8 Giles Street, Tokoroa
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 |
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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.
Samoa Taumafai Aoga Amata is a Samoan bilingual service located on the grounds of the Samoa Community Welfare building. A new centre manager and administrator lead a team of four qualified teachers, six unqualified relievers and a student teacher. Most children attending are Māori and Samoan.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful interactions with children that nurture reciprocal relationships. Māori are acknowledged as tangata whenua, with children given opportunities to develop an understanding of both parties to te Tiriti o Waitangi. The curriculum respects and supports children to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understands and respect other cultures.
The service provides a range of experiences, both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups, that are suitable to the age and stage of children attending. A philosophy guides centre operations.
Leaders to need to monitor that required processes are implemented to maintain regulatory standards.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
maintaining a current fire evacuation scheme approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand
undertaking relevant emergency drills with children on at least a three-monthly basis
ensuring daily hazard checks include consideration of hazards required for this criterion, including cleaning agents, medicines, poisons, and other hazardous materials, vandalism, dangerous objects, and foreign materials (e.g., broken glass, animal droppings), the condition and placement of learning, play and other equipment, windows and other areas of glass and poisonous plants
ensuring evidence of parental permission and approval for adult:child ratios is gained before children leave the premises on special excursions
ensuring written authority of a parent is obtained before medication is administered to children, and recording evidence of parental acknowledgement they have been advised medication was administered to their child
maintaining a record of training for medication to be administered by adults providing education and care to children
undertaking periodic rechecks, including risk assessment of staff, on at least a three yearly basis.
[Licensing Criteria for Education & Care Services 2008, HS4, HS8, HS12, HS17, HS28, HS29, GMA7A].
The service has provided ERO with evidence that shows the following areas of non-compliance have been addressed:
Reviewing the emergency plan on at least an annual basis (HS7).
Ensuring that if children travel in a motor vehicle while in the care of the service, each child is restrained as required by Land Transport legislation (HS18).
Ensuring rooms used by children are kept at a comfortable temperature no lower than 18°C while children are attending (HS24).
Ensuring the written child protection policy contains provision for the service’s identification of child abuse and neglect (HS31).
Having human resource management practices that include discipline/dismissal procedures (GMA7).
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)
31 July 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Samoa Taumafai Aoga Amata |
|
Profile Number |
30175 |
| Location |
Tokoroa |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
34 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 years |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
34 |
|
Review team on site |
June 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
31 July 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, February 2019; Education Review, September 2015 |
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 |
Samoa Taumafai Aoga Amata is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Samoa Taumafai Aoga Amata is a well-established Samoan bilingual service. It is located on the grounds of the Samoa Community Welfare building in Tokoroa. The licence has recently been increased to provide all-day care and education for 34 children, including up to 12 aged under two years of age. Samoan children make up 40 percent of the roll. A further 40 percent are Māori or from other Pacific groups.
The aoga philosophy promotes Samoan culture, language and beliefs. It emphasises respectful practices, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Infants and toddlers have dedicated learning spaces, resources and teaching staff. The different age groups regularly spend time together in mixed play and during routines.
The aoga is governed by an executive committee, with support from a parent committee. They oversee management of the aoga. A centre manager has responsibility for day-to-day operations and professional teaching practice. She is supported by an administrator and two head teachers. Most teachers are qualified.
The 2015 ERO report identified next steps for improvement. These related to the philosophy, annual and strategic planning, appraisal, self review, programme quality and teacher practice. Good progress has been made in these areas.
Children engage confidently in a varied, play-based programme. A richly resourced environment extends children's interests and invites their exploration. Teachers play alongside children and encourage them to make choices. Excursions and events, linked to children's interests, extend the curriculum.
Teachers promote children's self-management, independence and oral language effectively. They actively promote children's confidence and resilience. Teachers agree that they should continue to focus on using interactions that encourage deep thinking and help children to develop positive dispositions for learning.
The Samoan context of the aoga is valued and promoted. Children enjoy group times, as well as more informal interactions that model fa'a Samoa and gagana Samoa. Continuing to increase these experiences will enhance children's learning outcomes.
Infants and toddlers are respected as competent learners. Teachers nurture their sense of security, and sensitively encourage their growing independence. Teachers are attuned to the interests and preferences of these very young learners and follow their lead. Care moments are warm and unhurried. Toddlers are well supported to develop social and emotional competence.
Teachers build respectful, trusting relationships with families, promoting a strong sense of belonging. Parents' involvement with their children's learning is welcomed. Aoga events and cultural celebrations are well attended by the community. Teachers should consult with families about their aspirations for their children's learning. They could use professional learning resources related to the 2017 revised Te Whāriki, to help with these discussions.
Leaders and teachers are involved in a range of community and education networks. Teachers engage in well-considered professional learning to support improvements to teaching practice.
Managers, leaders and teachers work as a cohesive team. Trust, collaboration, shared accountability and mutual respect are promoted well. Teachers are encouraged to take on leadership roles. A shared commitment to continual professional learning is evident. Improving internal evaluation, that focuses more strongly on the effectiveness of aoga practices and outcomes for children, would support targeted improvements.
The executive committee and parent committee work effectively in their support roles. Good systems and processes are in place to guide ongoing developments.
Aoga leaders agree that key next steps include:
improving the programme to increase challenge, and extend children's thinking and learning dispositions
further developing the cycle of assessment, planning and evaluation
increasing opportunities for children to hear and experience gagana and fa'a Samoa
ensuring internal evaluation focuses on learning outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Samoa Taumafai 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.
To improve current practice, managers should:
ensure that the appraisal system meets the requirements of the Teaching Council
distinguish between policies and procedures to facilitate review, and guide practice.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
18 February 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 |
Tokoroa |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
30175 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
34 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
40 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 23 Girls 17 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
November 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
18 February 2019 |
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|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2012 |
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|
Supplementary Review |
October 2010 |
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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.