interests and strengths are well known and responded to. The centre's valued outcomes for children are embedded in its practices and philosophy. Planning for teaching and learning ensures a focus on these valued outcomes.
There are clear procedures for assessment and planning. Planning includes broad learning outcomes which are linked to Te Whāriki, the NZ Early Childhood Curriculum, the habits of mind approaches and other teaching strategies. Evaluation supports some continuity of learning.
There are opportunities for families and whānau to engage with staff and discuss the aspirations they have for their children. Children are encouraged to build positive and respectful relationships with other children and with their kaiako.
Children with diverse learning needs are well supported. Leaders and teachers work in partnership with parents and outside agencies to design individual learning plans that will promote positive outcomes for these learners.
Internal evaluation is focused on improvement and is well used in the centre. A range of views about centre programmes and practices are gathered. Recent research is used to inform the thinking of leaders and teachers.
A good appraisal system is in place that has clear links to the Teaching Council's standards for the teaching profession. All teachers complete inquiries into their practice which are linked to the centre's development priorities. Professional development is useful and relevant.
The centre has made good progress in addressing areas identified for improvement in the April 2015 ERO report.
The key next steps to improve outcomes for children are to:
further develop planning to ensure focused individual learning outcomes and to increase the range of teaching strategies that are currently in use
extend evaluation in order to measure the impact of teaching strategies on children's learning outcomes
support the progress of strategic priorities by developing short term plans which include timeframes and specific actions to achieve goals.
Before the review, the staff and management of Karaka Learning Centre Temuka 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:
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.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services
Southern Region
21 May 2019
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 |
Temuka |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70041 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
27 children |
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Service roll |
20 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 10 ; Girls 10 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2019 |
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Date of this report |
21 May 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
April 2012 |
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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:
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 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 will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.