Akarangi | 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 Riverhills Early Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
Riverhills Early Learning Centre is privately owned and operated. A qualified centre owner leads a team of three qualified teachers and two support staff. Enrolled children are from ethnically diverse backgrounds with two thirds of the children being of Māori or Pacific heritages. Some progress has been made since the 2020 ERO report. This is the first ERO evaluation of the service under new management.
Children benefit from a mixed-aged setting that provides opportunities for tuakana-teina experiences for older and younger children in a play-based learning environment. Toddlers benefit from calm, unhurried, predictable routines. Their needs are responded to by teachers who prioritise care and engage in respectful, responsive caregiving practices.
The teaching team, supported by their leader, has an ongoing commitment to culturally responsive teaching practices. Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are integrated into the daily curriculum. Children are provided with opportunities to learn about the languages and cultures of their friends. They participate in relevant cultural events and celebrations.
Pacific language weeks are celebrated. Leaders and teachers have begun inquiring into Tapasā: the cultural competency framework for teachers of Pacific learners. The service’s curriculum and teaching practices are yet to strongly reflect Pacific values and knowledges to further support Pacific children.
Leaders and teachers have developed positive relationships with parents. They provide parents with opportunities to contribute to the cultural aspects of the curriculum. The aspirations parents have for their children’s learning are yet to be gathered and included in children’s assessment and planning documentation.
Children’s learning assessment makes links to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers are not yet intentionally providing a play-based curriculum to support children to:
Evaluating the effectiveness of the curriculum against the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki and demonstrating how this shows children’s progress over time, is yet to be visible.
Relational trust has been built between leaders and teachers. Teachers have some opportunities for professional learning. External professional mentors are accessed to support leaders and teachers in building their capabilities and capacity. The extent to which this has impacted the curriculum and professional practice is yet to be realised.
Internal evaluation processes have been established but are not yet reporting on the impacts of changes made and on outcomes for children. Ongoing monitoring and review of policies and procedures is well established and assures leaders that they are consistently meeting legislative requirements.
Riverhills Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Riverhills Early Learning Centre completed an ERO 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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
23 July 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | Riverhills Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 25105 |
| Location | Pakuranga, Auckland |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 35 children, including up to 5 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 37 |
| Review team on site | June 2024 |
| Date of this report | 23 July 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, May 2020; Education Review, February 2016 |
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
Riverhills Early Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Riverhills Early Learning Centre operates from an adapted residential property in East Auckland. It is licensed for 35 children, including five children up to two years of age. Families attending the centre come from diverse cultures with half being of Māori heritage. A small number of children come from the Pacific nations of Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands. Staff have been employed to reflect the cultures of families attending the centre.
The centre philosophy expresses the goal of providing whānau and tamariki with a sense of belonging. It recognises the value of collaboration as vital to the success of the programme. Four key principles focus on attitudes, being present for and enjoying others, and promoting a positive work environment.
Since the 2016 ERO report the centre has been modified internally and has had its outdoor area revamped. The service operated from a classroom at a local school for 18 months during these alterations. Most staff members are recent appointments. The teaching team includes three registered teachers and two teachers in training.
The centre continues to reflect strengths identified in the 2016 ERO report. Staff have made progress in consolidating planning and assessment processes and other reported areas for improvement. However, extending children's thinking and complex play, reviewing resources, and documenting children's individual interests over time remain areas to address.
Children are welcomed into a mixed-aged learning environment. They are supported to settle and form positive relationships with their peers and teachers. Children know routines and engage in them well. They receive good quality care and enjoy their time together within a family-like culture. Children would benefit from opportunities to lead their learning in more meaningful ways.
Infants and toddlers gain from tuakana/teina experiences as well as having access to their own separate space. Teachers are culturally responsive, caring and respond positively to these young children's needs.
Teachers have placed more emphasis on delivering a bicultural programme. Features of tikanga Māori are evident, as are the manaakitanga and whanaungatanga shown by staff to children and their whānau. Aspects of te ao Māori are evident in centre displays, interactions with children and karakia.
Teachers' communication with parents has strengthened over time. An online system is enabling parents to contribute more fully in their child's learning. Teachers have recently introduced new ways of planning and assessment. They work collaboratively to plan programmes for individual and groups of children's interests and strengths. Teachers should also consider ways to extend each child's learning.
The centre has established strong links with the local school. This has resulted in good practices for children transitioning to that school. Teachers also sensitively manage transitions for children and families into the centre.
The centre owner adopts a collaborative leadership approach. Positive staff relationships and wellbeing are features of the centre. Staff strengths are used to develop leadership opportunities. Spontaneous internal evaluation is well documented with good prompts and inquiry questions to assist the process. Teachers should plan for longer term internal evaluation, particularly in relation to the key next steps identified below.
