63 Kauri Road, Whangaparaoa
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.
Pukeko ELC is a privately owned and operated education and care service. It has been re-licensed and under new ownership since January 2022. Governance is provided by the owner and centre manager. Staff include seven qualified teachers. Two aged-based areas cater for children from infants to school age. A small number of Māori or Pacific children attend.
Infants, toddlers and older children experience positive, respectful interactions with adults. They are provided with a range of experiences to enhance and extend their learning and development, indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. The service has developed a new philosophy that is underpinned by current research and theories to support outcomes for children.
A policy framework and an annual plan guide centre operations. Health and safety procedures are monitored, and changes made when required. The premises and facilities are resourced to provide for the learning and abilities of the children attending.
Next steps include:
increasing the opportunities children have to hear and speak te reo Māori in meaningful learning contexts
strengthening the extent to which information documented about children’s learning reflects their identity, languages and cultures.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
16 October 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Pukeko ELC |
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Profile Number |
46997 |
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Location |
Whangaparaoa, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
45 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
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Service roll |
18 |
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Review team on site |
September 2023 |
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Date of this report |
16 October 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, August 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.
Pukeko ELC in Whangaparaoa opened in 2016 and operates from a new purpose-built facility. The centre is licensed for 45 children, including up to 12 children under the age of two years. The centre offers morning and afternoon sessions as well as options for full-day care.
Children play in two age-related learning environments. The area for children under two years is designed for babies to have their own space. The learning room for older children is an open environment. Both groups of children have their own outdoor play areas.
The centre's philosophy is grounded in respect for relationships and the environment. It is inspired by the Reggio Emelia and RIE approaches and highly values play-based learning. The philosophy is underpinned by the centre owner's vision to provide high quality early childhood education that is accessible for all children, parents and whānau.
The centre team is comprised of an experienced centre manager, eight qualified teachers, three unqualified teachers, a kaiawhina and the centre owner. The centre owner works collaboratively with the management and teaching teams.
The centre offers additional activities such as swimming lessons, music and movement and Gym’nees. These are facilitated by centre staff and staff from local community facilities.
This is the first ERO report for the service.
Children have rich and diverse learning opportunities. They are independent and confident learners. They settle quickly and display a strong sense of wellbeing and belonging in the centre. They lead the direction of their play and happily choose activities based on their curiosities and interests.
Teachers actively encourage children to share ideas and discoveries. They engage children in conversations that help them develop their understanding, explore deeper meanings in their learning and develop their oral language. Teachers support children well to engage in creative and imaginative uninterrupted play.
Interactions between teachers and children are sensitive and supportive. Teachers promote a culture in which children are valued and affirmed for who they are and the knowledge they bring with them. Leaders and teachers work in partnership with parents and whānau of all children to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
Children under the age of two years are very well catered for. Their teachers maintain an unhurried peaceful environment that ensures younger children have the space and time to lead their own learning. Children experience warm and affectionate relationships with teachers. Teachers write high quality learning stories that reflect the engaging and challenging learning opportunities provided for younger children.
Teachers recognise the value and importance of children learning through play. They implement programmes that respond effectively to the curiosities, strengths and abilities of all children. Core curriculum areas such as early literacy, mathematics and science are highly visible and integrated into the programme through everyday activities. Children experience many opportunities to enhance their learning and independence, and readiness for school.
Centre staff integrate te ao Māori and bicultural experiences throughout the programme. Teachers make te reo Māori visible in the centre to support their growing confidence and use of the language and to share this with families. Children have regular opportunities to participate in waiata, kapa haka, harakeke weaving and storytelling in te reo Māori. Activities such as these reflect New Zealand's bi-cultural heritage and the new emphases in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Centre leadership is effective. Staff have a strong commitment to continual improvement. Leaders promote a shared understanding of the centre's philosophy, vision and goals. Emergent leadership is encouraged. Teachers participate in good quality professional learning and development. Their new learning is impacting positively on the quality of the programmes provided for children.
The next steps in continuing to sustain good practice are to:
extend and enrich the centre's bicultural practices
strengthen teacher appraisal systems and align teachers' goals to support centre priorities
continue to develop planning, assessment and evaluation processes to fully implement Te Whāriki 2017.
Before the review, the staff and management of Pukeko ELC 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.
In order to improve practice, leaders should strengthen performance management processes to ensure they meet Education Council requirements for the endorsement of teachers' practising certificates.
The next ERO review of Pukeko ELC will be in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
16 August 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 |
Whangaparaoa, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46997 |
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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 |
45 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
66 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 41 Girls 25 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
July 2018 |
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Date of this report |
16 August 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.