148 Sycamore Drive, Sunnynook, 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.
Sunnynook Community Early Learning is a community-based service, governed by the Sunnynook Community Centre Management Committee and volunteers. ERO’s 2019 report found that the service required further strengthening of evaluative questioning to guide processes. Some progress is evident. The service is multicultural, with a small number of Māori and Pacific children attending.
Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Children are provided with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance their learning and development. The service curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua.
Teachers demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning and development, and knowledge of relevant theories and practice in early childhood education. Leaders seek information and guidance, when necessary, from agencies and services to enable teachers to work with and support children and their parents.
Consistent monitoring of policies, procedures and practices is required to maintain regulatory compliance.
During and since the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Having a means of drying hands for children and adults that prevents the spread of infection (PF21).
Ensuring heavy furniture, fixtures, and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured (HS6).
Ensuring a procedure for monitoring children’s sleep is implemented and having a record of the time each child attending the service sleeps, and checks made by adults during that time (HS9).
Checking equipment, premises, and facilities daily for hazards to children that includes consideration of all hazards required for this criterion (HS12).
Ensuring that before a person is employed or engaged as a children’s worker, as defined in the Children’s Act 2014, a safety check as required by that Act must be completed; including having a written procedure for safety checking all children’s workers that meets the safety checking requirements of the Children’s Act 2014 (GMA7A
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
15 February 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Sunnynook Community Early Learning |
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Profile Number |
20477 |
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Location |
Sunnynook, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
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Service roll |
28 |
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Review team on site |
November 2022 |
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Date of this report |
15 February 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, February 2019 |
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 |
Sunnynook Community Early Learning is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Sunnynook Community Early Learning is licensed to provide education and care for 25 children, including up to eight aged under two years. All children play together in a mixed-age setting. The centre hours of operation are similar to those of a school day, but some children attend either morning or afternoon sessions. Children and their families come from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds and many speak more than one language.
The service is situated in the Sunnynook Community Centre, and works closely with locally based agencies to promote positive outcomes for children. A management committee oversees governance of the centre. The Sunnynook Community Centre manager represents the service on the management committee.
A supervisor leads two other qualified teachers and an experienced reliever. Their teaching philosophy is strongly focused on providing equitable outcomes for children, working in partnership with their families/whānau. Teachers aim to build meaningful relationships with their community, and promote sustainability to develop children's care for and stewardship of the environment.
The 2015 ERO report identified many positive features, including teachers' skilful work to promote children's wellbeing and participation, effective leadership, and the sense of community in the centre. Areas for continued development were identified as the appraisal system, assessment and programme evaluation records, the philosophy, and strategic planning. The teaching team has responded very positively to these areas for development.
Since the previous review the service has undergone a name change. It was formerly known as Sunnynook Community Creche.
Children show a positive sense of belonging in the centre environment. They confidently part from their whānau, are eager to explore, and settle easily into play. Children benefit from the mixed-age setting where they can play with their siblings, and there are opportunities for tuakana/teina relationships.
Teachers warmly welcome children and their families into the centre. Their gentle ways support children's wellbeing, investigations and risk taking. The teaching team are collaborative and supportive of each other. Their calmness underpins the pace of the programme.
Children are provided with many opportunities to develop their knowledge and awareness of the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa. The environment contains many visual links to te ao Māori, and te reo Māori is woven through centre routines. The team has identified this as an area they will continue to strengthen.
Teachers' language and conversations with children reflect their knowledge of each child as a learner. They affirm and celebrate children's achievements, and allow time for children to work through and solve their own problems. Children's developing social competence is well supported by their teachers.
The indoor environment is thoughtfully set out, giving children easy access to a wide range of quality resources. The outdoor play space offers a good range of physical challenges. Children are confident to add their own complexity to these, while being well supported by teachers.
Programme planning is based on teachers' observations of children's interests. Teachers have numerous opportunities to discuss their observations and collaboratively plan their responses. Parents' aspirations are valued and included in the planning. Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, is highly visible in centre practices and documentation.
The philosophy of the service is evident in practice. Teachers and staff are very inclusive of children. They have well-established links to community groups that enhance learning opportunities for children and their families. Teachers could now consider how they might make more visible the cultural backgrounds of all children in the centre's environment and documentation.
The centre is well managed and led. Relationships across the teaching team and the management committee are built on high levels of trust and respect. Well-developed strategic and annual plans guide the centre's future direction. Centre improvements are made through well-researched projects. Evaluation of centre practices would be strengthened if guided by evaluative questions.
Centre leaders agree that key next steps for continued improvement include:
strengthening internal evaluation through the use of evaluative questions to guide the process
continuing to strengthen programme evaluation with a focus on learning outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Sunnynook Community Early Learning 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 Sunnynook Community Early Learning will be in three years.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
19 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.
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Location |
Sunnynook, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20477 |
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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, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
45 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 26 Girls 19 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
4 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
December 2018 |
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Date of this report |
19 February 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
March 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
June 2012 |
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|
Education Review |
July 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.