The long-serving owner has been deliberate in the centre's future direction, including expansion of the building, facilities and grounds, to improve conditions for children and staff. Many policies and procedures have been updated to reflect current legislative requirements. An appraisal process is evident and should be strengthened by documenting an appraisal policy and related procedures.
Key next steps include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Riverhills 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
15 May 2020
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 | Pakuranga, Auckland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 25105 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 35 children, including up to 5 aged under 2 years | ||
| Service roll | 24 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 14 Girls 10 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori NZ European/Pākehā Pacific other ethnic groups | 12 6 4 2 | |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:1 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:4 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | March 2020 | ||
| Date of this report | 15 May 2020 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | February 2016 | |
| Education Review | March 2013 | ||
| Education Review | January 2012 | ||
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 will depend on how well the service promotes 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.
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Riverhills Early Learning Centre is licensed for 25 children including 2 children aged under two years. The centre provides full day programmes in an adapted residential property in Pakuranga. The centre’s roll reflects its multicultural community. The children attending the centre are predominately Pākehā, Māori, Indian and Chinese.
The centre’s philosophy promotes a tuākana- tēina approach where younger and older children can learn from each other. Children have, in mixed age groups, opportunities to interact and play together for periods of time in both the indoor and outdoor areas. There is also an emphasis placed on building respectful relationships and partnerships with families and whānau. The teaching team has a strong commitment to the all-round wellbeing, care and development of children.
A team of three qualified teachers and one teacher currently in training are led by the centre supervisor. Teachers make good links in programme planning to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Children benefit from the centre’s good teacher to child ratio.
The centre currently has plans and resource consent to extend and enlarge the centre. This will allow the owner to increase the roll and reconfigure and modernise the premises in ways that benefit children. It will also be an opportunity to make some necessary improvements to work facilities for staff.
The 2013 ERO report commented on the positive relationships and good communication between teachers, children and families. It also recommended further development of programme planning, self-review, management planning, and staff appraisal. The owner and the teaching team are continuing to address these recommendations. External professional development has resulted in improvements in self review and appraisal. However, there are still some areas to be fully addressed.
Inclusive and respectful relationships are evident between children, parents and staff. Teachers have good opportunities to engage with whānau daily and build partnerships with parents. Some staff speak languages other than English, which can help children to settle and feel a sense of belonging.
Children have opportunities to make choices about their play and enjoy playing and socialising together. They make friends and are at ease with each other and with adults.
Teachers are attentive and responsive to the immediate needs and preferences of children up to two years of age. Infants make choices and are encouraged to join in activities. They benefit from respectful, nurturing care from teachers and opportunities to interact with older children.
Parents speak highly of the centre’s ethos of care. A strong sense of parent support and appreciation of the centre is evident. Many staff have been with the centre for a number of years and have a deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of the local community.
Pre-entry visits are arranged to meet the individual needs of the children. As children approach school age, fortnightly transition visits are made to a local primary school.
Teachers work well together. They plan the topics and themes of the programme together and effectively promote children’s self-management skills. Teachers communicate well with each other and respond quickly to children. They are very respectful of children, they listen and provide time for children to respond and think.
Some teachers are using skilful questioning to very effectively extend children’s language development and thinking. Teachers provide a number of indoor and outdoor activity options for children including activities that promote early literacy and maths concepts.
Teachers should now consider ways to present and use equipment to better motivate and maximise children’s interest and continue to extend the complexity of children’s play.
Bicultural practices continue to develop. Professional learning opportunities and visits to the local mārae are building teachers’ understanding of and commitment to deepening their knowledge of te reo and tikanga Māori. Cultural diversity is valued and different cultural aspects are included in centre planning. Parents appreciate and value the use of te reo Māori in the programme.
Centre leaders have identified future goals that include strengthening procedures for documenting planning and assessment. New web-based portfolios have recently been introduced to better share children’s learning with whānau. This should enable teachers to record more individual learning stories that show each child’s progress, interests and growth. It would be worthwhile to review the storage and access that children have to their learning stories. Consideration should be given to making it easier for children to share, discuss and revisit their learning.
Strategic priorities are to:
Self review is valued by the team. Following professional development, considerable progress has been made to improve centre self review. A well-documented review of science has recently been completed. A number of policies and procedures have also been reviewed using staff and whānau feedback.
ERO and the centre owner agree that key next steps for the centre include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Riverhills 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.
To improve current practice, service managers should:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS1, HS28, PF4, PF5
The next ERO review of Riverhills Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
22 February 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 | Pakuranga, Auckland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 25105 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 25 children, including up to 2 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 33 | ||
| Gender composition | Girls 20 Boys 13 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Asian Indian other | 5 13 8 4 3 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:2 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:7 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | January 2016 | ||
| Date of this report | 22 February 2016 | ||
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Supplementary Review | March 2013 | |
| Supplementary Review | January 2012 | ||
| Supplementary Review | November 2010 | ||
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.