121 Beach Road, Papakura
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 Tamariki Garden Early Learning Centre 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 |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
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 |
Tamariki Garden Early Learning Centre is a privately owned and operated education and care service. The service was previously known as XL Preschool and has been under new ownership since 2018. The owner/centre manager leads a team of six staff. Children are from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Infants and toddlers have space and time to lead their own learning. Kaiako who work with younger children maintain a calm, slow pace. They are responsive to children’s verbal and non-verbal cues and signals.
Leaders and kaiako respect and respond to the cultural identities and languages of children and their parents and whānau. They seek ways to maintain children’s connections to, and fluency in their home languages and culture. They are beginning to integrate the languages and cultures of Māori and Pacific children throughout the curriculum.
Kaiako teaching practices enable all children to participate fully in the curriculum alongside their peers. They are well supported to develop the skills necessary to be able to discuss and negotiate rights, fairness and justice. Kaiako actively promote the building and development of children’s independence and self-management skills.
Learning environments encourage wonder and exploration. Children experience activities that challenge their thinking and support their development. Kaiako intentionally recognise and promote children’s understanding of mathematical and literacy concepts in everyday contexts. Kaiako have the time needed to develop positive relationships with each child, their parents and whānau.
Leaders have given consideration and responded to how qualifications of teachers, space, group size and premises support the provision of quality education and care. They have developed systems, processes and practices that, when fully implemented, will support this decision making and contribute to an increased focus on what is happening for children and their learning.
Tamariki Garden Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Tamariki Garden Early Learning 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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
7 July 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Tamariki Garden Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 25239 |
| Location | Papakura, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 10 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
34 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 12 |
|
Review team on site |
April 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
7 July 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, November 2016 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
XL Preschool provides all-day education and care for up to 35 children, including 10 up to two years old. Children are catered for in two separate age related groups. Teachers have built close and reciprocal relationships with families.
The centre is privately owned and operates from an adapted house in Papakura. The owner has 30 years experience as a qualified early childhood teacher. She shares leadership roles with the centre supervisor. The centre has registered teachers supported by several unqualified staff members. Teaching staff reflect the diverse cultures of the local community.
The multicultural centre's philosophy focuses on developing children's sense of belonging and wellbeing. This supports children to become confident communicators, to learn about their culture and to participate in and contribute to the programme.
The 2013 ERO report noted children's eagerness to learn in a well-resourced environment. Priorities identified for improvement included further developing the appraisal system, and refining self-review practices. Progress has been made in these areas.
Children are settled and are familiar with routines. They have good access to a wide variety of resources. Children have trusting and respectful relationships with teachers. They are confident explorers and direct their own play. Children are supported to have conversations and to develop oral language skills.
Infants and toddlers freely explore the environment. Primary caregivers provide these young children with individual nurturing and care, and they keep in close contact with parents and whānau. Teachers support interactions with older children through play and encouraging tuakana teina relationships.
Children engage readily in play using a variety of resources, and they make good use of the indoor and outdoor environments. Leaders and teachers could review and adapt programme planning to more particularly focus on learning outcomes for individual children. Such a focus would help to extend children's learning.
Teachers believe in children as capable, confident learners. They record children's participation in the programme in individual assessment portfolios. Centre leaders recognise the need to relate portfolio information more to the child's learning journey in relation to developing dispositions and skills. This change could help parents to see their child's progress over time.
Teachers are developing their knowledge and use of te reo Māori. Some teachers confidently integrate te reo Māori into the daily programme, especially during mat times.
Leaders and teachers know children and families well. They are responsive to whānau and provide opportunities for parents to be included in the programme. Parents spoke very positively about the responsive and individualised support they receive from leaders and teachers.
Centre leaders are refining administrative systems so that management and leadership operations are transparent and relevant. They know the capabilities of teachers and offer leadership opportunities for teachers to build the centre's leadership capacity. Centre leaders acknowledge that teachers' appraisal goals could align more with the centre's strategic goals while maintaining a focus on improving outcomes for children.
The centre's philosophy is underpinned by the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. It is currently under review and parents are being consulted as part of this process. The review would benefit from leaders and teachers evaluating how well the preschool programme aligns with Te Whāriki.
Next steps to support centre improvement include centre leaders:
reviewing and adapting programme planning and assessment to promote children's learning dispositions and skills
developing the documentation of the centre's strategic priorities to guide the monitoring of progress towards these goals
aligning teachers' appraisal goals and professional development with the centre's strategic priorities
Before the review, the staff and management of XL 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:
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 XL Preschool will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
11 November 2016
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 |
Papakura, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
25239 |
||
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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 10 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
33 |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys 21 Girls 12 |
||
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Indian African Cook Island Māori |
3 24 3 2 1 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
August 2016 |
||
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Date of this report |
11 November 2016 |
||
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2010 |
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|
Education Review |
February 2007 |
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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:
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 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.