2 S Domain Road, Mangere Bridge, Auckland
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.
White Heron @ The Bridge is one of 2 services under the same ownership and governance. An area manager and centre manager support a team of qualified and unqualified teachers. The service caters for children under 2 in a dedicated space, and a mixed age setting for older children. The philosophy highlights partnership with whānau and responding to children as individuals. An ethnically diverse roll features a large number of Māori and Pacific learners.
The 2021 ERO report identified two improvement actions relating to the design and implementation of a responsive curriculum and supporting older children’s agency over their learning. Good progress has been made by the service leaders and teachers, by strengthening established practice to intentionally respond to the culture and language of individual children in partnership with parents and whānau. Support for older children to lead their learning has been maintained and strengthened through improved teacher practice. Well managed change in the organisation structure and leadership has facilitated the steady growth of the service.
Embedded learning-focused partnerships with parents and whānau clearly support the development and delivery of a culturally responsive curriculum for children.
Clear systems and processes enable leaders and teachers to continue to develop and refine their teaching practice to respond to children as individuals.
A culture of collaboration and focus on ongoing professional growth is enacted by leaders and governance to support positive learning outcomes for children.
Clear and well understood processes support governance to develop and refine strategic decisions and positively impact on resourcing decisions.
Before the review, the staff and management of White Heron @ the Bridge 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.
White Heron @ the Bridge 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)
4 October 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | White Heron @ the Bridge |
| Profile Number | 45913 |
| Location | Mangere Bridge, Auckland |
| Service Type | Education and care service |
| Number licenced for | 46 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Ethnic composition Using rounded percentages | Māori 49%, Samoan 12%, Tongan 12%, Cook Island Māori 7%, Niuean 3%, other ethnic groups 17%. |
| Service roll | 57 |
| Review team on site | August 2023 |
| Date of this report | 4 October 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report (s) | Akarangi | Quality Evaluation, March 2021; Education Review, June 2017 |
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 organisational conditions 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 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 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 White Heron @ the Bridge are as follows:
Outcome Indicators | ERO’s judgement |
| What the service knows about outcomes for learners | Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | ERO’s judgement |
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning | Whakaū Embedding |
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability | Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement | Whakaū Embedding |
Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement | Whakaū Embedding |
Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management | Whakaū Embedding |
White Heron @ the Bridge is one of four services owned by White Heron Learning Services Ltd. This centre provides education and care for up to 46 children, including up to 10 children up to the age of two years. Children of Māori and Pacific Island heritage make up a large proportion of the roll. The centre is in the grounds of Mangere Bridge School.
Children’s mana is recognised and fostered within the curriculum. Kaiako support children to take responsibility for their own and others’ wellbeing and to care for the environment. They provide opportunities for children to learn about the local community through regular excursions.
Kaiako acknowledge, respect and respond to children’s identities, languages and cultures. Māori children and whānau have authentic opportunities to contribute to the curriculum. Kaiako integrate te reo and tikanga Māori into daily teaching practices. They value and celebrate Pacific and diverse groups of children and their aiga for who they are and what they bring to the service.
Kaiako who work with infants and toddlers maintain a calm, slow pace that gives younger children space and time to lead their learning. Practices promote holistic learning and development and demonstrate that care is understood to be an integral part of the curriculum.
Leaders and kaiako work with whānau and external agencies to access support for children with additional learning needs. Leaders advocate for and alongside whānau to ensure all children have access to high quality, inclusive education.
Internal evaluation generates new knowledge for leaders and kaiako. They inquire into aspects of their practice, by asking themselves what works and why. This evaluative process results in changes being made to centre practices that are based on evidence.
Leaders and kaiako have good opportunities for professional learning and mentoring designed to help them develop their knowledge, skills and teaching capabilities. Leaders provide opportunities for kaiako to build their knowledge and understanding of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and what it means for teaching and learning in this service.
Governance and management enact the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi through partnerships, policies and practices. They actively pursue ways to ensure equity and social justice for children and whānau. Human resource policies, procedures and practices promote kaiako recruitment that reflects the whānau of this service.
White Heron @ the Bridge will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of White Heron @ the Bridge 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
12 March 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | White Heron @ the Bridge |
| Profile Number | 45913 |
| Location | Mangere, Auckland |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 46 children, including up to 10 aged under 2. |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
| Service roll | 58 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 13 NZ European/Pākehā 7 Samoan 14 Tongan 10 Niuean 5 other ethnic groups 9 |
| Review team on site | December 2020 |
| Date of this report | 12 March 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, June 2017 Education Review, December 2013 |
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
White Heron @ the Bridge is one of four services owned by White Heron Learning Services Ltd. This centre opened on the Mangere Bridge School grounds in June 2012 and is licensed for 46 children, including 10 up to the age of two years.
The centre operates under the Ministry of Education 'Counties Manukau Participation Project', with a focus on raising participation in quality ECE for Māori and Pasifika children and children from low socio-economic backgrounds, within the local target census area. Pākehā children and those from Asian, Indian and European ethnicities also attend the service. There are two separate groups for infants and toddlers, and for older children.
Managers are committed to employing experienced staff from the local community who can work well as a team. Procedures for selecting staff are very deliberate and are carefully implemented. Nearly all of the teachers are registered.
The 2013 ERO report noted that the centre's next steps included strengthening programme planning, increasing challenge in the environment, and engaging children in more complex conversations. ERO recommended that appraisal processes be linked to professional development goals, and the centre's philosophy and current theories in early childhood education be used to guide self review. The owner, centre leaders and teachers continue to respond positively to these next steps. Health and safety matters identified in the 2013 ERO report have been addressed.
Most of the older children engage in responsive conversations with each other and their teachers. They frequently use te reo Māori. Children know the expectations for appropriate behaviour and learn new social skills. They are imaginative in their play, and participate appropriately in daily routines. Teachers could consider ways for children to take greater responsibility for their learning environment.
Infants and toddlers are supported to develop oral language skills by engaging in conversational interaction. Teachers mainly use English and also encourage the children's home languages in conversations. The core group of staff working with infants and toddlers has warm relationships with children, and supports their emotional security.
Centre leaders have developed a strategic plan that acknowledges the importance of te Tiriti o Waitangi. Priorities include developing ongoing partnerships with whānau Māori, welcoming the participation of tamariki and whānau in the centre, and protecting the uniqueness of each tamaiti attending the service. Children and new teachers learn about traditional stories from the local community and the whakapapa of the nearby maunga. They are now keen to learn more about the history of the tangata whenua.
Leaders are working to make links between parents' aspirations, children's assessment records and teachers' programme planning. This is to promote closer partnerships with whānau to support children's learning.
Leaders support teachers' practice through professional development and regular individual mentoring. They are growing teachers' knowledge about how to implement an effective curriculum. Leaders are currently focused on improving the quality of the curriculum provided for the children. They recognise that this is an important area for development.
The owner and centre leaders agree that next steps are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of White Heron @ the Bridge 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 White Heron @ the Bridge will be in three years.
Violet Tu'uga Stevenson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
30 June 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.
| Location | Mangere Bridge, Auckland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 45913 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 46 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 62 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 33 Girls 29 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Tongan Samoan Cook Islands Māori Niue other | 20 11 7 6 5 4 9 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:3 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:9 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | May 2017 | ||
| Date of this report | 30 June 2017 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | December 2013 | |
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.