35 Armada Drive, Ranui, Auckland
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Puataunofo Aoga Amata are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
Puataunofo Aoga Amata is a Samoan immersion early childhood service located in the grounds of the Ranui Presbyterian Pacific Island Church. It is governed by the Restored Motion Trust Board and a management committee. The service philosophy is embedded in Gagana and Aganu’u Samoa (Samoan language and culture), and it reflects Christian values. A majority of the children enrolled are of Samoan or other Pacific heritages.
Tamaiti (children) can lead their own play and choose their own learning experiences. Through the provision of mixed-age play opportunities, positive tuakana teina relationships between older and younger children are evident.
Faiaoga (teachers) ensure their approaches to care are culturally responsive. Fa’a Samoa values and cultural ways of knowing and being, are part of children’s everyday learning at the service. Leaders prioritise the maintenance of the Samoan language, and they recognise that this plays a crucial role in children’s developing identity. Children confidently speak their home languages, pese, tauloto, ma le tatalo Fa’a Samoa.
A faiaoga of Māori heritage supports and promotes kaupapa Māori in the curriculum. As a result, tamaiti are confident to use basic te reo Māori, sing waiata, and say karakia.
The service’s organisational structure supports shared and collaborative decision-making. Service leaders ensure that policies, practices, and procedures are current, coherent, and fit for purpose. It is timely now for leaders and faiaoga to implement a professional growth cycle to support improved teaching practices.
A self-review process is used to improve systems and policy frameworks. The collective capability of faiaoga to use internal evaluation processes to guide improvement is yet to be established.
The teaching team has identified faiaoga would benefit from professional learning opportunities to support the development of their teaching practices. Faiaoga will then need to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of their new learning. This should focus on identifying whether their learning, and any changes made, have resulted in improved learning outcomes for tamaiti.
Puataunofo Aoga Amata will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Establish a professional growth cycle for faiaoga with a focus on improving teaching practices.
Grow staff understanding of how to use internal evaluation systems to improve their teaching practice. This includes establishing a systematic process that documents how improvements made have positively impacted on children’s learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Puataunofo Aoga Amata completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
8 June 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Puataunofo Aoga Amata |
|
Profile Number |
20489 |
|
Location |
Ranui, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
24 children, including up to 6 under two years of age |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
50-79% |
|
Service roll |
22 |
|
Review team on site |
February, 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
8 June 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, April 2019; Education Review, October 2015 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Puataunofo Aoga Amata is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Puataunofo Aoga Amata is a well-established community based early childhood centre in Ranui, West Auckland. The centre is located on the grounds of the Ranui Presbyterian Pacific Island Church. It is licensed to provide care and education for 24 children. This includes up to six children aged under two years, in a mixed age setting. Children of Samoan heritage make up the majority of the roll, and the remainder have either Māori or Pacific heritage.
The centre's philosophy promotes gagana Samoa, aganu’u Samoa and Christian values. Children's learning is based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The philosophy also acknowledges the unique place of tangata whenua and the centre's role in supporting all children to be proud of their heritage.
Puataunofo Aoga Amaga is governed by the Ranui In Motion Trust Board and a management committee. The centre has an acting centre manager who is supported by an office administrator and a team of teachers. All teachers are fluent in Samoan and English and are long-serving members of staff.
The positive features identified in the 2015 ERO report have been maintained. Children continue to have a strong understanding of Samoan culture and language, and relationships between staff, children and parents are positive. Centre leaders have made progress in relation to the key next steps identified in the 2015 report.
Children’s sense of wellbeing and belonging is affirmed in a learning environment where Samoan language, culture and identity are valued and promoted. Their social and emotional competence is nurtured through positive, respectful relationships and strong connections with teachers and peers.
Children are friendly and confident learners. They know the centre's routines well. Children are supported to develop independence and to solve problems. They play cooperatively with and alongside their peers for sustained periods of time, often communicating in their home language. They enjoy playing in well-resourced indoor and outdoor areas designed to stimulate their imagination and creativity.
Infants and toddlers benefit from nurturing and individualised care. They are respected as competent learners and encouraged to develop independence. Care moments are warm and unhurried. Infants and toddlers are supported to develop social and emotional competence through strong tuakana/teina relationships. This helps smooth transitions through the centre.
Teachers know their children and a'iga well. Trusting and respectful relationships are built with families, and they are encouraged to participate in the programme. Teachers are aware of children's interests and respond positively and respectfully to their questions and ideas. Well-presented portfolios capture children's individual and group learning experiences.
The centre's philosophy is enacted well with a culturally rich curriculum. Samoan language and culture, and Christian beliefs are embedded in the programme. This encourages children to develop cultural confidence and affirms their identity. Music and movement is a strong focus. Te reo and tikanga Māori are naturally integrated into the programme. Excursions and events, linked to children’s learning, enhance the curriculum well.
