53 Vickery Street, 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 |
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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 |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
The centre is one of two privately owned services under the same governance. Approximately one third of the children enrolled identify as Māori, and a small number are Pacific. After a change of management in March 2022, this is service’s first ERO review as Brightlands Childcare, Vickery Street.
Children experience a curriculum that is inclusive and language rich. Children’s preferences are respected and they are involved in decisions about their learning. Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful and positive interactions to enhance learning and support the development of social competence.
Assessment and planning inform the curriculum. Positive steps are taken to acknowledge the aspirations held by parents and whānau for their children. Opportunities are provided for parents to communicate and share specific evidence of their child’s learning.
An annual plan, budget and philosophy statement guide the service’s operations.
Next steps include:
increasing opportunities children have to hear and speak te reo Māori in meaningful learning contexts
strengthening the extent to which information documented about children learning reflects their identity, home language and culture
extending the complexity of children’s play.
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
19 April 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Brightlands Childcare Centre, Vickery Street |
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Profile Number |
45519 |
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Location |
Hamilton |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 30 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
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Service roll |
35 |
|
Review team on site |
March 2023 |
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Date of this report |
19 April 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 2019; Education Review, June 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.
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 Vickery Street is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Lollipops Vickery Street is an all-day, education and care centre located in Hamilton. It is licensed for 75 including up to 35 children up to the age of two years. Currently three aged-based rooms are in operation. At the time of this ERO review 46 children were enrolled, including five who identify as Māori, and many from a range of other ethnicities.
Lollipops Vickery Street is owned by the Evolve Education Group who provide governance and management. Over the last six months there has been a significant turnover of managers and teachers within the service. A new area manager and a teaching and learning development manager have been recently appointed. They provide support to the centre manager who has been in her position for five months. The multi-cultural teaching team, including two head teachers, reflect the diversity of the community. The majority of teachers are also new to the centre.
The philosophy of the centre is currently under review, in consultation with parents. Through their draft philosophy, teachers aim to provide opportunities for children to develop skills in managing themselves and expressing their feelings. They place priority on fostering connections between people, places and things in their world, providing choices for children. They aim to integrate literacy experiences and encourage children to develop a sense of wonderment, curiosity and discovery through exploration.
The centre has responded positively to the next steps identified in the last ERO review in 2015.
Children engage in a range of authentic learning experiences. The curriculum is inclusive for all cultures within the centre community, with festivals and events celebrated and reflected within the physical environment. Tikanga and te āo Māori are visible and affirmed, supporting Maōri learners and all others to appreciate the bicultural curriculum. Teachers should continue on their journey to increase their confidence and skills in using te reo Māori within the daily programme. Literacy and mathematics are naturally integrated in the daily programme. Activities to support brain development have been introduced. ERO observed confident and settled children.
Teachers notice, recognise and respond to children’s interests, strengths and dispositions. This is documented in portfolios and the newly introduced individual development plans for every child. A pēpeha in every portfolio captures cultural identity. The next step for leaders and teachers is to align the newly introduced individual development plans with the existing assessment and planning process and make these available in portfolios and online for parents to readily access and contribute to.
Infants and toddlers have their care needs well met. A primary care giver is allocated for the youngest children to help establish trusting relationships. Teachers are responsive to individual children’s routines and rhythms and know children and their families well. Children with additional learning needs are also well supported, including accessing support from external agencies where required. They are supported to build their knowledge of social competence strategies. Children's independence is effectively fostered. Priority learners are well supported to achieve success.
Positive, respectful and responsive relationships between teachers, children and parents promote positive learning outcomes for children. A strong team culture has been established. Teachers actively engage alongside children in play, using open questions to extend learning. Problem solving and challenge is promoted. Children are given uninterrupted time to develop working theories about their world. Flexible routines support children to make choices and have time to embed their play. Transitions into and within the centre are well supported. To further support transitions for older children, leaders and teachers should continue to develop relationships with local schools. Children can play and learn from each other in an easily accessible, shared playground for toddlers and the eldest children. Children’s sense of belonging and wellbeing is fostered.
