5 Argyle Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton
View on mapDomains: Ngā Akatoro | Below the threshold for quality | Above the threshold for quality | ||
The learner and their learning He Whāriki Motuhake | Improvement required | Working towards | Embedded | Excelling |
Collaborative professional learning and development builds knowledge and capability Whakangungu Ngaio | Improvement required | Working towards | Embedded | Excelling |
Leadership fosters collaboration and improvement Kaihautū | Improvement required | Working towards | Embedded | Excelling |
Stewardship through effective governance and management Te Whakaruruhau | Improvement required | Working towards | Embedded | Excelling |
For an explanation of the judgement terms used and of the evaluation process please refer to the last page of this report. These judgements are based on the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.
| Children’s health and safety | Improvement required | Taking reasonable steps |
Akarangi | Quality Evaluations evaluate the extent to which early childhood services have 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 and Early Childhood Education (ECE) Improvement Framework (teacher led services) are the basis for making judgements about the quality of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Evaluations for improvement | Ngā Aronga Whai Hua is integrated across all of the above domains.
Argyle Preschool is privately co-owned and governed. One owner leads the mostly long serving teaching team and supports daily operations. Children receive education and care in two adjoining houses with a large shared outdoor play space. The philosophy emphasises children being able to experiment, wonder and develop their creativity.
The June 2021 ERO report identified four improvement actions related to learning outcomes, whānau aspirations, children’s cultures, languages and identities and internal evaluation practices. A good level of progress has been evident in responding to whānau aspirations and children’s home cultures, languages and identities. Significant progress has been made regarding internal evaluation practices. As a result, documented assessment is acknowledging and reflecting pertinent valued cultural information and celebrations. Evaluation practices are now embedded, these are focused on improvement that support children’s, and groups of children’s learning over time.
Children engage in a highly responsive curriculum that reflects the breadth and depth of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Distributed leadership practices have embedded the conditions to build teacher professional knowledge and capability to implement a responsive curriculum for all children.
Leaders effectively support ongoing improvement practices that are focused on children learning.
Governors' decisions effectively prioritise the learning and wellbeing of children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Argyle Preschool completed and 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 system for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children’s health and safety:
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Argyle Preschool will include the following actions in its quality improvement planning:
Activities undertaken by the evaluation team
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Further information about how ERO evaluates early childhood services is available here.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
23 September 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | Argyle Preschool |
| Profile Number | 34131 |
| Location | Hamilton Central, Hamilton |
| Service Type | Education and care service |
| Number licenced for | 45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
Ethnic composition Using rounded percentages | Māori 12%; NZ European/Pakeha 77%, Samoan 4%, other ethnic groups 4% |
| Service roll | 54 |
| Review team on site | July 2024 |
| Date of this report | 23 September 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report (s) | Akarangi | Quality Evaluation, June 2021; Education Review, March 2018 |
ERO’s judgements are based on Te Ara Poutama and the Early Childhood Education Improvement Framework (teacher led services).
Above the threshold for quality | |
Excelling | The service is excelling in the learning and organisation to support high quality education and care for children |
Embedded | The service has embedded its learning and organisational conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education and care for children. |
Below the threshold for quality | |
Working towards | The service is working towards establishing the learning and organisational conditions to support improvements in the quality of education and care for children. |
Improvement required | The service has not yet developed the learning and organisational conditions to support quality education and care for children. |
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 (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 Argyle Preschool are as follows:
Outcome Indicators | ERO’s judgement |
| What the service knows about outcomes for learners | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | ERO’s judgement |
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning | Whāngai Establishing |
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability | Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement | Whakatō Emerging |
Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement | Whāngai Establishing |
Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management | Whāngai Establishing |
Argyle Preschool is a privately owned, mixed-age centre located in Hamilton. The centre owners lead a team of eight qualified and one in-training teacher across two adjoining houses. The centre's philosophy emphasises children learning and playing together, nurtured within family/whānau groupings.
Children experience a curriculum that positively promotes their sense of independence and decision-making. The well-resourced learning environments assist children’s critical thinking, wondering and creativity. Kaiako respond to children’s interests, supporting their ways of learning and their developing ideas of how the world works. The curriculum acknowledges the culture, language and identity of some children. Te reo and tikanga Māori are visible within the learning environment. Children develop confidence and curiosity through play.
Children benefit from warm, responsive and respectful relationships with kaiako. Transitions into, within and from the service support the needs of each child and their whānau. The mixed-age setting promotes inclusion. Whānau groupings enable infants, toddlers and young children to play and learn alongside each other, fostering tuakana teina relationships. Children demonstrate a sense of belonging.
