44 Church Road, Te Rapa, Hamilton
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 |
|
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.
Lollipops Te Rapa is governed by Evolve Education Group. A centre manager, supported by an area manager, leads a culturally diverse teaching team. Children attending the centre are representative of a range of ethnic groups. Approximately a quarter of learners identify as Māori. Previously identified as requiring further development, this is the service’s first Akanuku review.
The service curriculum is inclusive, and responsive to infants, toddlers, and children as confident and competent learners. It is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation and underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. A language-rich environment supports children’s developing social and emotional competencies.
The curriculum reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Positive steps are taken to respect and acknowledge parents’ aspirations. Information and guidance is sought, when necessary, from agencies to enable adults providing education and care to work effectively with children.
An ongoing process of self-review and internal evaluation helps the service maintain and improve the quality of education and care.
Next steps include:
Incorporate the languages and cultures of all children in assessment to reflect their home contexts and uphold and enhance their learner identities.
Continue to develop teaching capabilities to strengthen bi-cultural practices and increase the use of te reo Māori.
Increase the extent to which the service curriculum supports and encourages each child to be confident in their own culture and to understand and respect other cultures.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
15 September 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Lollipops Te Rapa |
|
Profile Number |
30261 |
|
Location |
Hamilton |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
32 |
|
Review team on site |
August 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
15 September 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, December 2019; Education Review, June 2016 |
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.
having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
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:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
governance, management and administration.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory 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:
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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
discussions with those involved in the service
consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Lollipops Te Rapa requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
Lollipops Te Rapa is a privately-owned service, licensed to provide education and care for 50 children, including 25 up to two years of age. At the time of this review there were 40 children enrolled, including 16 who identify as Māori. Many other ethnicities are also represented. The two learning spaces provide for the needs of infants, toddlers and young children.
The service is governed by the Evolve Education Group. A manager is responsible for quality assurance and professional learning and an area manager provides support to the centre manager and teaching team. A new centre manager was appointed in March 2019. There have been a significant number of staff changes, including the appointment of a new head teacher.
The centre’s philosophy has been developed in collaboration with the new team and is based on relationships, the celebration of the uniqueness of many cultures, aroha, kindness and respect. These values support tamariki to become confident and competent learners.
There has been some progress towards the recommendations from the June 2016 ERO report. However, adding complexity to children's learning and providing a wider range of high quality equipment and activities remain priorities for further development. Significant changes at the governance and management level and at the centre have impacted on the rate of progress in responding to these priorities.
Positive and affirming relationships between teachers, children and their families are strongly evident in the centre. There are respectful interactions between children and teachers and encouraging the development of social and emotional competence is a focus in the centre. Children are supported to follow their interests. Teachers are responsive to the needs of children with additional needs. Te reo Māori me ngā tikanga practices are integral to the daily life of the centre and support a sense of belonging for Māori children. Transitions within the centre are personalised and flexible. Teachers are beginning to establish successful relationships with local schools to support transition to school.
Children up to the age of two experience responsive caregiving that supports their need for strong and secure attachment. The environment is calm and unhurried. There is regular and effective communication between parents and teachers about the needs of very young children.
Programmes and daily routines successfully reflect the centre's bicultural and multi-cultural community. Teachers actively seek ways to maintain children’s connections to their cultural identity. Māori concepts such as manaakitanga and whanaungatanga influence curriculum decision-making. A wide range of curriculum opportunities are in place and include community input. Individualised digital planning and assessment process enables collaborative planning. Continued implementation and further refinement of this process is needed to build teachers' knowledge and use of the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki (2017), the early childhood curriculum.
The new centre manager is providing clear direction for staff at the centre. The collaboratively developed vision and philosophy is underpinned by a strong commitment to bicultural practice. Reflective, approachable and responsive leadership has developed a culture of relational trust and a sense of team amongst staff. There are high expectations for teacher practice to support positive outcomes for children.
Many systems and processes are newly implemented and now need time to become embedded. Internal evaluation is leading to improvements in teaching and learning practices. Performance management processes are being implemented. Relevant professional learning and development is supporting teacher practice. When fully implemented the new appraisal system should encourage teachers to inquire into the effectiveness of their own teaching practice.
Evolve Education Group has restructured and is currently in a period of significant redevelopment. In 2018, there was restructuring of governance and management roles and responsibilities. A new chief executive officer has recently been appointed. The teaching and learning development and area managers who support Lollipops Te Rapa are new to their roles in 2019. Systems and processes are being updated as areas of need are identified by regional managers.
The centre staff should continue to respond to the many changes in systems and processes by:
implementing the new appraisal process
strengthening teacher knowledge and use of Te Whāriki (2017), the early childhood curriculum, to inform assessment, planning and evaluation and in particular extending and deepening the learning opportunities for children
effectively monitoring the newly developed centre systems and processes to ensure sustainability.
Before the review, the staff and management of Lollipops Te Rapa 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.
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to premises and facilities. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
a sufficient quantity and variety of (indoor and outdoor) furniture, equipment and materials is provided that is appropriate for the learning and abilities of the children attending
that the outdoor activity space is safe well-drained and suitably surfaced for a variety of activities.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, PF4, PF13]
ERO recommends that the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, develops a plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
19 December 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.
|
Location |
Hamilton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
30261 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
40 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Female 20 Male 20 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Other ethnic groups |
16 13 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 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
19 December 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
June 2016 |
|
|
Education Review |
April 2013 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 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 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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Lollipops Educare Te Rapa is an education and care service licensed to cater for 50 children including 20 up to two years old. At the time of this ERO review there were 58 children on the roll, including 19 identified as Māori. The purpose-built centre provides two adjacent age-based areas, one for children up to two years, who transition when ready into the area for children up to school-age.
