590 Ngunguru Road, Kiripaka
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 |
|
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.
Open Spaces Preschool Limited is a privately owned and operated education and care service. Previously known as Open Spaces Preschool Academy, it has been relicensed and under new ownership since July 2020. The owner manages the centre, with support from team leaders and teachers in two aged-based spaces. Many of the children come from the local rural area. A small number of enrolled children have Māori or Pacific heritage.
The service curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. It is inclusive, and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children are provided with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development, both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The service curriculum supports children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour.
Ongoing monitoring of health and safety, and governance, management and administration practices are required to ensure all aspects of regulatory standards are maintained.
During and since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Having a written emergency plan that includes a communication plan for families and support services (HS7).
Ensuring equipment, premises and facilities are checked on every day of operation for hazards to children. Considerations must include cleaning agents, medicines, poisons, and other hazardous materials; electrical sockets and appliances (particularly heaters); vandalism, dangerous objects, and foreign materials (e.g., broken glass, animal droppings). Windows and other areas of glass are checked on every day of operation for hazards to children (HS12).
Ensuring children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014, in particular, risk assessment and safety checks of unqualified staff is undertaken every three years (GMA7A).
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
9 November 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Open Spaces Preschool Limited |
|
Profile Number |
10196 |
|
Location |
Kiripaka, Whangarei |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
|
Service roll |
41 |
|
Review team on site |
September 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
9 November 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Previously reviewed as Open Spaces Preschool Academy Education Review, June 2017 |
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:
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Open Spaces Preschool Limited is licensed to provide full-day education and care for 30 children, including up to eight aged under two years. It is owned and administered by a board of directors. The centre manager leads a team of four other qualified teachers, one teacher in training and one unqualified teacher.
The philosophy of the service identifies respectful and trusting relationships as the foundation for all learning. Teaching practices are linked to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Open Spaces prides itself on being a nature rich community where daily interactions with the natural environment form the basis of the curriculum.
The service is located in a rural area and regular walking excursions into the countryside, across adjoining farmland, are a significant feature of the programme. A separate indoor play space is provided for infants and toddlers. They are supported to freely explore the extensive outdoor gardens and play areas alongside older children.
The 2015 ERO report highlighted children's enjoyment of the 'wild woods' programme and effective communications with parents that shared children's learning. The report also identified numerous areas that required strengthening, including personnel management, self-review, programme planning, hazard identification and supervision plans. Staff have responded very positively to ERO's recommendations.
The philosophy of the service is evident in practice. Children are confident and curious explorers and investigators who competently lead their own learning. They are very comfortable in the centre setting, and in the local countryside.
Infants and toddlers benefit from sensitive caregiving, interactions with older children and opportunities to explore the natural world with all their senses. Their programme has a calm, gentle pace.
Inviting, challenging spaces have evolved over time in the outdoor environment, through children's interests and the use and re-use of materials in ways that inspire their imagination. Older children thoughtfully manipulate resources and set physical challenges for themselves in these spaces. Teachers have strategically placed small blackboards in the garden that invite children's creativity and their engagement in meaningful literacy learning experiences.
Children are offered authentic leadership opportunities that embed their sense of responsibility and respect for others and the environment. These opportunities arise through sensitive, responsive teaching strategies within the centre and during walks to the 'wild woods'.
Parents who spoke with ERO expressed appreciation of the teachers' attention to the needs of each individual child. They enjoy the opportunities provided for children to engage with the natural world, and the positive outcomes for their children in increased wellbeing, confidence and physical fitness levels.
There are authentic connections with tikanga and kaupapa Māori in the learning environment and in teaching practices. Te reo Māori, waiata and karakia are woven throughout the programme. A commitment to valuing the bicultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand frames the service's values and operations.
Teachers genuinely listen to children and explore the deeper meanings of their conversations. They build positive relationships with children and respond to their preferences, strengths and learning dispositions. There is a strong sense of community, where adults and children are both teachers and learners.
Planning is targeted at different age groups, and is related to the interests of individual children and their parents' aspirations. Stories about children's learning show connectivity and teachers' analysis of significant learning. There is a clear focus throughout the programme on meaningful literacy, numeracy, science and technology learning.
A restructure of centre governance has made a positive impact on the management of the service. A framework of policies and procedures guides practice and a regular review cycle has been established. The manager provides high quality leadership for the cohesive team, which shares the same philosophy and teaching approach. The team's ongoing research into new developments that produce positive outcomes in early childhood education, strongly guides practice.