Kaiako are building opportunities for parents to contribute to curriculum decisions. Parents and whānau have regular informal opportunities to talk with kaiako about children’s learning and needs. Parents aspirations for their children are gathered. Assessments are shared with parents and whānau by means of online portfolios. Kaiako are beginning to explore the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki. Children’s progress in relation to parent aspirations and the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki is not clear.
Leaders are establishing organisational conditions to support children’s learning and wellbeing. A sense of relational trust supports collaboration and an openness to change and improvement. There are some systems in place to promote a shared understanding of priorities for children’s learning.
Evaluation for improvement is in the early stage of development. Internal expertise of kaiako is being used to build collective capability and capacity to enact it. Strategic planning is not coherent. Leaders are yet to evaluate how organisational conditions are enabling or hindering learning.
Argyle Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Argyle 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:
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
28 June 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Argyle Preschool |
| Profile Number | 34131 |
| Location | Hamilton |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
| Service roll | 57 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 5, NZ European/Pākehā 50, Other ethnic groups 2 |
| Review team on site | May 2021 |
| Date of this report | 28 June 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, March 2018; Education Review, May 2015. |
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Argyle Preschool is located in Hamilton and provides education and care for children from six months to school age. The preschool is privately owned and operated. It is licensed for 45 children, including 15 up to the age of two years. It operates a full-day programme from two adjoining character houses. At the time of this review, the roll of 44 included 7 Māori and 4 Pacific children.
The preschool has been operating successfully under the same ownership and management for the past 21 years. One of the owners is the centre manager who provides overall professional leadership to staff. She is supported by a teacher who has leadership responsibility for children up to the age of two.
The centre's philosophy focuses on family and whānau grouping. Children of mixed ages play and learn together happily. The preschool believes in nurturing independence and social skills within the security of a family group setting, to support transition with confidence and resilience.
The centre's governance and management have responded positively to the findings in the previous ERO report. The preschool has strengthened its self-review practices in curriculum areas and actively gathered different perspectives including parents' views to inform the review. Leaders have carried out formal observations of teaching, providing useful feedback and feedforward to improve teacher practice.
There is a wide variety of rich and stimulating learning opportunities for children. They are able to make independent choices about their own learning and develop positive skills for self-management. Special events and visitors to the preschool enrich meaningful learning experiences for children. Learning environments are attractive with displays of children’s artwork and creativity. The outdoor physical environment is integral to children's learning and exploration. The preschool’s 'family' philosophy and curriculum supports effective tuakana/teina relationships. Younger children benefit from learning naturally alongside older children. Children are highly engaged in their learning and play.
Teachers are effective in developing children’s thinking, confidence and skills. There are positive, warm and trusting relationships between teachers and children. Teachers provide opportunities to extend children’s learning through further exploration and problem-solving. Children with additional learning needs are well supported and included appropriately. Teachers use te reo in their interactions with children and the programme reflects aspects of Māori and other cultures. Māori and all other children have a strong sense of belonging. Leaders and teachers acknowledge the need to continue to strengthen the integration of te reo and tikanga Māori in curriculum planning and practice.
Children up to the age of two benefit from responsive and respectful relationships. There is effective personalised communication with parents to meet individual needs. The environment is well-resourced with designated areas for play and learning. Children have many opportunities to exercise choice. Infants are confident, settled and happy in their surroundings.
Leadership is highly collaborative and supportive. Provision is made for professional learning and development for staff. The centre manager provides opportunities for teachers to develop their own leadership capabilities. Parents, families and whānau are welcomed and involved in preschool activities and share their knowledge, skills and expertise. Online learning portfolios support positive partnerships for learning with parents. Leadership is enabling quality teaching and learning opportunities for children.
The owners have a clear vision and direction for the preschool. The centre’s philosophy is well articulated and shared with staff, teachers, parents, families and whānau. Appropriate documentation guides all preschool operations. Ongoing, holistic self-review is leading to improved outcomes for children. There is a strong commitment to building effective relationships with parents and the local community. Children are safe and nurtured in a caring family environment.
The key next steps for leaders and teachers are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Argyle 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 Argyle Preschool will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region
29 March 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.
| Location | Hamilton | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 34131 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 44 | ||
| Gender composition | Girls 21 Boys 23 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Other | 7 33 4 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:4 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:8 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | January 2018 | ||
| Date of this report | 29 March 2018 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | May 2015 | |
| Education Review | June 2012 | ||
| Education Review | August 2009 | ||
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.