27 First Street, Masterton
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 |
Not meeting |
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Governance, management, and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Lansdowne Private Childcare Centre provides education and care for infants, toddlers, and young children. The service is privately-owned and long-established. The owner oversees centre operation. Two senior teachers lead learning and teaching.
Teachers engage in positive interactions that enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. There are opportunities for children to learn about the dual heritages of Aotearoa, New Zealand. The service curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning, interests, whānau and life contexts.
The design and layout of the premises and facilities are suitable for the age and abilities of the children attending. Improved implementation of some employment and health and safety practices are required to meet all aspects of regulatory compliance.
ERO found an area of non-compliance in the service relating to:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, HS8.
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
ensuring the first aid kit is easily recognisable and accessible to adults [PF28]
safety checking for existing staff. [GMA7A]
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that the non-compliance identified in this report is addressed promptly.
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
22 August 2022
Information About the Service
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Lansdowne Private Childcare Centre |
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Profile Number |
60327 |
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Location |
Masterton |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
57 children, including up to 26 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
77 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 16, NZ European/Pākehā 42, English/Irish 8, South-East Asian 4, Other ethnic groups 7 |
|
Review team on site |
May 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
22 August 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, November 2018; Education Review, December 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. 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:
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Lansdowne Private Childcare Centre is an established, privately owned service located in Masterton. The centre is licensed for 57 children and this includes provision for 26 children up to the age of two. At the time of this review, 77 children were enrolled and 11 are Māori. Two separate areas cater for infants and toddlers (nursery) and young children (preschool).
The owner/director oversees centre operation. A senior teacher is responsible for leading teaching and learning in the nursery. The preschool area is led by a newly appointed teacher.
The December 2015 ERO report requested that the service develop an action plan to: raise the quality of the curriculum, teaching and learning practices; and staff capacity for measuring quality through internal evaluation. There have been some gains made in addressing the identified next steps.
Children participate in centre environments that provide challenge and active engagement through a range of learning experiences. They demonstrate a sense of belonging and communicate confidently with peers and adults. Children lead their learning, individually and alongside others, as they engage, explore, persevere and problem solve. Te Whāriki informs the programme planning.
Children's learning is linked to individual and group planning, based on observations, documented interests, preferences and strengths. A planning wall highlights for teachers, families and whānau, the current centre interests for individual and groups of children.
Infants and toddlers have inviting learning spaces that encourage exploration, curiosity and provide for physical challenge. Language development is encouraged. Teachers effectively respond to children's non-verbal cues and their communication style.
Portfolios are records of children's friendships, interests and participation in the programme. Group and individual assessments are included. An online platform has been introduced, informing and inviting parent and whānau input. Children's learning stories should connect learning outcomes, continuity of learning and progress over time. In order to improve practice teachers should continue to strengthen assessing and planning for children’s learning.
Children's sense of belonging and place is enriched through iwi-led learning experiences. Te ao Māori is evident through the programme. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are promoted through waiata, kupu Māori, pepeha, karakia and whenua. Teachers identify this as an area for further development. ERO's evaluation affirms this further work.
Pacific staff demonstrate culturally responsive practice for children, aiga and families. There is reference to Pacific rituals and celebrations in the assessment narratives. Further developing culture, language and identity learning experiences for all children continues to be a next step.
Transitions approaches into the centre, through and on to school are well considered. Children have opportunities to visit across the environments. Separate areas and spaces for infants, toddlers and all children to gather, supports this process.
Leaders and teachers have been supported to build capability through professional learning programmes. Collaborative team understanding is encouraged. Teachers are appraised by an external provider. A next step is to ensure the appraisal framework includes: goal setting discussions; observations; reflections; evaluative progress; and an annual summary document. The owner/director should define and clarify the position and responsibilities of the leadership team in order to improve processes that support senior leaders to develop the quality of their practice.
Internal evaluation across the centre is guided by the preschool leader. A review framework that aligns with the strategic plan is being implemented. Teachers are applying some understanding of the purpose of, and process for internal evaluation. A next step is to continue to build individual teacher capability and shared understanding of internal evaluation to progress towards and maintain high quality practices.
Strengthening the shared understanding of evaluation should assist further development in planning, assessment, curriculum and appraisal for ongoing improvement to children's learning and care.
Before the review, the staff and management of Lansdowne Private Childcare 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.
The next ERO review of Lansdowne Private Childcare Centre will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
23 November 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 |
Masterton |
||
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60327 |
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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 |
57 children, including up to 26 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
77 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 45, Boys 32 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
11 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
October 2018 |
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Date of this report |
23 November 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
June 2014 |
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|
Supplementary Review |
May 2013 |
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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 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.