550 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland
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 |
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Shining Lights Christian Preschool is governed by the Grey Lynn Community Church and Board of Trustees. The preschool’s programme is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and the Christian faith. The teaching team includes a centre manager, a new head teacher, and three unqualified staff.
A philosophy statement guides the service’s operation. Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The curriculum is informed by assessment that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning and interests. Opportunities are provided for parents to communicate with teachers about their child’s learning. The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences.
The governing board and service provider need to monitor systems and practices to ensure the service continues to meet regulatory requirements.
Since the onsite review the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
24 February 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Shining Lights Christian Preschool |
| Profile Number | 10219 |
| Location | Grey Lynn, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
26 children, including up to 5 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
50-79% |
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Service roll |
14 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 3 |
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Review team on site |
November 2020 |
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Date of this report |
24 February 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 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.
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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Shining Lights Christian Preschool requires external support to increase teachers' capability to deliver Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum, and support centre leaders to develop a useful strategic plan to guide centre improvement.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Shining lights Christian Preschool is licensed to provide all day education and care for up to 26 children, including 5 children up to the age of two. Although toddlers and babies have a separate area, they can join older children in their learning space to play and learn. All children share the outdoor area.
The centre manager and head teacher leads a team of two other teachers who are in training, and one support teacher. The Baptist Trust provides governance support for the preschool. The Trust currently consists of four members. This includes the centre manager and church pastor.
Trust members and leaders have a commitment to serving their local community. Their core values promote affordable childcare within a context of a quality Christian environment.
The service is welcoming to all children and their families. Children are well cared for and settle quickly on arrival. They easily access resources to engage in play of their own choosing. Teachers provide and maintain a range of learning environments. Some teachers model te reo Māori for children. Children are active participants in waiata and tikanga.
Although children enjoy existing play opportunities, teachers need to provide children with more complex oral language and play opportunities to challenge their thinking and enhance their learning.
Children under two enjoy a calm, settled pace, and warm respectful interactions with teachers. Secure attachments are provided through responsive caregiving. Teachers know children well and work within their individual routines, giving children a sense of security and wellbeing. Friendships are evident amongst older children, and they chat readily with their peers and teachers. Children have access to their portfolios of learning, which document their participation in the programme.
Children’s individual learning is planned to be responsive to their interests and parents' aspirations. However, the programme does not offer sufficient challenge and opportunities for complex play. Teachers should now evaluate the curriculum based on regular observations of children’s interests, needs and abilities as part of ongoing internal evaluation. This evaluation could provide meaningful next steps to improve children's learning.
Established processes for self review have included in-depth research of chosen topics that has often been led by an external facilitator. ERO encourages teachers to make stronger use of their research findings to further enhance their teaching practices and centre programmes.
Teachers' reflective practice is not yet fully understood or resulting in positive outcomes for children. To lift teachers' evaluative capability, they should engage in external professional learning to build a better understanding of the revised early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki 2017.
An appropriate staff appraisal process has recently been introduced. Centre leaders are aware of the need to strengthen the use of this process for teachers' practice, to align with the requirements of the Education Council. The centre endeavours to recruit and retain qualified teaching staff.
In order to improve the current provision for children's learning, teachers need to fully implement the principles of Te Whāriki.
Key next steps for centre leaders and teachers include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Shining Lights Christian Preschool 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.
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to Governance and Management and Premises and Facilities. To meet requirements, the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7, PF7
ERO recommends that the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, develops a plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
The next ERO review of Shining Lights Christian Preschool will be within two years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
2 March 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 |
Grey Lynn, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10219 |
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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 |
26 children, including up to 5 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
18 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 11 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā |
5 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
November 2017 |
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Date of this report |
2 March 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
May 2013 |
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|
Education Review |
November 2009 |
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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.