Centre governance and leadership is effective and improvement focused. Good management practices and Samoan values guide the centre's strategic direction. Governance and management roles and responsibilities are well understood and supported. The board, leaders and teachers share a strong commitment to the aoga amata's philosophy. Leaders promote working relationships based on trust, respect, and collaboration. Staff have good opportunities for professional growth through well targeted external professional development.
Sound policy frameworks and systems guide the management of the centre. Good systems to monitor health and safety are in place. Established processes of internal evaluation and appraisals are used well to guide targeted centre development and improve learning outcomes for children.
ERO and centre leaders agree key next steps include:
continuing professional development to promote challenge and complexity in children's learning
aligning strategic and annual planning, appraisal and internal evaluation to build cohesion across systems
refining internal evaluation processes, to focus more on evaluating teaching practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of Puataunofo Aoga Amata 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
17 April 2019
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 |
Ranui, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20489 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
24 children, including up to 6 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
23 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 13 Boys 10 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
5 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
50-79% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:9 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
17 April 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
October 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
September 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
May 2009 |
||
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.
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.
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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Puataunofo Aoga Amata is a community-based service located in Ranui in the West of Auckland. This service provides a bilingual setting with a strong emphasis on gagana Samoa (Samoan language) and aganu’u Samoa (Samoan culture), and promote a Christian perspective and values. The service caters for children from birth to school age. Children from a predominantly Samoan cultural background attend for all-day care and education.
The service is governed by the Ranui Youth in Action Trust Board and a management committee consisting of the licensees, the supervisor and an elected parent representative. Since the 2011 ERO review the trust board has employed an experienced and skilled supervisor to lead and manage the centre. The competent teaching team reflect the ethnic diversity of their local community. The aoga supports teachers to study for teaching qualifications. Trustees, staff and parents are committed to promoting the Samoan language and culture.
The supervisor is very experienced and has led the development of areas identified for improvement in the 2011 report. She sets high expectations for herself and staff and ensures the aoga maintains its strong core values and cultural identity.
The spacious outdoor environment is attractive and promotes the values and culture the aoga. Children are encouraged to choose indoor and outdoor activities and enjoy mixed aged play.
Children are highly engaged in the programme and play well independently and in small groups. They enjoy interacting with adults and express their ideas confidently. Infants and toddlers freely make choices about their play. They are curious, and many enjoy sustained interactions with each other and with the activities. Children demonstrate respectful relationships with each other and with teachers. They proudly reflect their Samoan identity and benefit from a strong sense of belonging to this aoga.
Mixed aged play allows for tuakana-teina relationships to form. Children are constantly interacting with adults and negotiate their play with each other. Through a strong duty of care, teachers make themselves available for children. Children are surrounded with displays that promote their culture, language and identity.
Teachers at the aoga are fluent in Gagana Samoa and actively model this for children. They have established an atmosphere that promotes family values, based on Aganu’u Samoa cultural and Christian perspectives. They know the children and the families well and work very well together as a team. They have built well established relationships and support each other to provide a quality programme for children.
Puataunofo is an aoga of choice for parents. There is a high turnout at monthly fono from parents who are committed to building strong partnerships with the aoga and promote its vision and values. Parents relate well to each other due to being part of the larger church network. Their aspirations for children’s learning are highly evident in documented written feedback.
The centre’s curriculum is becoming more responsive to children’s emerging interests. It is documented and evaluated by staff. Parents are invited to contribute to the programme and their input is celebrated and valued. Teachers should now embed effective ways to respond to ongoing children’s emerging interests. They could also benefit from developing ongoing inquiry and reflections about their practice.
The aoga’s trust board and management committee provide very good governance for the aoga. Their vision is based on their collective shared cultural values underpinned by the aoga’s philosophy. Samoan values and Christian beliefs provide a sense of shared purpose and underpin all relationships between stakeholders.
The aoga is very well led by an experienced supervisor who works collaboratively with staff on the daily operations of the centre. She seeks to build high expectations for teachers and optimal learning experiences for children. ERO and the supervisor agree that she could seek professional mentoring to support her leadership role.
There are opportunities for teachers to attend professional learning and development workshops and implement this learning in programmes. Staff have used self review processes to significantly improve the outdoor area so it strongly reflects the Samoan heritage of the children and their families. Managers should now develop a robust teacher appraisal system that meets the Education Council’s requirements for the Practising Teacher Criteria.
Key next steps include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Puataunofo Aoga Amata 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:
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 Puataunofo Aoga Amata will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
14 October 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 |
Ranui, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20489 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 4 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
24 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 15 Girls 9 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Samoan Niue Tongan |
6 11 4 3 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
July 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
14 October 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
May 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
October 2005 |
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.
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.