41 Macandrew Road, South Dunedin, Dunedin
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 |
Not meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Not meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.
The service is governed by the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa. A centre manager is supported by both long serving staff and new staff. A small number of Māori children attend. The majority of children enrolled are from Pacific heritages.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Children experience a language-rich environment that supports their learning and their developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour.
The curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua and respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understand and respect other cultures.
Leaders need to better monitor and implement regulatory requirements relating to health and safety and governance and management practices.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
ensuring that heavy furniture, fixtures and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured
ensuring that adults providing education and care are familiar with relevant emergency drills and carry these out with children on at least a three-monthly basis; this includes having evidence of how evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan
checking equipment, premises and facilities on every day of operation for hazards to children; this includes ensuring that hazards to the safety of children are eliminated, isolated or minimised, specifically removal of sharp objects such as protruding nails, eliminating noise caused by cupboard doors slamming and minimising the pooling of water in the outdoor area
monitoring that the temperature of warm water delivered from taps that are accessible to children is no higher than 40°C, and comfortable for children at the centre to use
maintaining a record of the written authority from parents for the administration of medicine, including the date and time medicine was administered
ensuring adults who administer medicine to children are provided with information and/or training relevant to the task
ensuring suitable human resource management practices are being implemented, including a system of regular appraisal of staff
maintaining records of safety checking of staff and the results, which include suitable police vetting and risk assessment of all staff
maintaining an attendance record that shows the times and dates of every child’s attendance at the service.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, HS6, HS8, HS12, HS13, HS28, HS29, GMA7, GMA7A, GMA11.
During and since the review, the service provided ERO with evidence to show the following
non-compliances have been addressed:
Maintaining emergency supplies (food) sufficient for the age and number of children and adults at the service, including have details of how these will be maintained and accessed in an emergency, and details of the roles and responsibilities of adults during an emergency situation (HS7).
Monitoring that water stored in any hot water cylinder is kept at a temperature of at least 60°C (HS14).
Displaying The Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, and the Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres, 2008 for parents and visitors (GMA1).
Advising parents about how to access information concerning their child (GMA2).
Having human resource management practices that include discipline/dismissal procedures (GMA7).
Having an annual plan that guides the service’s operation, including identifying 'who', in relation to key tasks and how key tasks will have regard to the Statement of National Education and Learning Priorities (GMA8)
Having an annual budget that guides financial expenditure (GMA9).
ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence issued to this service provider. ERO will not undertake a further review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets regulatory standards.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
28 September 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Punavai |
|
Profile Number |
83069 |
|
Location |
Dunedin |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
55 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
55 |
|
Review team on site |
August 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
28 September 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, November 2019; Education Review, January 2016. |
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Punavai Ole Atamai Pre-School is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Punavai Ole Atamai Pre-School is a full day early childhood service that is governed by the Christian Congregational Church of Samoa Dunedin. It provides education and care for up to 45 children with a maximum of 10 up to two years of age. Most of the children attending are Samoan or Tongan, with a small number identified as Māori.
The service provides a curriculum that supports Samoan language and culture and acknowledges Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The service is guided by the values of alofa - love and commitment, fa'aaloalo - respect and dignity, and tautua - service and responsibility. It is underpinned by Christian values.
The centre's philosophy emphasises the provision of a safe, caring and educational environment. It expresses a commitment to embracing children and their families from all cultures and serving a diverse community.
The governance committee is made up of members from the centre and the church community. It includes the pastor, centre manager, parent representatives, elders of the church and staff members. There are five registered early childhood teachers and seven support staff.
The governance chair, centre manager and teachers have made significant progress addressing next steps identified in the 2016 ERO report.
Children are well supported in their culture, language and identity. They experience respectful interactions with their peers and adults, developing a strong sense of belonging. The centre is well resourced and encourages exploration. The environment is rich in literacy and multiple languages. Teachers respond to children's home languages, especially Samoan and Tongan. Children are encouraged to speak their own language while learning the languages of others.
Children are familiar with centre routines and are settled. They are confident and independent learners. Children are engaged for sustained periods of time in play that fosters curiosity and imagination.
Teachers working with infants and toddlers provide an unhurried, calm and thoughtful programme. Teachers create a caring and nurturing environment that strengthens the tuakana/teina relationship between older and younger children.
Teachers' integration and modelling of te reo and tikanga Māori, and the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, strengthen support for Māori children to experience educational success. New Zealand Sign Language is incorporated within the programme. Children are confident in using simple sign to communicate with each other.
Teachers are welcoming and inclusive. They know the children well and are intentional about furthering learning. Teachers support children to develop and maintain friendships that enhance social competence and well-being.
Teachers are responsive to children's interests, strengths and abilities. They encourage children's development through meaningful interactions and broadening relevant experiences. Children with additional learning needs are well supported. Teachers understand each child as a unique learner and recognise their dispositions for learning.
Regular records of children's learning show that they are assessed over time. Children's portfolios emphasise the values of the centre, dispositions, interests, language, identity and culture. Teachers pose questions skilfully to support children's critical thinking and the expression of their ideas. They provide opportunities for children to participate in early literacy and mathematics learning. Opportunities for children to learn about science are strong features of the programme.
The manager leads a unified and collaborative teaching team effectively. There is a deliberate focus on growing teachers' leadership capacity. All teachers are motivated to implement changes that will benefit children's wellbeing and learning. A significant investment in team-wide professional development is helping teachers to reflect on and improve their practice. Robust teacher appraisal, supported by external mentors, is helping teachers to be conscious of and inquire into their practice.
A shared understanding of internal evaluation has been established. Trusting relationships between the governing board and the centre leaders have supported a culture of review and improvement. The governing chair and manager ensure that policies and practices are regularly reviewed. A clear vision sets direction for the service. Long-term strategic and annual plans are aligned and prioritise relevant improvement goals.
The manager and teachers could now strengthen internal evaluation, including curriculum evaluation, by developing measurable indicators of improvement. Evaluating progress against these indicators could help management and teachers to identify and document how well all aspects of centre operations are progressing.
Key next steps for ongoing improvement include:
developing an evaluation processes that identify how effectively strategic and annual planning and reporting, and curriculum planning and implementation, support children's learning progress
documenting group and individual planning showing learning priorities and strategies to support learning, as well as responding to whānau knowledge and aspirations.
Before the review, the staff and management of Punavai Ole Atamai Pre-School 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
29 November 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 |
Dunedin |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
83069 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
45 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
56 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 32 Boys 24 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
10 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
29 November 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
January 2016 |
|
|
Education Review |
August 2013 |
||
|
Education Review |
January 2011 |
||
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.
Punavai Ole Atamai Pre-school is an early childhood centre operating from the Christian Congregational Church of Samoa in Dunedin. It is licensed for 45 children from babies to school age. Gagana Samoa is encouraged as the main language used in the centre.
The centre’s diverse community is predominantly Samoan, Tongan, Māori and Pākehā. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is acknowledged and guides the centre’s commitment to bicultural practice. A good adult to child ratio allows flexibility in the programme.
ERO’s 2013 report noted that aspects of centre governance and management required further improvement. In response to ERO’s recommendations the management committee has made significant improvements in centre practices. This is resulting in positive outcomes for children.
The centre’s philosophy aims to provide a caring and educational environment for children of all cultures, embedded in the Samoan values of alofa/love, fa’aaloalo/respect, and tautua/service. The programme provides a commitment to preparing children for future education.
Good progress has been made since ERO’s 2013 report. Positive and respectful relationships between teachers, children and their parents/whānau give each child and their family a sense of belonging. Interactions with children are sensitive and children settle quickly when they arrive. Friendships between children are well established. Children participate in sustained play, either independently or with teachers.
The programme strongly promotes and supports Pacific children’s identity, cultures and languages. This is further supported by teachers who are fluent speakers of children’s home languages. Children from Pacific Island nations hear their own and their friends’ languages valued and spoken in the programme. Teachers’ commitment to using te reo Māori in the context of children’s play is also strongly evident.
Teachers working with infants and toddlers are affectionate and caring. Parents ERO spoke to appreciate teachers’ responsive practices that support infants and toddlers sense of belonging and wellbeing. A separate area is provided for them to play and explore. Teachers now need to review their programme for infants and toddlers to ensure that they promote positive learning outcomes for this group.
Teachers’ knowledge of children’s languages and culture contributes positively to children’s engagement in the programme. Parents are encouraged to share their child’s experiences from home and teachers share information with families/whānau about the child’s time in the centre. Teachers deliberately include numeracy and literacy in children’s play and should continue to develop these areas of learning.
Teachers’ planning is based on children’s emerging interests and community events. Teachers work well together and demonstrate professional understanding of their roles. Good management systems are in place to support teachers although centre managers agrees that reflective practice is still developing. Further support is needed to strengthen how effectively teachers evaluate intended learning outcomes for children.
The centre environment is welcoming and attractive. The large outdoor area invites exploration and encourages children’s creative play. Activities build children’s confidence and enable them to acquire new skills as well as enjoying physical challenges. The management committee should now work with teachers to further enrich the programme. The indoor environment could encourage greater curiosity and creativity. Resources should be more open-ended and available to children for longer periods.
To increase participation the management committee has bought two vans to assist in picking up and dropping off children. Teachers transport children and build relationships with families by sharing child’s learning and development. These talanoa are further shared with staff in meetings that contribute to programme plans. It would be useful for teachers to formally document parents’ aspirations for their children.
The centre manager oversees the daily operations and administration of the centre. The two head teachers manage the programme and provide support and guidance for their team of teachers. Team building and professional development has had a positive impact on the programme and professional practice. Teachers facilitate smooth transitions for children into, through and out of the centre.
Significant improvements have resulted from management restructuring. A new governance and management committee has been formed consisting of the pastor, teachers, centre manager, church members and parents. The committee has developed a strategic direction for the centre, promoted the centre’s vision, reviewed its policy framework and managed sustainable improvements.
Centre leaders agree that next steps for improving outcomes for children include:
To further develop good management practice, centre leaders agree that they could:
Before the review, the staff and management of Punavai Ole Atamai Pre-School 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.
In order to improve current practice centre leaders should clearly account for income sources in the budget, including how Ministry of Education equity funding is used and information is shared with parents and whānau of the centre.
The next ERO review of Punavai Ole Atamai Pre-School will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
20 January 2016
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 |
Dunedin |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
83069 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
45 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
53 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 31 Girls 22 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Tongan Samoan Cook Island Māori Niue |
7 10 16 14 4 2 |
|
|
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 |
September 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
20 January 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
January 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
April 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:
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.