32 McInnes Road, Weymouth, 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 |
|
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 Wildlings Early Years is a privately owned service. Recruitment of staffing remains a key priority. Since the 2019 ERO report, assessment of children’s learning continues to be strengthened. Approximately a third of children enrolled are Māori, and a quarter are of Pacific heritages.
The service curriculum is inclusive, and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Adults provide education and care through meaningful, positive interactions. Parent aspirations are acknowledged.
The curriculum is informed by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and the Montessori curriculum. Children are provided with a range of learning experiences within an environment that enhances their learning and development. A language-rich environment supports their learning. Children have opportunities to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The service is managed in accordance with good management practices.
Next steps include:
embedding the new assessment framework, to make visible children’s learning and progress in relation to Te Whāriki learning outcomes.
ensuring individual children’s cultures, languages and identity are consistently reflected and responded to in the curriculum.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
23 June 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
The Wildlings Early Years |
|
Profile Number |
25004 |
|
Location |
Weymouth, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers (delete if not applicable) |
50-79% |
|
Service roll |
23 |
|
Review team on site |
May 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
23 June 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2019; Education Review, August 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 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Wee Wisdom Montessori Weymouth Tuakana requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Wee Wisdom Montessori Weymouth Tuakana operates as one of two adjacent centres under the Wee Wisdom management organisation. Teina, for younger children, caters for children up to the age of three years, and Tuakana for 40 children over two years of age. The centre provides full-day education and care and caters for a diverse community, with some whānau travelling distances to bring their children to the centre.
The philosophy is based around the teachings of Maria Montessori and also includes Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers bring a variety of qualifications and experience in both Montessori teaching and mainstream practice. The service aims, through the Montessori approach, to work in partnership with family, whānau and the community to nurture children to become competent, confident learners who are prepared for life.
The centres are privately owned, and a general manager for Wee Wisdom Group provides ongoing, regular support for teachers. The general manager has embedded online systems to streamline planning and administration tasks. This is establishing shared practice across the organisation. At present the centre has a support gap in staffing.
Tuakana has recently had staff vacancies, and the two centres are facing staffing issues. Relievers have been employed to fill positions, and all relevant opportunities have been taken to recruit new staff, including a manager, to oversee both centres. This situation is causing disruption and challenges, particularly in Tuakana.
The 2015 ERO report noted a calm, settled atmosphere in the centre, with teachers focusing on building relationships with whānau. Children were settled and had a sense of wellbeing and belonging. Teachers were monitoring children's development and informing parents through learning stories. Teamwork was established and teachers appreciated external advice and support.
Children and their whānau are warmly welcomed, and the majority of children settle quickly to self-chosen activities. The atmosphere of inclusion, valuing of children and openness with whānau is highly evident and reflects the philosophy of the centre.
Children engage well while teachers support children's work with Montessori materials and resources. Some children are finding it difficult to settle to play early in the day. Teachers talk positively with children. They encourage children's engagement with outdoor environment and equipment at any time. Children support each other and show good examples of tuakana/teina relationships in action. While teachers' conversations with children are pleasant, they do not often provoke deeper discussion and sharing of ideas.
The indoor environment is attractive and spacious. Teachers use the walls to display important messages for parents, as well as tentative planning and examples of children's work. A number of reading and play resources are labelled in a variety of languages familiar to children. Children have easy access to appropriate mathematical resources and prompts for understanding scientific and natural elements. The programme in action did not demonstrate a planned approach.
The staffing issues faced by the service have significantly impacted on the level of staffing in Tuakana. The centre no longer has a head teacher. The lack of leadership in the previous few months has led to a lessening of capability within the team to effectively manage day-to-day operations, assessment and teamwork. This issue must remain a priority for management.
The general manager's support for staff to confidently write effective learning stories has not been retained. Teachers contribute group stories to the online portal that parents are able to access. These stories do not adequately inform parents of children's progress or the effectiveness of teaching. Planning has been slow to be re-established after the Christmas break. The general manager monitors the quality of all learning stories on the portal, and is aware of the lack of leadership to address these issues.
Whānau are invited to attend whānau/teacher meetings during the year to discuss their child's progress and contribute their aspirations for their child's learning. Teachers provide a report of children's progress and what they know of their dispositions for learning.
Teachers respond well to children with diverse needs. Children benefit from the close attention of teachers when they are learning new Montessori skills and attributes. Transitions into and through the centre, and to school, are well managed.
Teachers are building their capacity to use te reo Māori, and to use tikanga practices around food times. Children demonstrate familiarity with waiata, karakia and simple commands. This is a good beginning to establishing bicultural practices.
Collaborative internal evaluation, both planned and spontaneous, is used to review the effectiveness of strategic and annual plans, and appraisal goals. Use of the online portal is encouraging teachers to share their thinking and ideas more freely. This is beginning to be effective as teachers start to embed this new knowledge. The manager is also undertaking a thorough policy review, and has established a new appraisal process that includes current expectations of the Teaching Council. These new initiatives are making a positive difference for teachers and whānau.
