Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre

Education institution number:
20124
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
8
Telephone:
Address:

Pearn Crescent, Northcote, Auckland

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Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre

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 addresses non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre is part of the Northcote Community House, Onepoto Awhina Inc. The small multicultural team consists of two qualified teachers, supported by the service provider and committee chairperson. The centre provides a full-day service for up to 37 children from two to five years. Most of the children attending are Māori or have Pacific heritage.

Summary of Review Findings

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

A language-rich environment supports children’s learning, developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour. The design and layout of the premises supports the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences.

Consistent implementation of licensing requirements is needed to maintain regulatory standards.

Compliance

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

  • Windows or other areas of glass accessible to children are either made of safety glass or covered by an adhesive film (PF7).

  • There is at least one tap delivering warm water (over an individual or shared basin) for every 15 persons (PF19).

  • A tempering valve or other accurate means of limiting hot water temperature is installed (PF24).

  • A first aid kit complies with the requirements of Appendix 1(PF28).

  • A current fire evacuation scheme approved by the New Zealand Fire Service (HS4).

  • A written emergency plan that includes a list of safety and emergency supplies and resources sufficient for the age and number of children and adults at the service and details of how these will be maintained, the details of the roles and responsibilities that will apply in an emergency situation, and evidence of review of the plan on an annual basis and improved practices as required (HS7).

  • Adults providing education and care are familiar with relevant emergency drills and carry these out with children on at least a three-monthly basis. A record 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 record of the time each child attending the service sleeps, and checks made by adults during that time (HS9).

  • Equipment, premises, and facilities are checked on every day of operation for hazards to children and includes all considerations of hazards required in this criterion (HS12).

  • Water stored in any hot water cylinder is kept at a temperature of at least 60˚C (HS14).

  • A record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children attending the service that includes the name and amount of medication given, the date and time medicine was administered and by whom, and evidence of parental acknowledgement (HS28).

  • All children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014, and there is a record of all safety checks and the results (GMA7A).

Next ERO Review

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

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

21 October 2022

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre

Profile Number

20124

Location

Northcote, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

37 children over 2 years

Percentage of qualified teachers

50-79%

Service roll

10

Review team on site

August 2022

Date of this report

21 October 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, March 2019; Education Review, April 2017

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 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.

Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre - 22/03/2019

1 Evaluation of Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre

How well placed is Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre is not well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre is part of the Northcote Community House, Onepoto Awhina Inc. It provides a full-day service for 37 children, aged from two to five years. The centre's property is owned by the Ministry of Education (MOE). The MOE returned the centre to a full licence in January 2019.

The service provider reports to the management committee of the community house. A longstanding head teacher and two other qualified teachers provide programmes for children.

This is the fourth ERO review of Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre, since 2013. ERO has consistently reported that the quality of management and teaching practices need to be improved. ERO's 2017 report identified the need to implement effective internal evaluation and staff appraisal, link annual plans with strategic planning, and improve curriculum knowledge and leadership.

Although the centre has received external professional support since ERO's 2017 review, insufficient progress has been made, particularly with establishing effective governance and management practices.

The Review Findings

Children are settled and play happily. Teachers interact warmly with children and support them to develop social competence. The learning environments have been upgraded. Teachers are beginning to implement and become more confident with new planning and assessment processes.

Teachers are at early stages of developing an understanding of, and implementing Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Ongoing professional development and internal evaluation are required to achieve significant improvements in teaching practices and education outcomes for children.

Managers and leaders of the centre have yet to develop an understanding of their leadership role in enacting the centre's vision.

Centre personnel agree that further external support is needed to implement effective appraisal processes to support leadership and ongoing improvement in teaching practices. Developing an understanding of the effective use of internal evaluation could support improvements across all areas and aspects of service operations.

The service provider reports verbally to the management committee. These reports need to be more specific and robust, align with strategic goals, and include evaluative information about the quality of the curriculum. They should assure the committee that it is meeting all its legal requirements, and providing good quality education and care for children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre 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 found significant areas of non-compliance in the service related to:

  • effective governance and management

  • staff appraisal practices that reflect the requirements of the Teaching Council

  • the committee's and teachers' use of internal evaluation

  • health and safety records, including medication administration, accidents and analysis, and risk management on excursions.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA6,7, HS12,17,27,28.

