68 Farrington Avenue, Bishopdale, Christchurch
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Little Blue Penguin Preschool and Nursery are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
Little Blue Penguin Preschool and Nursery is privately owned and operated. New appointments to staffing include the centre manager and three teachers. The roll is culturally diverse. A small number of children have Māori heritage. Some progress has been made in developing bicultural capability as recommended in ERO’s 2020 review report.
Children's social and emotional wellbeing is promoted as they learn within a mixed age group setting. Key teachers support children to take responsibility for their own learning. Transitions for infants and toddlers are facilitated through responsive interactions and reciprocal relationships. A well-resourced environment assists children to explore a wide variety of learning experiences. Their interests, strengths, and abilities inform the curriculum.
There is some evidence to show leaders and teachers implement bicultural practices within the daily programme. Leaders and kaiako are yet to show how the cultures, languages, and identities of children and their whānau guide a culturally rich and responsive curriculum.
Parents have opportunities to contribute to their child's learning. The learning outcomes from Te Whāriki the early childhood curriculum are not consistently evident or used within assessment, planning and evaluation processes. Teachers are in the early stages of exploring the Te Whāriki learning outcomes and showing children's developing capabilities and learning over time in relation to them.
The new teaching team are developing shared understandings of the service’s philosophy, operating systems, processes, and practices. Regular reviews and internal evaluation are part of the service’s annual plan. However, the new team is yet to build its collective capability to do and use evaluation for improvement.
Little Blue Penguin Preschool and Nursery will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Little Blue Penguin Preschool and Nursery completed an ERO 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 the following areas of non-compliance:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, HS17.
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure non-compliances identified in this report are addressed.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
19 February 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | Little Blue Penguin Preschool and Nursery |
| Profile Number | 47556 |
| Location | Christchurch |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 40 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 53 |
| Review team on site | August 2023 |
| Date of this report | 19 February 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, October 2020 |
ERO’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 |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Little Blue Penguin Preschool and Nursery opened in 2018. The owner manages the centre with the support of a curriculum leader and leaders in the nursery and preschool. Families from increasingly diverse cultural backgrounds attend the service. This is the first ERO review of the service.
The service curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Assessment, planning and evaluation practices demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning, their interests and whānau engagement. Children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge of the cultural heritage of both parties to the Treaty of Waitangi.
Premises and facilities include areas for active play, quiet spaces and a range of individual and group learning experiences. A centre philosophy, policy framework and annual plan guide the service’s operations. Health and safety procedures are in place, are regularly monitored, and changes are made when required.
Next steps include:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
28 October 2020
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Little Blue Penguin Preschool and Nursery |
|
Profile Number |
47556 |
|
Location |
Christchurch |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 12 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
55 |
|
Gender composition |
Male 32, Female 23 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 8 |
|
Review team on site |
October 2020 |
|
Date of this report |
Report Date28 October 2020 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
First ERO review of the service |
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: