313 Breezes Road, Bexley-Christchurch, Christchurch
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 The Walnut Tree Preschool are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whāngai Establishing |
The Walnut Tree Preschool provides full-day education and care for infants, toddlers and young children in a mixed-age environment. The service is privately owned, and the centre owner and a head teacher guide the day-to-day operations and the learning programme. Most staff are qualified teachers and are long term employees.
Children engage in a responsive curriculum that promotes exploration and investigation through a Reggio Emilia influenced approach. Teachers work alongside supporting and extending children’s learning with a strong focus on interactions that promote the use of rich oral language. Children have many opportunities to revisit prior experiences and teachers use ongoing projects to add complexity to learning. The environment is well-resourced and there is an intentional approach to encouraging children’s appreciation of the living world. Children are active decision makers in the early childhood programme.
Teachers work well together to respond to children's identified needs through the curriculum provided and by liaising with external agencies.
Assessment practices build children’s identity as a learner and are reflective of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Documented narrative assessments provide parents with an insight into children’s interests, strengths, and at times their developing abilities. However, they most often focus on the possible value of a learning experience rather than the child’s learning and progress over time, in relation to the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki. There are well established relationships between parents and teachers. Leaders are currently consulting with parents about the aspirations they have for their children. Children’s cultures, languages and identity are not yet visible in assessment for learning practices.
Te reo Māori and aspects of tikanga Māori are woven through the curriculum. Māori values are given expression through the service’s learning priorities of kaitiakitanga and whanaungatanga. The centre’s strategic plan has led to a focus on building teacher confidence and capability in providing a bicultural curriculum. Collaborative practice is encouraged, and teachers continue to extend their knowledge of te ao Māori through their inquiry approach.
Self-review is embedded and used to make ongoing improvements to practices. At times, parents’ perspectives are gathered to inform the review process. Further work is required to build the capability of all teachers to undertake in-depth internal evaluation.
The Walnut Tree Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These include:
Before the review, the staff and management of The Walnut Tree 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 found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education & Care 2008, HS26, HS27.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure non-compliances identified in this report are addressed.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
3 February 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
The Walnut Tree Preschool |
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Profile Number |
70147 |
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Location |
Christchurch |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
35 children, including up to 5 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
39 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 22, NZ European/Pākehā 13, Pacific 4. |
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Review team on site |
October 2021 |
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Date of this report |
3 February 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2018; Education Review, April 2015. |
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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.
The Walnut Tree Preschool provides full-day education and care for up to 35 children aged from birth to school age. It is privately owned. The staff are qualified early childhood teachers.
Since the 2015 ERO review, the outdoor area has been further developed to promote exploration and stimulate children's engagement in activities for learning.
The two experienced centre leaders have built a collaborative teaching team who share the centre's vision for children's care, wellbeing and learning.
The centre is managing the challenges faced by the local community following the Canterbury earth quakes.
The centre has strengthened aspects of internal evaluation and programme planning. Leaders have identified the need to continue to seek ways to involve parents and whānau.
The head teacher and teachers are promoting positive outcomes for children by providing a nurturing, respectful, welcoming environment focused on fostering and progressing learning. Children and their whānau are made to feel welcome and involved in the centre.
Children benefit from a rich curriculum that is well aligned to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and to the Reggio Emilio philosophy.
Children experience learning that responds to their strengths and interests. Their needs are quickly identified, including those who need additional or specialist support. The language and culture of the children are valued and included in the daily programme. For example, sign language is learnt by all. Centre leaders are seeking to further strengthen teachers' use of te reo Māori and valuing of Pacific cultures in the programme.
Leaders and teachers have positive and effective relationships. They collaborate well by communicating with each other and responding quickly to children’s learning needs. They skilfully use open-ended questions to encourage and develop children’s interests, creativity, exploration, curiosity and problem solving through a well-planned programme.
Children under two years of age receive consistent nurturing and responsive caregiving from a key teacher who knows them well. The teacher is sensitive to their individual cues and engages in positive one-to-one interactions that promote their learning, development and wellbeing.
Teachers actively encourage children to have respectful relationships. They maintain a strong culture of nurture and belonging. The indoor and outdoor environments are presented in ways that provoke children to explore and make sense of the world around them.
Children's transitions into and through the centre are well supported and responsive to the needs of each child. Teachers promote positive dispositions for learning and integrate literacy and mathematics into children's play. Readiness for school is part of an ongoing internal evaluation aligned with the centre's commitment to both the early childhood curriculum and the philosophy of Reggio Emilio.
The key next steps for the head teacher and teachers are to continue to:
Before the review, the staff and management of The Walnut Tree 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.
The next ERO review of The Walnut Tree Preschool will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
21 May 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 |
Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70147 |
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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 |
35 children, including up to 5 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
36 |
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Gender composition |
Boys: 19 Girls: 17 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
17 |
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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 |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
April 2018 |
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Date of this report |
21 May 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2015 |
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Education Review |
July 2011 |
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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.