Nga Tamariki Puawai

Education institution number:
46326
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Maori ECE service (excluding TKR)
Total roll:
45
Telephone:
Address:

25 Druces Road, Wiri, Auckland

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Nga Tamariki Puawai

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

Regulatory standards

ERO’s judgement

Curriculum

Meeting

Premises and facilities

Meeting

Health and safety

Meeting

Governance, management and administration

Meeting

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

Nga Tamariki Puawai is privately owned and governed by the director. A centre manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations and administrative aspects of the service. She is supported by an administrator, a cook and 14 teaching staff, six of whom are qualified.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is informed by assessment, planning, and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning, their interests, whānau, and life contexts. It supports children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour.

Children are provided with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development. The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of experiences.

Actions for Compliance

Since the on-site review the service has provided ERO with evidence that it is now meeting the following non-compliances:

  • assessment and management of risk for regular and special excursions (HS17)
  • the results of the safety checks must be recorded, and the record kept as long as the person is employed at the service (GMA7A).

Next ERO Review

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

Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

10 March 2021 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name Nga Tamariki Puawai
Profile Number 46326
Location Wiri, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 20 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

50-79%

Service roll

60

Ethnic composition

Māori 44
NZ European/Pākehā 3
Indian 5
Pacific 6
other ethnic groups 2

Review team on site

November 2020

Date of this report

10 March 2021

Most recent ERO report(s) Education Review           January 2020
Education Review           April 2016

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 (PDF 1MB). 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.

Nga Tamariki Puawai - 24/01/2020

1 Evaluation of Nga Tamariki Puawai

How well placed is Nga Tamariki Puawai to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Nga Tamariki Puawai needs support to develop health and safety practices and human resource systems and processes.

Nga Tamariki Puawai requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

Background

Nga Tamariki Puawai operates as part of the Destiny Church complex. The service owner provides administrative, governance and management support for centre operations. The centre is licensed for 70 children, including up to 20 under two years of age. Programmes are provided for children in different spaces according to their age.

Since ERO's 2016 review there have been changes to staffing. This includes the internal appointment of a new centre manager and head teacher, and a recently appointed head teacher for the under two room. There is a team of six registered teachers, three unqualified teachers, an administrator and a centre cook.

The service's philosophy is currently under review to include Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Christian values and beliefs guide the philosophy, with a focus on developing respectful, positive relationships and ensuring that children become confident, independent learners.

ERO's 2016 report identified positive aspects of practice, including trusting relationships and child-led learning. These aspects continue to be present. Areas for improvement included building children's sustained play as a platform for more complex play.

The Review Findings

Children are confident and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging. They engage in meaningful conversations with each other and with adults. Older children form friendships and play well together. Transitions into and within the service, and on to school are well managed and supportive of children and parent/whānau needs.

There is good provision for children up to the age of two years. Teachers are positive, sensitive and responsive to individual needs. The learning environment provides physical and emotional wellbeing and supports social interactions. Leaders agree that there is a need to strengthen teaching strategies that support infants' and toddlers' learning.

Teachers value their partnerships with parents, which are based on genuine attitudes of acceptance and respect. There is regular communication with parents. Children with additional needs are well supported and teachers have a strong focus on meeting their needs.

Leaders and teachers are developing a bicultural curriculum. They provide opportunities for whānau Māori to share their skills and expertise, and to contribute to the curriculum. Continuing to strengthen bicultural practices would help teachers to increase their responsiveness to families' cultures and home languages.

Children's play is sustained through thoughtfully set up environments. Children freely access a variety of flexible resources and activities that allow them to collaborate, create and use their imagination as they play and learn. Continuing to improve the quality of assessment and planning would significantly improve the continuity of children's learning and development.

The new leadership team is supported by a clear vision and values that guide centre operations and processes, including policies and procedures. Improving induction processes for new leaders would benefit them in their roles. While the strategic direction has been developed, it is timely to review and align it with the new direction of the leadership team and staff.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps are to improve:

  • planning, assessment and evaluation processes to more clearly demonstrate continuity of learning and progress for all children

  • bicultural curriculum and practices that will further inform the programme for children

  • teaching and learning for infants and toddlers

  • internal evaluation processes.

Centre leaders should improve personnel management systems and practices by developing:

  • robust processes and practices for induction and mentoring of new leaders

  • appraisal procedures and practices that align with Teaching Council requirements.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Nga Tamariki Puawai 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.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to health and safety and human resource systems and practices.

Since ERO's on-site visit, the service provider has provided evidence to show that steps have been taken to address non-compliance in relation to human resource management and the safety checking of all staff.

The service needs to improve its performance in the following area:

  • a child protection policy that includes protected disclosure requirements.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS31; Children's Act 2014.

Development Plan Recommendation

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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)

Northern Region - Te Tai Raki

24 January 2020

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Wiri, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

46326

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

70 children, including up to 20 aged under 2

Service roll

59

Gender composition

Girls 30 Boys 29

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Samoan

Indian

other ethnic groups

39

5

4

4

7

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:5

Meets minimum requirements

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

November 2019

Date of this report

24 January 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

April 2016

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement

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.

Review Coverage

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.