18 Montgomery Avenue, Rothesay Bay, Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kids Corner - Rothesay Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kids Corner - Rothesay Learning Centre is a well-established, privately owned service. It is licensed to provide full-day education and care for up to 24 children, including seven under two years of age. The roll has doubled since the 2016 ERO review.
The centre manager is supported by an experienced head teacher. Most teachers are fully registered, some of whom work part-time.
The 2016 ERO report noted many strengths that have been sustained. Key areas for improvement included, reviewing the environment to motivate children's learning and growing teachers' competence in bicultural practices. Good progress had been made in these areas. Further development was needed to ensure consistency in teachers extending children's thinking and to strengthen aspects of health and safety. These areas still require further development.
Children and families benefit from an environment that is welcoming and caring. Teachers build and sustain relationships with children and their families to support children's sense of belonging. Parents value the nurturing, respectful relationships that their children experience at the centre.
Children may initiate their own learning. They play well together and are supported by teachers to make good friendships. Children have independent access to all areas of play and are free to choose activities based on their interests and preferences.
There are some good examples of teachers' skilful use of questioning to extend children’s thinking. This effective practice now needs to be more consistently used by all teachers.
Children up to the age of two, benefit from caring teachers who promote a calm and unhurried pace in the programme. Children have easy access to explore the inside and outside areas. Infants and toddlers can experience mixed-aged play.
Improvements have been made to the indoor and outdoor learning areas. Teachers are continuing to develop an environment that stimulates and motivates children through the incorporation of open-ended and natural resources. Leaders plan to further upgrade the outdoor environment.
Parents are informed about their children's participation in the programme through portfolios and informal conversations. Leaders have identified that teachers should continue to develop more consistent teaching practices and portfolio assessments to extend children’s learning.
There has been a focus on raising the visibility and use of te reo Māori and tikanga, and to incorporate kaupapa Māori perspectives in the centre philosophy. Leaders acknowledge supporting teachers to strengthen bicultural practice continues to be an area for development.
Teachers meet regularly to plan a programme that promotes a shared understanding of children's interests and an emergent curriculum. They provide opportunities for children to learn about the local community. Teachers could now deepen their evaluative thinking in planning as they review teaching practice and the learning outcomes for children.
The manager and teachers work collaboratively, and leadership is shared. Ongoing internal evaluation is well documented. The manager encourages teachers to participate in professional and personal development. A formalised appraisal system has been refined and used to improve teaching practice. Strategic and annual plans guide centre developments.
Centre managers agree that to sustain continuous improvement, the next steps include:
strengthening planning documentation to better reflect the centre philosophy and learning outcomes outlined in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum
strengthening evaluation of curriculum decisions for infants and young children
greater consistency in portfolios to show how children's interests are extended over time
ensuring that all practices align to centre policies and procedures.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kids Corner - Rothesay Learning 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:
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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region - Te Tai Raki
22 May 2020
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 |
Rothesay Bay, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20366 |
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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 |
24 children, including up to 7 aged under 2 years |
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Service roll |
34 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 18 Boys 16 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
1 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
January 2020 |
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Date of this report |
22 May 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2016 |
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Supplementary Review |
March 2013 |
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Supplementary Review |
October 2011 |
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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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
The owner, manager and teachers at Kids Corner – Rothesay Learning Centre have made ongoing progress in developing centre operations.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kids Corner – Rothesay Learning Centre is a privately owned centre in Rothesay Bay, Auckland. The centre is licensed for up to 24 children, including up to seven under two years of age. The centre currently has 18 children on the roll. All children share the one play area and outdoor area.
The Kids Corner – Rothesay Learning Centre’s philosophy prioritises relationships with others and children working alongside each other and their teachers. Focus is on knowing whānau well and the wider community. The centre’s teaching staff includes four fully qualified and registered teachers and one who is in training. Recent appointments include a new head teacher and two other members of staff who joined the centre in 2015.
The service has had a history of supplementary reviews leading up to its previous ERO review in 2012. Since then it has been through relicensing provisions and received a full licence from the Ministry of Education. Over the past three years the centre has made good progress in further improving the quality of education provided for children and in improving the learning environment.
Children are happy, friendly and respectful towards each other and their teachers. They talk freely amongst themselves and with adults as they play. Children move freely within the centre, making choices about their play. The mixed-age group approach provides opportunities for children of all ages to play together.
Children show a growing sense of independence and demonstrate some good self-management skills. Parents and whānau are made to feel welcome at the centre. They and their children all know each other and value the family-like centre atmosphere.
The recently upgraded outdoor area includes established trees and gardens and offers a range of play activities. The environment supports children to explore and be creative, and provides good physical challenge. Teachers could now work together to review and further develop ways in which the environment stimulates and motivates children to learn.
Infants and toddlers have a primary caregiver who provides nurturing care and support based on individual routines. Communication books provide parents with key details about their child’s time in the centre on a daily basis and enable parents of these very young children to communicate relevant information back to teachers. This helps build strong partnerships with families to support children’s wellbeing and development.
Teachers are sensitive to children’s and families’ cultures and consider how these dimensions can be used to enrich the curriculum and learning experiences. Whānau aspirations are valued and included in programme planning. Children’s portfolios include a range of information that reflects children’s participation in the programme. Teachers could now continue to develop children’s thinking and language through further promotion of in-depth questioning and extended conversations.
Teachers have developed good processes to support children’s transition into and through the centre. Managers acknowledge the importance of working with families and local schools as a next stage in this transitioning process.
The recently appointed head teacher is making improvements to centre operations. Teachers are participating in ongoing professional development to build their capability to improve outcomes for children. Continued work in this area, including the use of external advisory support, is advised.
The centre is currently reviewing its vision, philosophy and strategic direction. An external facilitator has worked with managers to strengthen frameworks for centre management. This has included establishing a two year review cycle for policies and procedures.
In order to improve practice, centre managers and teachers now need to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kids Corner - Rothesay Learning 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:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
governance, management and administration.
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 further improve practice centre managers have recently revisited policy and/or procedures relating to aspects of health and safety. Practices connected to cleaning routines and excursions, in particular, have been strengthened and appropriate planning undertaken to help ensure these improvements are sustained.
The next ERO review of Kids Corner - Rothesay Learning Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
25 May 2016
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 |
Rothesay Bay, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20366 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
24 children, including up to 7 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
18 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 10 Boys 8 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Tongan Niue |
2 13 1 1 1 |
|
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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 |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
December 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
25 May 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Supplementary Review |
March 2013 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
October 2011 |
||
|
Supplementary Review |
June 2010 |
||
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 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.