34 Miro Street, Upper Hutt CBD, Upper Hutt
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.
Titiro Whakamua - Looking Forward Early Childhood Centre is part of the Hutt Valley teen parent programme at Heretaunga College. An Incorporated Society takes responsibility for governance. Day-to-day management is the responsibility of a newly appointed head teacher. Almost all children enrolled are aged under two.
Children experience positive and responsive interactions with teaching staff. Their preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their participation and play. Teachers demonstrate understanding of children’s whānau and life contexts. Positive steps are taken to acknowledge the aspirations held by whānau for their children’s wellbeing and learning. The curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. An annual plan has recently been developed to guide operation over time. Better organisation of aspects of health and safety practice is required.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008; HS7, HS12, HS13, HS17, HS28, HS31, GMA8.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
15 December 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Titiro Whakamua- Looking Forward Early Childhood Centre |
| Profile Number | 55419 |
| Location | Upper Hutt |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 25 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
50-79% |
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Service roll |
16 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 7, NZ European/Pākehā 8, Other ethnic groups 1 |
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Review team on site |
November 2021 |
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Date of this report |
15 December 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review May 2018; Education Review April 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.
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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Titiro Whakamua - Looking Forward Early Childhood Centre is part of the Hutt Valley Teen Parent programme and is situated in the grounds of Heretaunga College. The centre caters for teenage mothers and their children from Wainuiomata to Kaitoke. Mothers study in an adjoining classroom with easy access to their children.
The service is licensed for 30 children, including 25 up to two years of age. One third of the roll is Māori. At the time of this ERO review seventeen of the twenty children enrolled were aged up to two years. The three age groups, babies, toddlers and over twos, each enjoy their own area of the centre.
The head teacher is responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre. An incorporated society, made up of members from the community and school, governs the centre.
Leaders and teachers have begun to address the areas for development and review identified in the April 2015, ERO report. These included: strengthening strategic planning; self review and appraisal. Progress in these areas continues to be needed.
The centre philosophy and vision are highly evident in practice. Whanaungatanga underpins centre relationships that are warm and friendly. Babies, infants, toddlers and their mothers are valued and their mana respected. They demonstrate a strong sense of wellbeing and belonging within an inclusive environment.
The holistic development of babies, infants and toddlers is fostered by teachers who know and respect mothers' routines and dreams for their children's future. Teachers recognise and respond appropriately to their interests and physical needs. Attentive adults listen, observe and respond to toddlers' and babies' gestures and expressive body language.
Attractive portfolios provide a rich record of children's learning and time at the centre. Strengths, interests, dispositions, cultural identities and needs are recognised and celebrated. Planning for learning is shared and parent input valued.
Aesthetic natural spaces, indoors and out, stimulate interest and encourage active exploration. Babies and toddlers enjoy freedom of movement in their own areas as they develop a strong sense of self, growing and learning at their own pace.
Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are highly evident and respected throughout the curriculum and centre environment. Māori children are authentically immersed in their culture. All children are supported to develop a positive understanding of their heritage.
A strong transition process supports both mother and child to settle into the centre and form positive relationships with centre staff. Their needs and circumstances are sensitively considered.
The centre's appraisal policy and processes need to align to Education Council’s expectations and Teacher Standards. The centre has developed an appraisal system based on how teachers meet the key areas identified in the centre's strategic plan. Teachers reflect on and record a range of evidence in their portfolios. These reflections can relate to practising teacher certification, but there is no direct link. Leaders have begun to explore the Education Council’s standards but have not documented how these will be included in teachers’ appraisals.
Annual and strategic plans guide improvements to the centre. ERO identified, and leaders agree, this planning should be strengthened to better guide implementation of planned changes.
Self review is reflective. ERO's evaluation identified, and leaders agree, that they should build their capability and understanding of internal evaluation. This should help them to better understand the impact of their practices and changes on outcomes for children.
ERO identified the need for leaders and staff to:
immediately review the centre’s appraisal system to incorporate Teacher Standards
strengthen annual and strategic planning to guide centre developments
develop an understanding of internal evaluation in order to enhance teaching and learning and positive outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Titiro Whakamua - Looking Forward Early Childhood Centre 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.
ERO identified an area of non-compliance in the service related to appraisal.
The service provider must ensure that all teachers, including the head teacher, are regularly appraised.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7]
The next ERO review of Titiro Whakamua - Looking Forward Early Childhood Centre will be in three years.
Patricia Davey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
24 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 |
Upper Hutt |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
55419 |
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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 |
30 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
20 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 12, Boys 8 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
7 |
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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 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2018 |
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Date of this report |
24 May 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2015 |
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Education Review |
May 2012 |
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Education Review |
February 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.