31-35 Carbine Road, Mt Wellington, Auckland
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.
Mt Wellies Childcare is one of two services under the same ownership. The owner works closely with a centre manager. There are three rooms for different age groups of children. The centre changed ownership in October 2021. A small number of Māori or Pacific children are enrolled.
The service’s curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.
A language-rich environment supports children’s learning. Teachers demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning. They have knowledge of relevant theories and practices in early childhood education. The curriculum provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning.
Next steps are to:
strengthen the extent to which information documented about children’s learning shows their languages and cultures
build teachers’ use of the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, to increase the visibility of children’s learning in assessment, planning and evaluation records.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
30 October 2023
| Early Childhood Service Name | Mt Wellies Childcare |
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Profile Number |
47003 |
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Location |
Mt Wellington, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
90 children, including up to 30 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
78 |
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Review team on site |
September 2023 |
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Date of this report |
30 October 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Reviewed under previous ownership: Education Review, November 2018 |
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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Mt Wellies Childcare is a family owned and operated centre located in Mt Wellington. The purpose-built centre is licensed for 90 children from three months to school age, including up to 30 children under two years of age. It offers full day education and care, operating from 7am to 6pm. The culturally diverse teaching team reflects the diversity of the families that attend the centre.
Children are catered for in three age-related rooms, each with ready access to outdoor areas. Children from the infants' room transition to the toddlers' room at approximately two years of age, and then to the preschool group at about three-and-a-half years of age.
The director recently appointed a new manager and a professional learning and development (PLD) leader to ensure high expectations are being met by the centre. They work closely with the director. The centre manager is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the centre and is supported by a head teacher in each room. The three head teachers are newly appointed to their positions.
Mt Wellies Childcare's vision is to encourage children to become explorers of their own learning in a well-resourced, supportive learning environment that promotes and sustains positive relationships. Children develop dispositions to help them become competent and confident learners. The vision recognises the importance of strong relationships with family/whānau and the community.
This is the first ERO review of this centre.
Children benefit from a caring environment that promotes their wellbeing and sense of belonging. They experience positive relationships with adults and show respect for one another. Children engage in conversations with teachers that foster valued outcomes including language development, social skills, early literacy and numeracy skills and knowledge.
Babies and toddlers are well catered for in a calm, emotionally secure environment. Care routines are used as language learning opportunities. Independence and self-help are encouraged. Children can independently access age-appropriate resources.
Communication between parents and teachers is well managed. Babies are assigned a primary caregiver who carries out most of their care routines and liaises with the parents and the other staff members. Teachers communicate well with parents to ensure home routines are continued for babies.
In the other rooms a key teacher is assigned to each child. The key teacher takes the overall responsibility for the assessment and planning of that child and is often the first point of contact for parents.
Teachers have strengthened processes for assessing children's learning and curriculum planning. They discuss with parents, goals and aspirations for their child's learning to inform planning for individuals. Electronic portfolios help teachers and parents share information about children's development and encourage parents to contribute to planning. Printed copies are easily available to children.
The centre is generously staffed. The building is well designed and appropriately resourced to promote learning and encourage children to be active learners. Resources are well organised and presented to children in ways that promote curiosity and exploration. There is physical challenge in the outdoor environment.
Transitions into, within, and on to school are well managed and support children's emotional wellbeing. Teachers are flexible in the time available for children and their parents to make the transitions.
The centre is ably led by the director and centre manager. Effective evaluation of centre operations has identified appropriate goals that form the basis of a well-considered strategic plan. This plan will enable the centre manager to report progress towards meeting the intended outcomes for the centre.
The director demonstrates a commitment to supporting the language, culture and identity of Māori and Pacific children and their families. Some strategies are already in place. She could consider including other related and identified strategies into the centre's strategic plan to support ongoing development in these areas.
A comprehensive policy framework is in place, and policy review is regular, with input from staff and families/whānau. There are good systems to guide and monitor aspects of health and safety and ensure that requirements are met.
Effective strategies support teachers to improve their professional practice. A new appraisal system has been introduced to promote teachers' self-reflection and improve professional practice. The PLD leader has sound pedagogical knowledge to guide improvements in teaching and learning.
The leadership team agrees to continue building staff capability by fully implementing the improved appraisal process and accessing relevant professional learning and development. Areas identified as key next steps include:
strengthening the use of strategies that promote success for Māori and Pacific learners
encouraging all staff to engage in professional dialogue that supports children's learning
building staff capability to reflect on their practices and conduct internal evaluation that improves positive outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Mt Wellies Childcare 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 Mt Wellies Childcare will be in three years.
Violet Tu’uga Stevenson
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
28 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 |
Mt Wellington, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
47003 |
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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 |
90 children, including up to 30 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
87 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 45 Girls 42 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
10 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
October 2018 |
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Date of this report |
28 November 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
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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.