10 Gardner Road, Epsom, 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 Gardner Road Kindergarten 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 |
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 |
Whakaū Embedding |
Gardner Road Kindergarten is a community-based centre governed by a parent committee and managed and operated by qualified teachers. The centre is licensed for up to 37 children over two years of age. It operates between 8.45 am and 2.45pm, with children playing in a multi-aged, shared space. The kindergarten is a community hub.
Children observed were settled and demonstrated a sense of ownership in the programme. They showed curiosity in their engagement in play. They are supported to express their ideas confidently and competently.
Teachers are responsive to children’s interests when designing the learning environments, which are spacious. Environments invite children to explore and become fully involved in a wide variety of learning experiences.
Teachers’ relationships with children, parents and whānau are reciprocal, and respectful. Opportunities are available for parents to participate in, and contribute to, a range of cultural events celebrated in the centre. Teachers are beginning to integrate te reo and tikanga Māori in the daily programme. They could further enrich children’s experiences in te ao Māori and increase their use of te reo Māori.
Teachers know children and their families well. They are responsive, inclusive and accepting of children. Parents who spoke with ERO appreciate teachers’ positive, respectful communication with children and whānau. Parents are invited to share their knowledge and expertise, and their aspirations for children’s learning are valued. Transitions to school are well supported.
The centre leader and teachers use assessment information to make children’s learning visible. There is evidence in assessment records of continuity of children’s learning and development over time. Leaders and teachers should continue to strengthen their use of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and its intended learning outcomes.
Parent governors positively influence the service’s organisation, philosophy, vision, goals and plans for children’s wellbeing and learning. They support initiatives that contribute to positive social community outcomes. The service is establishing conditions, capabilities and collective capacity to do and use evaluation for improvement.
Gardner Road Kindergarten will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Gardner Road Kindergarten 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.
Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
5 November 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Gardner Road Kindergarten |
| Profile Number | 20053 |
| Location | Epsom, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
37 children, including no children aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
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Service roll |
54 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 2, NZ European/Pākehā 36, Chinese 4, Indian 4, other European 5, other Asian 2, other ethnic group 1 |
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Review team on site |
July 2021 |
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Date of this report |
5 November 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2018 Education Review, May 2014 |
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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.
Gardner Road Kindergarten is a community-based early childhood centre behind the Epsom Presbyterian Church. It is a well established service with some children being second and third generation attendees. The centre is licensed for up to 37 children over two years of age. It operates between 9.00am and 2.30pm.
The centre's philosophy values child initiated play. It recognises that this play empowers children, builds their resilience and gives them opportunities to discover, question, co-operate, theorise, and make sense of the world around them. The philosophy promotes experiences for children that help build strong foundations for ongoing learning and skills for life. It values the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand and embraces diversity. Its curriculum is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
The centre is governed by a parent management committee with elected portfolio holders. It includes the head teacher, who manages day-to-day operations with the support of the administrator. Since the 2015 ERO review over half of the teaching staff are new to the centre. All six teachers are fully registered.
The ERO 2015 report commented favourably about the service's good quality teaching practices. Good progress has been made in responding to the key next steps outlined in ERO's report. Centre planning and self-review processes have developed over the past three years.
The service's philosophy is well implemented. Children express their feelings confidently. They have ample opportunities to engage in their own initiated play and to develop independence, social competence and friendships. Good opportunities are provided for children with additional needs to follow their interests and have their learning needs met. Inclusive practices are an integral part of the centre's culture.
The centre's curriculum promotes positive outcomes for children. It reflects the local environment, and the strong knowledge and understanding that teachers have of the children and their families. Children readily engage in a variety of interesting activities that promote curiosity, problem solving, collaboration and inquiry. They enjoy music and opportunities to be creative and imaginative. Appropriate focus is given to building children's early literacy and mathematics knowledge through play, and also in a more formal setting. Teachers are in a good position to provide more challenge and extension to children's learning.
The environment provides good indoor and outdoor flow and well-resourced areas of play. It reflects children's increasingly diverse cultural backgrounds and promotes a sense of belonging. Teachers value te reo Māori and use it as part of their interactions and signage. A next step for teachers is to continue strengthening current good practices by including a stronger focus on tikanga and the historical and Māori contexts of the centre.
Parents and whānau have good opportunities to contribute to their children's learning. Teachers readily share their professional knowledge with children and parents. Reciprocal learning is contributing to consistent practices between the service and children's homes. Teachers have started to use an online programme that is highly likely to strengthen the learning partnerships they have with parents. In addition, teachers could formally capture and work to achieve parent aspirations for individual children.
Teachers are developing new ways of planning. They start with individual children's interests and strengths, and together identify possibilities for extending learning. A next step for teachers is to document intentional teaching practices to achieve this extension, particularly in relation to children's developing dispositions for learning.
Leaders are focused on improving the quality of education and care for all children. Emergent leadership is encouraged, and collaborative ways of working are fostered with everyone involved in the service. There are strong systems for internal evaluation that are focused on improvement.
The centre is governed well. A clear strategic plan sets the centre's direction with specific goals that are improvement focused. Clear roles and responsibilities have been established for committee members, with sound systems and processes for transparent communications. Internal evaluation provides the committee with good information about the effectiveness of the service and next steps for improvement. More explicit links could now be made between the strategic and annual plan. The management committee could also explore ways they could provide more spacious workspaces for staff.
Centre leaders agree that the priorities for improvement include:
accessing professional learning to further improve teachers' assessment, programme planning and evaluation
continuing to strengthen teachers' bicultural practices
developing appraisal processes that deepen teachers' reflective practices
improving strategic planning, and strengthening links between the long-term and annual plans.
Before the review, the staff and management of Gardner Road Kindergarten 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 Gardner Road Kindergarten will be in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
17 May 2018
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 |
Epsom, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20053 |
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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 |
37 children over 2 years of age |
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Service roll |
61 |
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Gender composition |
28 Girls, 33 Boys |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
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 |
February 2018 |
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Date of this report |
17 May 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2014 |
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Education Review |
April 2011 |
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Education Review |
February 2008 |
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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.