Centre leaders are provided with professional support to grow their leadership skills and build the capability of teachers. They meet regularly to share information. Leaders mentor beginning teachers and regular professional development opportunities are available. As a new team, they have placed appropriate emphasis on building relationships with all stakeholders. These offer many opportunities, informally and formally, for parents to engage and contribute ideas to the running of the service. Recent internal evaluation reviews have led to positive change. This system needs time to be embedded. Over the last few months some progress has been made in improving the physical environment and resources. This remains an area to continue to prioritise and strategically plan and budget for.
Management is strongly focussed on quality improvements. They provide equitable learning opportunities for all children, minimising barrier for participation. To further support quality education a strategic approach to implementing the revised New Zealand curriculum Te Whāriki, is required. There is a need for managers to review how individual centres goals are reflected within the Evolve national strategic plan. Managers and leaders now need to place priority on embedding systems and processes, including the existing teacher appraisal system.
An important next step for Evolve Education Group is to retain leadership and teachers to ensure the sustainability and growth of the centre and minimise the impact of staff turnover on children and their families.
Managers and leaders need to:
strategically plan to continue to improve the quality of resources and the physical environment
more closely align the strategic and annual plans in order to strengthen internal evaluation, including teacher appraisal
align the new individual development plans for children, with the current assessment and planning process and make these more readily accessible for parents.
Before the review, the staff and management of Lollipops Vickery Street 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
18 March 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 |
45519 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
75 children, including up to 35 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
48 |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys 26 Girls 22 |
||
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
5 |
|
|
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 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
January 2019 |
||
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Date of this report |
18 March 2019 |
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|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
June 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
July 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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Lollipops Educare Vickery Street is a full-day, licensed education and care service located in Te Rapa, Hamilton. It is licensed to cater for 75 children, including 25 children up to the age of 2 in four age-based areas. At the time of this ERO review there were 75 children on the roll, including 9 children who identified as Māori. The centre is providing education and care for families in the industrial area from several different ethnicities.
Since the 2012 Education Review the centre has experienced two changes of ownership and is now owned by Evolve. The centre operates under the governance and management of the Lollipops organisation who place priority on the provision of high-quality services and positive learning outcomes for children and their families. The centre continues to be managed under the same leadership.
The centre has sustained its areas of strengths identified in the previous ERO report and has responded positively to the identified areas for development related to reporting and clarifying leadership roles and responsibilities.
The centre exceeds Ministry of Education requirements teacher qualification and adult to children ratios.
The service places priority on respectful and nurturing relationships with children and their family/whānau. They aim to foster wonder and curiosity for life-long learning.
The centre is well placed to promote positive learning and care outcomes for children and their family/whānau because of:
Children enjoy and participate in a programme that identifies and responds to their interests and strengths. The learning environment is well designed to promote active learning and enables children to make choices, explore, take risks and experiment from a wide range of high-quality, opened-ended equipment and materials.
The curriculum places priority on the provision of natural resources, flexible routines that respond to children’s needs, and the integration of literacy and mathematics. Teachers are increasingly including te reo and tikanga Māori in meaningful contexts of children’s play.
Children’s learning and development is recorded in individual profile books and attractive centre displays. Families are encouraged to share their views and aspirations for their children. There are some good models of assessment and planning. This information is being effectively used to inform teacher planning for the environment, and identify opportunities teachers provide for children.
Children up to the age of two experience calm, peaceful and unhurried nurture and care, which is influenced by the Pikler philosophy. This approach places importance on a primary care teacher who has particular oversight and responsibility for identified infants and toddlers and their families. Babies and toddlers are confident and are encouraged to grow and develop at their own pace.
Teachers consistently involve themselves in children's play in well-planned and prepared environments. They have established positive, respectful relationships with families/whānau and children. Teachers have many conversations with children that promote their oral language development, problem solving and social skills.
Effective leadership for this centre is evidenced by:
While self review is leading to improvement at all levels of centre operations, it would be more effective by setting clear and specific expectations for practice and making greater use of Ministry of Education resources and guidelines.
ERO have identified the need to further review and refine assessment, planning and evaluation practice. Development should include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Lollipops Educare Vickery Street 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:
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 Lollipops Educare Vickery Street will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
26 June 2015
|
Location |
Te Rapa, Hamilton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
45519 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
75 children, including up to 35 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
75 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 44 Boys 31 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā |
9 66 |
|
|
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 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
April 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
26 June 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
First review as Lollipops Educare Vickery Street |
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.