The Lollipops Educare organisation and centres were purchased by Evolve Education Group (EEG) in early 2015. EEG now provides governance oversight as the umbrella organisation for the nation-wide group of early childhood services.
Since the 2013 ERO review there have been significant changes to leadership and staffing. The centre's roll has increased. Improvements made to the outdoor learning environment and an upgrade to the kitchen area are a result of requirements identified by the Ministry of Education due to the change of ownership.
The leadership model has been restructured. The centre director now has increased responsibility, which includes management oversight of two Lollipops Educare centres in Hamilton. The team leader has overall responsibility for curriculum and assessment centre wide, as well as being a teacher in the under two area.
The centre caters for a diverse, multi-cultural community. The recently reviewed philosophy is based around four Pou, and expresses the aim to provide children with a curriculum of kindness, awareness of themselves and others to grow to competent individuals who will add value to our world. The centre continues to benefit from the ongoing contribution and guidance of tangata whenua with close links to marae and the local community.
Children participate in a programme that gives them opportunities to follow their interests, make choices and also experience teacher-led group times. Their wellbeing is fostered through well-managed and unhurried care routines.
Babies and toddlers experience responsive and nurturing care from consistent, key teachers. The aesthetically presented environment provides them with opportunities to safely explore and learn alongside each other. The focus on peaceful practice is contributing to calm and confident children in the under two area.
Older children are confident and settled. There are examples of children developing their early literacy skills and experimenting with appropriate mathematics concepts. A current interest in the natural world has resulted in children learning more about insects and growing plants to support the bees.
Particular strengths of the centre's programme are:
frequent use of the adjacent park for children to explore and experience physical challenge
welcoming the families and whānau into the centre for regular cultural celebrations and events
children expressing themselves through imaginary and dramatic play
the contribution of community members to share their knowledge, and enrich the arts and cultural programme for children.
Children are provided with healthy meals prepared by a qualified chef. Her inclusive approach to catering for children's particular dietary needs is a special feature of the centre. Children are learning positive attitudes to healthy food.
Children with identified needs and challenges are fully engaged in the programme working with and alongside other children and supportive adults. Centre leaders work with specialist agencies to access appropriate support for children and families.
Consideration should be given to further promoting the language, culture and identity of each child in the environment and programme to enhance children's sense of belonging and strengthen their links with home while they are in care.
Teachers regularly document children's learning and participation in the programme. Individual portfolio books for children are valued by teachers and kept in the centre for children to access. A digital format for teachers and adults has been recently introduced. Teachers report an increase in parent and whānau responses, and a strengthening of the learning partnership as a result of digital communication.
Parents also have regular formal interviews with teachers where they set useful goals for children's learning and care. Well-presented learning displays make current learning visible, celebrate children's creativity and provide parents with useful information about the programme. The centre's curriculum is underpinned by Te Whāriki and includes aspects of other current theories and approaches.
The newly established teaching team and staff have quickly formed positive, supportive and collegial relationships. They work well together in the best interests of children, families and whānau. Staff bring a complementary range of skills and experience to their roles and are enthusiastic about ongoing centre development and improvement. They have responded to recent professional development accessed by the centre director by:
implementing unhurried care routines
providing a peaceful environment for very young children
introducing ideas to further engage active learners and boys.
The centre director is an experienced early childhood practitioner and demonstrates a strong commitment to children and families. She works in a professional partnership with the team leader. Together they provide appropriate support for staff development and foster emerging leadership amongst the staff.
Centre leaders have led a review of the philosophy, using an effective self-review process. This has resulted in a shared understanding of centre values by parents and staff, and is promoting a positive centre culture and shared sense of purpose for ongoing centre improvement.
The team leader models high-quality practice for the care of infants and toddlers. She is knowledgeable and committed to sharing Māori cultural practices that promote success for Māori with children, whānau and staff. Parents and whanau expressed appreciation for the meaningful and welcoming relationships they have with staff members.
EEG has reviewed and updated policies that provide useful guidelines for centre operations. This includes the introduction of a comprehensive teacher appraisal process that meets the requirements of the Education Council. There are opportunities for the centre director to network with other leaders in the EEG group. An EEG centre support manager visits the centre to report on aspects of centre operations and regulatory requirements.
It is important for EEG to develop and document a clear vision and philosophy that makes a commitment to positive outcomes for children. This should enable decision making at governance level to be aligned with service priorities, effective self-review systems and processes, and to consistently promote positive outcomes for children, families and staff.
Centre leaders and teachers should review and strengthen teaching practices by developing clear and agreed expectations for:
assessment, planning and evaluation practices to show how teachers should respond to children's identified learning and developmental needs
increasing interactions that further promote children's thinking, problem-solving skills and add complexity to their play and learning over time
building the confidence of all teachers to integrate te reo and tikanga Māori practices into their interactions with children
providing children with greater access to a wider range of high quality equipment, materials and activities throughout the programme.
EEG and the service should seek external support to progress the areas for development identified in this report.
Before the review, the staff and management of Lollipops Educare Te Rapa 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.
ERO identified an area of non-compliance. During the review ERO and centre staff were aware of the noise levels that may have been unsafe for adults and children. EEG has undertaken to review these noise levels, and proceed with fixing the issue with a suitable solution, with a final completion date March 2017.
The next ERO review of Lollipops Educare Te Rapa will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
29 June 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 |
Hamilton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
30261 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
58 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 34 Girls 24 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Indian Fijian Indian South African Chinese |
19 34 2 1 1 1 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
April 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
29 June 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2010 |
||
|
Supplementary Review |
February 2007 |
||
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.