Mt Roskill Baptist Kindergarten

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.

ERO’s Judgement

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Mt Roskill Baptist Kindergarten is on the same property as Mt Roskill Baptist Church. The head teacher and church trust oversee governance and management of the service. A team of three qualified teachers support the head teacher. The community is culturally diverse, with children attending from two years of age.

Summary of Review Findings

The service’s curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to respect other cultures. Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.

Parents have regular opportunities to be involved in decision making concerning their child’s learning.

Compliance

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

• all children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014; the results of the safety checks must be recorded, and the record kept as long as the person is employed at the service (GMA7a)
• the outdoor activity space is enclosed by structures and/or fences and gates designed to ensure that children are not able to leave the premises without the knowledge of adults providing education and care (PF13)
• kitchen appliances are designed, located, or fitted with safety devices to ensure that children cannot access them without adult assistance or supervision (PF17)
• the design, construction, and location of the nappy facilities ensure that they are safe and appropriate for the age/weight and number of children needing to use them (PF25)
• ensuring heavy furniture, fixtures, and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured (HS6)
• ensuring the written evacuation emergency plan includes a variety of emergency situations, a list of safety and emergency supplies sufficient for the number of children and adults at the service, and evidence of review on at least an annual basis documenting how evaluation of the emergency drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan (HS7)
• having records of emergency drills carried out, and evidence of how evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan (HS8)
• a procedure for monitoring children’s sleep ensures that children are checked for warmth, breathing and general wellbeing, and a record of the time each child attending the service sleeps, and checks made by adults during that time (HS9)
• checking equipment, premises, and facilities daily for hazards to the children that includes consideration of all required hazards (HS12)
• monitoring rooms used by children are kept at a comfortable temperature no lower than 18°C (at 500mm above the floor) while children are attending (HS24)
• a child protection policy that meets the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014, containing provisions for the service’s identification and reporting of child abuse and neglect (HS31)
• having a process for suitable human resource management practices relating to selection and appointment procedures (GMA7)
• an annual plan which guides the service’s operations that identifies ‘who’ in relation to key tasks undertaken each year (GMA8).

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

21 October 2021 

Information About the Service

General Information about Assurance Reviews

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.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

• 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.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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 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:

• 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 certification; ratios)
• evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

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.