140 Waipapa Road, Kerikeri
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 Arohanui Early Childhood Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Arohanui Early Childhood Learning Centre is on the outskirts of Kerikeri. The centre philosophy has a strong bicultural focus underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi and te ao Māori. Long serving kaiako support close connections with whānau and the local community. The centre has a very positive ERO reporting history.
Children are confident and competent learners and are actively involved in a play-based curriculum. They have developed a strong sense of belonging, making connections between people, places, and the things in their world. There are many opportunities for them to talk with each other, identify challenges, solve problems, and develop resilience. These opportunities are supporting children to take leadership of their own learning.
Leaders and kaiako value Māori as tangata whenua and are committed to Te Tiriti based partnerships. They work together with whānau to ensure that Māori concepts such as aroha, ako, manaakitanga, whakawhanaungatanga, and kaitiakitanga are strongly evident and are encouraged in children’s learning. Kaiako use te reo Māori frequently in their daily interactions with children.
Kaiako skilfully respond to children’s diverse and changing strengths, interests, and dispositions for learning. They are thoughtful, respectful, and inclusive in the way that they work with and alongside children. This is part of an overall mana-enhancing approach to promote children’s learning and development.
Children experience a localised curriculum that reflects the history of the community, whānau, and a connectedness to the spiritual and natural world. Kaiako are working to ensure that children’s languages and cultures are valued and recognised in ways that support children’s success and wellbeing. To achieve this, kaiako have prioritised extending their engagement with whānau and families to increase their valuable contribution to the curriculum.
Effective leadership and ongoing professional learning support a culture of sustained and continuous improvement. The distribution of leadership in the teaching team promotes professional discussion. Kaiako are focused on continuously improving teaching approaches and providing children with experiences that challenge and extend their learning.
Leaders and kaiako are clear about their responsibilities and learning goals. They use a robust process to systematically inquire into, and evaluate, the effectiveness of policies and procedures. Internal evaluation is an integral part of enhancing the curriculum provided. This leads to ongoing improvement and promotes positive outcomes for children.
Arohanui Early Childhood Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Arohanui Early Childhood 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
4 June 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Arohanui Early Childhood Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 10262 |
| Location | Kerikeri, Northland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
33 children up to 2 years of age |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
47 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 4 |
|
Review team on site |
March 2021 |
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Date of this report |
4 June 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 2015 |
How well placed is Arohanui Early Childhood Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Arohanui Early Childhood Learning Centre is a well established, purpose built service operating from a spacious semi-rural property in Kerikeri. It caters for children over three years of age. Many children transition to Arohanui from the adjacent Harinui Early Childhood Learning Centre that caters for children under three years of age.
A child-centred philosophy and vision guides and underpins all practices and developments at the centre. The centre philosophy and vision focus strongly on biculturalism and learning in a natural environment where children are encouraged to be explorers, make decisions and actively participate in the centre.
Key features of the centre include utilisation of the natural environment, sustainability and conservation within learning programmes, attractive, expansive child centred outdoor learning areas and the recently developed Ngaherenui wilderness area.
The centre is well managed and developed by the owner. A teaching team of five qualified teachers is well led by the centre supervisor. High staff ratios allow for good quality interactions with children and their parents. The teaching team is committed to supporting children to become independent, capable and confident learners.
The centre has a history of positive ERO reporting. Since the last review the centre has strengthened the self-review process and further enhanced ways that parents and whānau can have an input into children’s learning.
Children and their whānau are warmly welcomed into the very well resourced centre. A warm, inclusive culture is evident in the centre. Well planned and managed arrival routines help children freely access play equipment and activities, and to settle quickly into self-directed play. Children play well alongside each other and enthusiastically join in group learning activities.
The unhurried pace in the centre and respect that teachers have for the children allows children to express themselves and direct their own learning. Numerous educational trips are a feature of the programme. These visits extend children’s thinking and provide opportunities for children to learn in meaningful contexts and experience their community.
All children demonstrate a clear sense of identity and belonging. Teachers value Māori children’s identity as Māori as the foundation for, and key to, their success as Māori. Bicultural practices are strong. Te reo is naturally interwoven through the programme. Ako and tuakana/teina roles provide children with opportunities to lead and learn waiata and karakia. Centre programmes also develop children’s knowledge and appreciation of other ethnicities and languages.
The high teacher ratio and the centre layout give teachers good opportunities to engage with whānau and to build genuine partnerships with their parent community. Parents express high levels of satisfaction with the centre and the staff. They value the natural learning environment, the positive attitudes of staff and how well the staff support their children’s social development and learning.
Shared leadership and areas of responsibility enable the long serving staff to work well as a collaborative team. Teachers have a deep understanding and strong commitment to the centre philosophy of learning, the children, their whānau and the community they serve.
Staff work hard to build a successful learning community that engages parents in their child’s learning. Teachers share good information about children's learning with parents, through portfolios and three way parent, child, teacher conferences. Leaders and teachers encourage parents to take an active part in learning programmes and family events, such as the establishment of Ngaherenui and an annual family camp. Teachers keep parents well informed about programmes, sharing and explaining the significance of literacy and mathematics and how these activities lay the foundations for future learning.
The programme responds to children’s emerging interests and their individual learning dispositions. Teachers have a sound knowledge of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. They make good use of open-ended questioning that encourages children’s thinking and exploration. Children’s language skills are extended through meaningful contexts and sustained conversations with their teachers.
The centre places emphasis on developing teachers as leaders and the continued professional development of staff. Recent professional learning opportunities for teachers have included literacy and mathematics. Both of the initiatives have influenced teaching and learning in the centre and enhanced learning outcomes for children.
There is a focus on continual improvement. Centre leaders and teachers are reflective practitioners. They regularly critique their own practices and policies to continually improve the learning opportunities for children. Centre leaders ensure that all staff have the opportunity to be involved in self review. The centre plans to continue refining the review process through the introduction of a new self-review format. Parent feedback is regularly sought and utilised in these reviews.
Centre leaders and ERO agree that the next steps for the centre include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Arohanui Early Childhood 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.
The next ERO review of Arohanui Early Childhood Learning Centre will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
4 March 2015
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 |
Kerikeri, Northland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10262 |
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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 |
32 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
37 |
||
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Gender composition |
Girls 21 Boys 16 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā other |
5 30 2 |
|
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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 |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
January 2015 |
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Date of this report |
4 March 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2009 |
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|
Education Review |
February 2006 |
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.