248 Wainui Road, Raglan
View on mapERO’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 |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Lets Grow Early Learning Centre is a privately owned, purpose-built all-day education and care service. Following a change of ownership, the service was issued its full licence in November 2019.
Children are supported as confident and competent learners. Their preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Meaningful and positive interactions with teachers enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. A range of experiences and opportunities support children’s learning and development both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. The service curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki.
An ongoing process of self-review helps the service maintain and improve the quality of its education and care. Opportunities are provided for parents to contribute to the development and review of the service’s operational documents.
Next steps:
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
21 January 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Lets Grow Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 46371 |
| Location | Raglan |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 14 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
87 |
|
Gender composition |
Female 41, Male 46 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 7, NZ European/Pākehā 71, Other ethnic groups 9 |
|
Review team on site |
October 2020 |
|
Date of this report |
20 January 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review July 2015, Education Review May 2019 |
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:
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Lets Grow Early Learning Centre is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Lets Grow Early Learning Centre is a privately owned, purpose-built education and care service located in Raglan, west of Hamilton. The centre is licensed to provide all-day care for 70 children, including 14 up to the age of two years. At the time of this review there were 86 children enrolled, including 11 who identify as Māori.
The centre's philosophy states that a culture of emerging independence of children, respect, responsibility, ako, whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga is valued and encouraged.
Children are grouped in three age-based areas. Construction of a new classroom for the preschool children was completed in November 2018. A feature of the teaching team is the inclusion of several male staff. Eight of the teachers hold a teaching qualification.
The centre owners form part of the leadership team, supported by the assistant manager who is the curriculum leader. The owners have engaged an external consultant who supports professional learning and performance management of the staff.
Children experience a high-quality curriculum. The centre's philosophy is strongly evident in all aspects of practice. The curriculum prioritises a holistic approach. Children are supported to make decisions about their own learning and selfcare. They are provided with opportunities to learn through uninterrupted play in meaningful contexts. Assessment and planning is responsive to children’s interests and strengths. The localised curriculum includes Māori stories about the surrounding area and aspects of tikanga Māori. Literacy and mathematics are naturally integrated. Children are well supported to develop as capable and confident learners.
Teaching practice is strongly focused on positive outcomes for children. ERO observed high-quality interactions and warm, respectful relationships. Teachers know children well and support them to engage in sustained learning activities. Intentional teaching practices scaffold learning and add increasing complexity to children's play. Positive behaviour strategies contribute to a settled environment. Transitions throughout the centre are well managed and responsive to children’s needs and emotional wellbeing. Children with additional needs are very well supported to ensure they have equitable opportunities to participate in learning. Infants are cared for in a calm and unhurried environment. Teachers skilfully interpret verbal and non-verbal communication and model appropriate language. Children’s sense of belonging and wellbeing is nurtured.
Centre leadership is highly effective. Leaders have clearly defined roles based on strengths and skills. Strong curriculum leadership ensures that the theories underpinning the revised early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki, inform teaching and learning in the centre. Decision making is strategic and research-based. Emergent leadership is encouraged and supported. A system of specific, individualised guidance and support is focused on building teacher capacity. Children benefit from knowledgeable leadership and teaching practice.
Robust systems and processes support effective organisational practice. There is a shared understanding of the centre's vision and philosophy, and a commitment to te ao Māori concepts and values. Self-review processes are systematic, well embedded and coherent, and lead to improved outcomes for children. Positive and responsive relationships have been developed with parents and the community, and opportunities for consultation are provided. Positive outcomes for children and their families are at the forefront of decision making.
Leaders and ERO agree that the key next steps are to:
evaluate methods to increase whānau engagement in order to continue to develop partnerships for learning
continue to support the development of teachers’ knowledge and confidence to further integrate te ao Māori into children’s learning opportunities.
Before the review, the staff and management of Lets Grow 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:
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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region
2 May 2019
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 |
Raglan |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46371 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
70 children, including up to 14 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
86 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 44 Girls 42 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
11 |
|
|
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 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
January 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
2 May 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2015 |
|
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:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.