In order to continue to provide good quality outcomes for children, centre leaders will:
review and refine their documentation of children's learning and include how teachers respond to children's interests
review policies and procedures to ensure continued alignment with current legal requirements.
Before the review, the staff and management of Open Spaces Preschool Academy 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 Open Spaces Preschool Academy will be in three years.
Steffan Brough
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
15 June 2017
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 |
Kiripaka, Whangarei |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10196 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
36 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 18 Girls 18 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Indian other |
18 9 2 7 |
|
|
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 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
May 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 June 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
January 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
December 2010 |
||
|
Supplementary Review |
June 2007 |
||
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
External support is urgently required to improve provision for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Open Spaces Preschool Academy is a well established rural centre that provides full day care for children from the surrounding districts. The centre is licensed for 30 children, including eight up to two years of age.
In 2010 ERO identified key improvements since the previous ERO reviews of 2006 and 2007. Some good practices, including caring and respectful relationships between teachers and children, were evident. Reporting to parents had improved and planning and assessment practices were well established.
The owner acknowledged the need to strengthen self review and centre management practices including the development of personnel policies and procedures. She also indicated that administrative tasks would be delegated to lead staff to improve the efficiency of operations.
Staff turnover in the last year means that there is now only one experienced teacher remaining. Many operating systems and practices have lapsed. The number of qualified staff has temporarily decreased. Lead teachers are now undertaking work with children for which they have little specific training
The quality of governance and management of the centre continues to be a concern. There are no personnel policies or procedures. Financial management is poorly organised and audit reporting is not current. ERO has concerns about the centre’s sustainability, the capacity of leadership, and about all aspects of governance and management.
Despite governance and management issues, children appear settled in the centre. They make independent choices about their play and have good relationships with teachers. Their enjoyment and pleasure in the Wild Woods programme is highly evident. This programme shows great potential for the future. There is need however, for a rationale and effective planning for these visits away from the centre and more careful policy development to protect children from possible harm.
Parents are informed about their children’s development through an on-line programme for recording learning stories. They are appreciative of this centre and of the care their children receive. Parents praised the warmth shown to their children by the staff.
The centre has 19 Māori children on the roll. Parents of these children are enthusiastic about the Wild Woods programme and the benefits it is making to their children’s understanding of bicultural concepts. Some teachers use te reo Māori words and phrases with children. However, there is no mention of partnership with Māori in centre documentation.
Children up to the age of two are included in the larger group for the majority of the day. Teachers appear unaware of the need for a separate person with responsibility for this group to be with these younger children wherever they are playing. At present, these children are poorly supervised at times during the day. There are poor resources for these youngest children.
The quality and quantity of resources overall is poor. Some teachers have started to improve and provide interest for children in the outdoors. The new vegetable gardens allow children to learn about nature and natural cycles of growth. It is now timely to review the rest of the outdoor area. The indoor playrooms are also overdue for redevelopment.
Changes to staff have necessitated a rearrangement of staffing in order to provide registered teachers for children. Relief teachers and personnel have been employed to fill remaining gaps in staffing temporarily. This has not been well managed. Teachers do not have adequate experience or job descriptions to provide guidance about their responsibilities. Some are not yet police vetted and appraisal is still in the early stages of development. As a result there are inadequate programmes for children’s learning. There is also a lack of direction for centre systems such as planning cycles and professional development.
Teachers are not using self review effectively to make judgements about the quality of the programme or provision for children. A system for self review was in place previously but has not been continued.
The owner is in the process of reinstating her own registration as a teacher. Financial management processes have lapsed in the last three years. The owner has sought the assistance of an accounting firm.
The owner and lead teachers agree that they need support and guidance to re-establish effective and sustained governance and management systems.
Before the review, the staff and management of Open Spaces Preschool Academy 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:
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to governance and management systems throughout the centre. To meet requirements the service needs to:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA3, GMA5, GMA6, GMA7, GMA8, GMA9, HS12, HS 17, Education (ECS) Regulations, 47 (1)(a,c,e) 47 (2).
ERO recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
The next ERO review of Open Spaces Preschool Academy will be within two years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Northern Region
26 January 2015
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 |
Kiripaka, Whangarei |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10196 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
39 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 24 Boys 15 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā other |
19 18 2 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
50-79% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
November 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
26 January 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2010 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
June 2007 |
||
|
Supplementary Review |
May 2006 |
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.