575 Albany Highway, Albany, Auckland
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 Albany Community Preschool are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whāngai Establishing |
Albany Community Preschool provides sessional and all-day education and care for up to 40 children aged over two years. The team of fully qualified teachers includes the newly appointed manager, head teacher and five other teachers. An office administrator and whānau board support the manager with governance and operations.
Children have time and space to lead their own learning. The centre’s atmosphere is calm, and there is a measured pace to the day. The well-resourced environment is set up to encourage children to explore a variety of learning experiences.
Kaiako are inclusive and affirming of children. They foster tuakana/teina relationships, where older children support younger ones. They also use teaching methods that engage and grow children’s understandings of literacy and mathematical concepts. Kaiako listen and respond to children’s languages and cultures. This empowers children to use their home languages.
Children’s mana is fostered in their day-to-day learning experiences. They are supported to take increasing responsibility for their own wellbeing and that of their peers, and for their environment. Leaders and kaiako work in partnership with whānau and external agencies to ensure that all children have access to inclusive education and care.
Kaiako carefully respond to children’s developing social competence and work with whānau to support children’s emotional and cultural wellbeing. Te reo Māori and te ao Māori are integrated through the daily programme. Leaders and kaiako continue to seek ways to support their multicultural community and maintain children’s connections to their cultural identity and home language.
Strong relational trust supports collaboration, openness to change and improvement in teaching and learning. The team actively seeks the perspectives of whānau and incorporates these into the service’s philosophy and priorities for children’s learning.
The positive working environment facilitates low turnover of kaiako, which helps to build and sustain quality adult-child-whānau relationships. Engagement with the local community also supports positive outcomes for children.
Leaders and kaiako take responsibility for their own professional learning, and they work collaboratively to strengthen their practice. They use relevant research to support decision making to improve teaching, learning and service operations.
Albany Community Preschool will include the following agreed upon actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. Leaders and kaiako will:
Before the review, the staff and management of Albany Community 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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
28 May 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Albany Community Preschool |
| Profile Number | 20002 |
| Location | Albany, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
40 children, aged 2 and over |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
35 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 1 |
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Review team on site |
April 2021 |
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Date of this report |
28 May 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, August 2017 |
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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.
Albany Community Preschool is next to a bush and recreation reserve close to Albany Village and Massey University. The centre has a strong relationship with the local Albany community and is governed by a committee of parent representatives. It provides education and care for up to 40 children over two years of age.
The centre has a very committed and long serving teaching team. A manager and head teacher have oversight of the day to day running of the centre and work closely with the centre's management committee.
ERO's 2014 report noted that areas for review and development included the curriculum, the impact of routines on children's learning, and the use of self review as a tool for improvement.
Children and their families are warmly welcomed into the centre. Children are valued and respected for their individuality and have appropriate choices in the programme. They are keen inquirers who are provided with good resources and play opportunities. Children have meaningful conversations with each other and with adults and play happily, either individually or cooperatively with friends.
Children benefit from a caring and nurturing environment. Teachers interact respectfully with children and respond to the needs of each individual child with sensitivity. Importance is placed on listening to children and parents. This is a feature of interactions in the centre and reflects the good relationships that teachers have with parents.
Children explore stimulating and attractive environments, and have opportunities to play for sustained periods of time. Resources support play and learning, and reflect children's collective interests or significant events. A special feature of the outdoor environment is a focus on nurturing rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens and butterflies. Children are knowledgeable about the various life cycles of these creatures, and develop caring attitudes and skills.
The outdoor environment is expansive and exciting for children to explore, and promotes their creativity. The indoor environment is organised to provide learning opportunities across different learning areas and activities that are likely to engage and stimulate children's interests. It is now timely to evaluate the quality and use of the indoor and outdoor environments.
Children have opportunities to lead their own learning. Teachers incorporate their interests into curriculum planning and the programme in action. Teachers are continuing to develop and refine assessment and planning so individual children's voices and those of parents and whānau are included. Teachers should now review planning for individual learners, and better document the ways they plan to support children's developing ideas and dispositions over time, through play and exploration.
Centre leaders consult with staff and parents in relation to all management issues, practices and policies, as well as everyday issues. Parents report that this is enriching the sense of belonging that they experience as part of the centre.
Teachers' bicultural awareness is growing and is now evident at all levels of the centre. Te reo me tikanga Māori are valued and encouraged through the provision of professional development for teachers. Aspects of te reo me tikanga Māori are increasingly included in the programme and staff commitment is evident. Parents affirm the service's positive approach to biculturalism.
The leadership team is committed to ongoing professional learning, and to building the capability and capacity of individual teachers. To lead this ongoing development, leaders agree that it would be beneficial for them to seek professional development and mentoring as a regular part of their ongoing professional pathway. Teachers' appraisals meet requirements and they could now incorporate deeper professional inquiry into their goal setting to more fully meet the intentions of the Education Council.
There is good alignment across centre systems, including very good strategic planning and robust policies. A useful next step is for leaders to lead internal evaluation across many aspects of the centre. This will provide a thorough insight to the next steps in centre development and guide ongoing improvement.
Centre leaders agree that the key next steps for the centre include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Albany Community 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:
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 Albany Community Preschool will be in three years.
Violet Tu’uga Stevenson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
31 August 2017
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 |
Albany, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20002 |
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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 |
40 children, over 2 years of age |
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Service roll |
57 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 34 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
4 |
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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 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
July 2017 |
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Date of this report |
31 August 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
April 2014 |
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Education Review |
March 2011 |
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Education Review |
December 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:
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.