53 Seabrook Ave, New Lynn, 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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Rainbow Cottage Kindergarten are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakaū Embedding |
Rainbow Cottage Kindergarten is a small privately owned service. The service is well established with a long history in this community. The owners are responsible for governance and management of the service. Both owners are qualified teachers, who are actively engaged in the teaching and learning. They provide professional leadership for a team of three qualified teachers, two teachers in training and one unqualified staff member.
The service philosophy is well enacted. Whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and ako are strongly promoted. Leaders and kaiako know the children and families well. Kaiako focus on growing children’s confidence and provide good opportunities for more complex learning.
Nurturing children’s mana and potential is a priority for kaiako. Children, parents and whānau demonstrate a strong sense of belonging. Children support each other in their play. They develop trusting relationships with each other and kaiako.
Children experience a broad curriculum that promotes perseverance and problem solving skills. Early literacy and numeracy concepts are skilfully woven into children’s play and conversations. Science and the performing arts feature strongly in the learning programme. The outdoor area provides children with a range of challenging learning opportunities including a bike track, animal care, gardening and sustainable practices.
Parents and whānau who spoke with ERO appreciate the centre’s strong sense of family and support within an inclusive learning environment. Parents value the staffing continuity, high quality relationships and quality communication. Leaders and kaiako actively engage in the local kāhui ako. These connections are strengthening children’s transition processes between the service, local schools and other early childhood services.
Parents and whānau appreciate the centre’s regular communication and consultation. Kanohi ki te kanohi conversations with whānau, alongside Storypark, support teachers’ knowledge of each child. High quality learning records are individualised and show a holistic picture of each child’s learning. Children freely access these records and enjoy sharing their learning.
Leaders are highly involved in the daily running of the service. Relational trust at every level supports collaboration and openness to change and improvement. Kaiako participate in regular professional learning opportunities. They are encouraged by leaders to develop professional inquiries that can lead to centre innovation.
Rainbow Cottage Kindergarten will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Rainbow Cottage Kindergarten 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.
Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
15 July 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Rainbow Cottage Kindergarten |
| Profile Number | 20140 |
| Location | New Lynn, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
25 children, no children under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
43 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 4 |
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Review team on site |
May 2021 |
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Date of this report |
15 July 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, October 2017 |
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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.
Rainbow Cottage Kindergarten is a small, family-owned centre in New Lynn. The co-owners manage and operate the centre as part of a stable teaching team. Several teachers have worked in the centre for some time.
The centre is licensed for 25 children aged over two years. Children are able to attend for full days, some days in the week or for half-day sessions. Children play together in a mixed-age group.
The centre's philosophy highlights te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, as founding documents for decision-making about the programme. Teachers aim to provide a caring, homely setting for children's learning that is inclusive, fair and equity-based.
The 2014 ERO report highlighted the warm welcome children and their families received and noted several other positive practices that continue to be fostered and improved. ERO also noted the need to strengthen the appraisal system and the inclusion of Te Whāriki. It identified the need for teachers to use current research, theory and practices in early childhood education in their thinking about the programme. Management and teachers have undertaken professional learning and development to help them address these recommendations.
Children and their families continue to be warmly welcomed into the centre. Children are settled and parents are comfortable to stay with their children until they are engaged in play. Teachers provide a range of activities for children to choose from for most of the day. They generally work closely with children, engaging them in conversation. Children are eager to share their thinking, and take an active role in mat-time activities.
Children are friendly and relaxed. They understand the routines well and are eager to participate in activities that interest them. They wait patiently for activities to be ready and make some decisions about their own creative input. Children enjoy time outdoors and are inventive and collaborative in their play. The outdoor area provides challenge and opportunities for some risk taking.
Children and their families have diverse cultural backgrounds. There is also similar diversity in the staff team. Teachers encourage families to maintain children's home languages. Children's unique cultures and ethnicity are recognised in displays on centre walls. Teachers celebrate important events and also embed home values and patterns into the programme. Teachers welcome Pacific families, recognise their unique cultures and use some words from Pacific languages. They identify this as an area for development.
Teachers have continued to strengthened the inclusion of te reo me ōna tikanga Māori in the programme. Children are able to confidently say karakia and to sing waiata. Teachers use te reo in their conversations. Some Māori children are confident to share their language and knowledge of Māori culture with their peers. Teachers plan to continue to develop their own expertise. They embrace some of the learning from the Enviroschools project, by encouraging thinking about environmental sustainability in the programme. Whānau comments indicate their pleasure in their children's learning.
Teachers have made significant changes to their assessment and planning processes. The use of an online portal has encouraged parents to comment on the stories that teachers share with them. This practice has also made a positive difference to the way teachers write about children's interests and capabilities. Planning has also been strengthened and become more visible in centre displays. These two aspects of the planning cycle are being evaluated by staff to identify areas for improvement.
Managers and teachers have made significant, positive changes since the 2014 ERO review. It would be useful now to set expectations and goals for learning programmes, with teachers, to continue this sound work. Discussions about this topic could help to identify professional development that may be useful in reinforcing and embedding current good practices. Appraisal processes have been strengthened to meet expectations and will be redeveloped to reflect new standards.
Managers have developed a targeted management plan. It would be useful for them to consider a vision statement that will guide the development of a strategic plan that includes goals, timelines and budget considerations. This plan should be linked to the management plan and to appraisal processes.
Centre managers agree that the key next steps should be for teachers to continue to:
develop children's social competence by encouraging them to take responsibility for positive behaviour and play decisions
focus the evaluation of assessment and planning on learning outcomes for children
strengthen teachers' understanding of and embed bicultural practices
encourage leadership opportunities and experiences for teachers and children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Rainbow Cottage Kindergarten 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 Rainbow Cottage Kindergarten will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
20 October 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.
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Location |
New Lynn, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20140 |
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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 |
25 children, over 2 years of age |
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Service roll |
50 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 31 Girls 19 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
August 2017 |
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Date of this report |
20 October 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
August 2011 |
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Education Review |
August 2008 |
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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.