984 Matakana Road, RD5,, Warkworth
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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Sandcastles Matakana are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
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Ngā Akatoro Domains |
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Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whāngai Establishing |
Sandcastles Matakana is a family-owned education and care service. The owner is responsible for the centre’s governance and management. Staff include six qualified teachers and three unqualified staff. There are two areas for different age groups of children from infants to school age.
Children benefit from a curriculum that guides their learning and is responsive to their interests. Teachers view children as capable learners who explore independently and sustain their play for long periods of time.
Children up to two years of age experience an environment that is predictable and dependable. They are well supported by teachers to form trusting relationships. The environment is intentionally resourced to provide open-ended and sensory resources to explore.
Older children hear and use te reo Māori as a natural part of their daily programme. This is evident in teachers’ use of karakia, phrases, waiata and visual prompts.
Teachers use professional learning to reflect on their teaching practice. They set goals to enhance their practice, including a focus on seeking more child and parent voice in planning and assessment of learning. Teachers recognise and respond to children’s individual interests in their planning. They now need to consider how they can recognise and extend children’s learning in relation to the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Leaders need to establish more effective systems and processes to guide the service’s operation. There is a process for internal evaluation, and some evidence of the shift in teaching practices that have had a positive impact for children. Leaders and teachers could be more evaluative by focusing on how well the service’s processes and practices are resulting in improved outcomes for learners.
Sandcastles Matakana will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
strengthen planning and assessment to reflect children’s dispositional learning and learning outcomes
develop shared understandings about the purpose of evaluation, including how changes in practices impact on equitable outcomes for children
monitor and evaluate processes and procedures to ensure these consistently meet the requirements of the licensing criteria.
Before the review, the staff and management of Sandcastles Matakana 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:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
governance, management and administration.
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.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
30 August 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Sandcastles Matakana |
| Profile Number |
10292 |
| Location |
Warkworth, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
46 |
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Review team on site |
June 2022 |
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Date of this report |
30 August 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, January 2020 |
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 |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Sandcastles Matakana is a family owned education and care service for local children. It was purchased in 2017 and is licensed for 30 children, including eight under two years of age. The owner/manager is assisted by a head teacher.
There are six qualified teachers including the head teacher, one teacher in training and a teacher aide.
This is the first ERO review since the change of ownership.
Teachers implement programmes that are consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and respond to children’s interests and their parents’ aspirations. Children learn in an environment that supports their wellbeing and promotes curiosity. They have access to appropriate resources. Positive interactions with teachers encourage children to lead their own learning. Children have opportunities to gain an understanding of the cultural heritage of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The service is effectively managed and guided by its philosophy, annual plan and policies. Internal evaluation, including consultation with parents, guides improvement. Systems are in place to promote children’s health and safety.
Next steps include strengthening:
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, PF30.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Education Review.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
15 January 2020
| Early Childhood Service Name | Sandcastles Matakana |
| Profile Number | 10292 |
|
Location |
Matakana, Warkworth |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 years |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Reported ratio of adults to children under 2 |
1:4 - Better than regulatory standards |
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Reported ratio of adults to children over 2 |
1:7 - Better than regulatory standards |
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Service roll |
43 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 26 Girls 17 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 41 |
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Review team on site |
August 2019 |
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Date of this report |
15 January 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
First ERO review of the service |
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 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 Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through: