22A Pretoria Street, Lower Hutt Central, Lower Hutt
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ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards | ERO’s judgement |
| Curriculum | Meeting |
| Premises and facilities | Meeting |
| Health and safety | Meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Meeting |
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Active Explorers Lower Hutt is owned by Evolve Education Group (EEG), which is responsible for governance. A newly appointed centre manager, supported by an area manager, leads a team of teachers across two learning areas. The February 2018 ERO report found that the service required further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
Children experience a curriculum which is responsive to their interests and preferences. They are involved in decisions about their participation and play. Teachers work with children supporting their learning. A variety of indoor and outdoor equipment and materials is provided to support children’s differing ages and abilities. Leaders and teachers use self review to inform decisions about improvement. Parents and whānau are consulted on the review of operational documents. A useful policy framework and an annual plan guide centre operation.
Next steps are for teachers to:
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
26 November 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Active Explorers Lower Hutt |
| Profile Number | 45587 |
| Location | Lower Hutt |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 68 children, including up to 20 aged under 2. |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 72 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 4, NZ European/Pākehā 29, Indian 18, Chinese 8, Other Asian 11, Other ethnicities 2. |
| Review team on site | November 2021 |
| Date of this report | 26 November 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, February 2018; Education Review, August 2012. |
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 Akanuku | 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 Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Active Explorers Lower Hutt has experienced change in management roles over the past two years. The centre manager requires support to guide centre direction and teaching and learning.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Active Explorers Lower Hutt is privately owned, purpose built and located in Lower Hutt adjacent to Eastern Hutt School. The service is licensed to provide education and care for 68 children including 20 aged up to two. At the time of this ERO evaluation, there were 71 children on the roll, including 15 Māori.
The centre caters for children and families from a wide range of ethnic groups including a number with English as a second or third language. Separate learning areas provide for the needs of infants, toddlers and young children. Enhancement of the outdoor environment to enrich learning opportunities for children continues to be a focus.
In December 2014, the service was bought by Evolve Education Group (Evolve) from Lollipops Educare Centres limited. Evolve employs a development manager to provide overall curriculum guidance for team leaders and teachers in four centres. A regional, area and centre support manager offers support to the centre director and teaching team. Five teachers have an early childhood qualification and full certification. There are three provisionally certificated teachers.
The August 2012 ERO report identified areas requiring further consideration. These included: strengthening assessment, planning and evaluation; creating a share philosophy for teaching and learning; and growing a culture of systematic, evidence-based review to support implementation of a shared vision. Progress has been limited and some processes have lapsed.
This review was part of a cluster of five reviews in the Evolve Education Group.
Teachers work collaboratively to provide a welcoming, inclusive learning environment for children and families. Staff work positively towards ensuring practices are responsive to family needs and circumstances. Teachers acknowledge that following the recent rebranding of the centre, it is timely to review the philosophy to reflect collective values and beliefs and identify curriculum priorities for children.
Children’s language development and sustained attention are encouraged within child-initiated and adult‑initiated activities. Teachers generally support learners to follow their interests. Staff should consider further ways to ensure that the programme provided always invites young children and toddlers to explore and become fully involved in a wide variety of activities.
Programme provision for infants focuses on nurturing their wellbeing through responsive
care giving. Play is viewed as an occasion for learning and providing opportunities for very young learners to become active communicators and explorers.
Narratives and photographs record children's engagement in the programme. Observations of their participation in group experiences are reflected in visual displays within the centre. The collection and sharing of assessment information with families through e-portfolios is a developing aspect of planning for children. This approach has the potential to extend children’s learning and further encourage parent contributions and communication. Teachers should seek support to strengthen their use of this tool to illustrate continuity in learning and show children's progress.
Children’s sense of belonging and wellbeing is effectively supported during and after transitions into the centre. Evaluation of "inquiry time" for older four year old children is required. Teachers need to ensure this programme is always relevant and responsive to learner's interests. Integrating increased early childhood approaches into the more structured times should improve children's learning.
Daily routines and programmes successfully reflect the centre’s bicultural and multicultural community. Waiata and some basic te reo Māori are heard throughout the daily programme. Teachers continue to consider ways to further their understanding about teaching that reflects and responds to Māori and Pacific learners.
Professional leadership requires strengthening. A new appraisal system introduced by Evolve has not been introduced for all teachers. Staff appraisal and attestation of teachers' practising certificates do not meet expected requirements. The centre manager requires support to guide teachers in developing deliberate strategies for working towards appraisal goals and making clear links to relevant professional learning and development. Supporting staff to strengthen their knowledge of high quality practice is a key next step.
Internal evaluation is not well developed. Teachers need support to develop increased understanding of formal, in-depth internal evaluation to improve decision‑making. A recent restructure within Evolve has led to the introduction of new management roles that aim to provide increased support for centre staff. Evolve managers should strengthen systems to provide ongoing guidance and support to centre leaders and teachers for continuous improvement of teaching and learning.
ERO, managers and team leaders agree that the following areas need further development:
Before the review, the staff and management of Active Explorers Lower Hutt 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.
ERO identified an area of non-compliance relating to self review and appraisal. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following area:
ERO recommends that the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, develops a plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
The next ERO review of Active Explorers Lower Hutt will be within two years.
Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
12 February 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 |
Lower Hutt |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45587 |
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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 |
68 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
71 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 42, Girls 29 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
15 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
November 2017 |
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Date of this report |
12 February 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2012 |
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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.