ERO has identified key next steps for management and teachers. These include:
ensuring that teachers embed high quality teaching practices
enriching conversations with children to prompt their responses, thinking and sharing of ideas
responding more effectively to children's interests and strengths, and planning to extend and challenge children's thinking
engaging in more systematic and regular reflection and evaluation of the effectiveness of teaching practices using both Te Whāriki and Montessori resources to make judgements
deepening teacher confidence with bicultural practices and strengthening leadership
developing strategies to address staffing challenges.
Before the review, the staff and management of Wee Wisdom Montessori Weymouth Tuakana 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 areas of non-compliance relating to curriculum. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following area:
the service curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation.
(Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, 6 C2)
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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
30 May 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.
|
Location |
Weymouth, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
25004 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children aged over 2 years |
||
|
Service roll |
21 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 14 Boys 7 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
January 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
30 May 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
August 2015 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
September 2013 |
||
|
Education Review |
September 2012 |
||
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:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
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 will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Wee Wisdom Montessori Weymouth Tuakana is one of two adjacent Montessori preschools in Weymouth, South Auckland. The Tuakana service has recently increased its licence to cater for up to 40 children over two years of age. The neighbouring Teina centre caters for children up to the age of three. The service has offered a Montessori curriculum since 2011.
Since ERO’s 2013 review there have been significant changes at the preschool. The Tuakana and Teina licences have been separated. The Tuakana property has been upgraded and includes separate provision for after-school care for children who have graduated from the service. A previous manager has returned to work with the owner to support teachers.
The team of three registered teachers has remained the same for the past 18 months. Two teachers have specialist Montessori qualifications and a further Montessori qualified teacher will be appointed as the roll grows.
ERO’s 2013 review noted that the positive features of the service had been maintained. However, the building project for Teina was underway and staffing was not stable. Montessori approaches were new to the teachers. ERO identified continuing concerns relating to the curriculum, bicultural practice, self review and annual planning. This review finds that good progress has been made in these areas.
Parents appreciate the calm and settled atmosphere of the service. Staff are warm, welcoming and inclusive. The manager and teachers continue to have a focus on building strong relationships with families and community. They know children and their families well. The after-school programme supports a sense of continuity for, and commitment to, whānau and community.
Children understand expectations and routines and have a sense of wellbeing and belonging in the service. They are able to choose their activities from the materials and tasks available. They are well supported in these choices by teachers. Some children remain focused on an activity for long periods. Children benefit from teachers’ close, caring attention and sensitive, respectful interactions. Teachers actively foster children’s skills for positive social relationships.
Montessori materials are easily accessible for children and the learning environment is well organised. Children have ready access to the outdoors where resources are also arranged according to Montessori practices. Teachers have undertaken an in-depth review of the outdoor environment. They continue to consider ways to enrich both the equipment and the learning opportunities that it offers children. Excursions in the local and wider communities enrich children’s learning experiences.
The owners and manager have high levels of commitment to bicultural practice. They have employed a teacher who models and provides leadership in the use and understanding of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga. She uses te reo as a natural part of her communications with children and whānau. Managers are supporting this teacher to help other teachers who are keen to build their confidence and strengthen bicultural practice in the service.
Teachers use Montessori checklists to monitor children’s development. Learning stories provide good quality assessment information for parents and are beginning to show how each child’s learning progresses over time. The stories enable children to revisit earlier learning with their whānau and teachers. Assessment, planning and teacher evaluations are well linked. Some teachers are more skilled at recognising and describing children’s learning in both Montessori activities and in relation to the strands and goals of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Teachers confirm that they now have a much better sense of teamwork. They work collaboratively as a team to implement the curriculum and with the manager to review their practice and plan future developments. They have appreciated external advice and support. Ongoing professional development is planned, through both Montessori leadership and Ministry of Education support.
The manager has driven positive improvements and fosters leadership amongst the teaching team. Her planning and self reviews are very well recorded. The manager has helped teachers to establish a culture of reflecting on their practices to improve provision for children’s education. Families have many opportunities to give feedback and contribute their ideas.
The Wee Wisdom organisational systems and procedures for the Weymouth services are well established and documented. The manager and owners are considering ways to streamline policies and to further align them with current early childhood education requirements.
The owner and manager are committed to continuing improvements. Next steps for them to consider include:
developing a long-term strategic plan and deepening evaluative thinking to support ongoing improvement.
Before the review, the staff and management of Wee Wisdom Montessori Weymouth Tuakana 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 Wee Wisdom Montessori Weymouth Tuakana will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
7 August 2015
|
Location |
Weymouth, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
25004 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
24 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 16 Boys 8 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Arabian Cook Island other |
8 1 6 3 2 4 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
June 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
7 August 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Supplementary Review |
September 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
September 2012 |
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.