2 Te Rito Way, Papamoa Beach, Papamoa
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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for The Blue Cottage are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding Whakaū Embedding |
The Blue Cottage philosophy aims to provide a homely service upholding the values of support, trust, respect and fun. Children learn in three aged-based areas. Approximately a quarter of the children identify as tamariki Māori and a small number as of Pacific heritage. The remaining roll is ethnically diverse.
Children benefit from a broad and engaging curriculum. A wide range of play experiences involves children in learning. Local excursions and family events enrich the programme. Children hear some te reo Māori and experience aspects of tikanga Māori, led by Māori kaiako and more experienced staff. Leaders have identified that the curriculum should be strengthened through better reflection of the things and places of importance to local iwi. Pacific learners are not consistently seeing their languages, cultures and identities affirmed in the curriculum or throughout systems and processes.
Children are promoted as capable and confident learners through assessment, planning and evaluation processes. The service’s systems enable teachers to evaluate children’s progress against the valued learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Individualised learning goals are set in partnership with parents and whānau. Teachers know the children and their whānau well. Children are well supported to develop a sense of belonging at the centre.
Leaders promote inclusive practice and strongly advocate for children. They work with external agencies and provide wrap-around support for families where needed. Infants and toddlers benefit from a responsive curriculum where their key needs are met. A key teacher approach enhances relationships. Transitions into the centre and between rooms are well supported. An individualised approach to supporting all learners has been developed with a focus on equality. Leaders and teachers are yet to intentionally evaluate how their actions have impacted on equitable outcomes for all learners.
The Blue Cottage will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Further develop the service’s localised curriculum to reflect the priorities and things of significance to mana whenua.
Strengthen internal evaluation processes to start with a clear focus, then monitor and evaluate the impact of actions on outcomes for individuals and groups of learners.
Before the review, the staff and management of The Blue Cottage completed an ERO 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.
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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
19 April 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
The Blue Cottage |
|
Profile Number |
47260 |
|
Location |
Papamoa |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
90 children, including up to 24 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
99 |
|
Review team on site |
March 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
19 April 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, May 2019. |
|
Regulatory standards |
|
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
The Blue Cottage Preschool is a new, privately owned, purpose built service. It provides all-day education and care for 80 children including up to 24 children under the age of two years. It operates three age group areas. Most staff are qualified and registered teachers. This is its first ERO review.
The centre’s curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum and is inclusive and responsive to children’s interests. Adults provide a language rich environment. They engage children in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance their learning and to nurture reciprocal relationships. Families have regular opportunities to communicate with teachers and share information about their children’s learning.
A philosophy statement, guidelines and expectations for centre practices, policies and procedures are in place. There are processes for reviewing and evaluating centre systems and the quality of education and care.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Education Review.
Phillip Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
6 May 2019
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
The Blue Cottage |
||
|
Profile Number |
47260 |
||
|
Location |
Papamoa |
||
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
||
|
Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 24 aged under 2 |
||
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staffto children |
Under 2 |
1:4 - Better than regulatory standards |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:8 - Better than regulatory standards |
||
|
Service roll |
95 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 50 Boys 45 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 20 Pākehā 59 Other European 4 Indian 3 Other 9 |
||
|
Review team on site |
March 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
6 May 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
First ERO review of the service |
||
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 Home-based Education and Care Services 2008
the Licensing Criteria for Hospital-based 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 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 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:
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 certification; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
As part of an 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.