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence of Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre. ERO will not undertake a further education review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets licensing requirements.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

22 March 2019

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

Northcote, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

20124

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

37 children aged over 2 years

Service roll

17

Gender composition

Boys 11 Girls 6

Ethnic composition

Māori
other ethnic groups

9
8

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:6

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

February 2019

Date of this report

22 March 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

April 2017

Supplementary Review

June 2014

Education Review

April 2013

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.

Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre - 20/04/2017

1 Evaluation of Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre

How well placed is Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre is part of the Northcote Community House, Onepoto Awhina Inc, which is owned by the Auckland Council and is on Ministry of Education land. The centre serves a highly diverse community and is licensed for up to 37 children, with a maximum of four up to two years of age.

The management committee includes elected community members. A long-serving team leader and senior teacher work with two other qualified teachers and support staff.

ERO's 2014 report noted that progress had been made since its 2013 report, with significant support from the Ministry of Education. However, most developments were at early stages and ongoing support was required. Improvement was needed in strategic planning, budgeting, personnel policies and practices, self review and curriculum. ERO identified concerns about the quality of teaching and resourcing, particularly for infants and toddlers. This review finds that while there has been professional development for teachers and some further progress has been made, there are still significant areas of concern.

The Review Findings

The centre has a strong focus on community connections. Recent displays reflect a focus on whānau and their cultural backgrounds, and provide information about the programme for families. Teachers' interactions with children are caring, gentle and encouraging and some teachers are able to support children's home languages. Children develop friendships and play happily together. These aspects of the service help to foster a sense of belonging and wellbeing.

Teachers have improved their assessment and programme planning documentation and make useful links to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Individual portfolios record children's learning and include parents' and children's input. Teachers' programme planning responds to what they notice about children's interests and they are beginning to identify strategies for supporting learning.

Teachers are developing bicultural aspects of the programme. They should consider ways to increase the inclusion of literacy and maths concepts as part of children's play, rather than using a teacher-directed approach. More in-depth, sustained conversations with children would help their oral language development and their confidence as communicators and thinkers.

There have also been some improvements in the environment, although educational resources and equipment are not yet providing children with a sufficient variety of choice to support and extend their play. This is especially the case for infants and toddlers, who are in a separate space for part of the day.

Managers have developed a long term plan and an annual management plan to ensure that required tasks are completed. They are currently revising the centre's philosophy statement. Professional development has supported teachers' understanding of self review, programmes for infants and toddlers, and children's dispositions for learning. Ongoing professional learning and development would provide guidance to help them to build on this recent progress.

Managers require support to:

  • establish strategic planning, internal evaluation and robust management systems that focus on supporting improved teaching practices and learning outcomes for children

  • link annual action plans with the strategic plan and monitor progress towards strategic goals

  • prioritise professional development and support to strengthen curriculum knowledge and leadership

  • implement more rigorous, improvement focused teacher appraisal processes with a clearer focus on improving teaching practices.

With external professional support, teachers should:

  • focus on improving their understanding of good quality practice and current theories in early childhood education

  • improve resourcing and layout in all learning areas, particularly for infants and toddlers

  • build on good progress made with assessment and programme planning

  • regularly evaluate the quality of teaching practices and programmes for children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre 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

To improve current practices, the manager should ensure that processes for monitoring health and safety systems are systematic and robust.

Actions for compliance

ERO found significant areas of non-compliance in the service related to:

  • performance appraisal that aligns with the requirements of the Education Council of NZ

  • a systematic, improvement focused programme of self review

  • curriculum and teaching practices that reflect an understanding of current research, theory and practices.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, C2-4,8,9, GMA6,7; Education (ECS) Regulations 2008, 43(1a)

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence of Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre. ERO will not undertake a further education review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets licensing requirements.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Onepoto Awhina Educare Centre will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

20 April 2017 

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

Northcote, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

20124

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

37 children, including up to 4 aged under 2

Service roll

27

Gender composition

Boys 17, Girls 10

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Australian

Chinese

Cook Island Māori

other

6

3

3

3

2

10

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:6

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

February 2017

Date of this report

20 April 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Supplementary Review

June 2014

Education Review

April 2013

Education Review

March 2010

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 and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

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.