144 Margaret Drive, Omokoroa
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 |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Omokoroa Pre School is a purpose-built, education and care service. It is governed and managed by the owner and a centre manager. Children play and learn in two age-based rooms. The Ministry of Education have provided support to the centre since the change of ownership in March 2020.
Positive and meaningful interactions between children and adults support the development of social competence. The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences, including physically active play. The curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning.
The unique place of Māori as tangata whenua is acknowledged and reflected in the curriculum. Parents’ aspirations inform individualised learning plans. Teachers seek information and guidance from external agencies to support children with additional learning and development needs. The centre’s philosophy statement guides its operation.
Next steps include:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
17 February 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Omokoroa Pre School |
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Profile Number |
46656 |
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Location |
Omokoroa |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
53 children, including up to 18 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
37 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 2, NZ European/Pākehā 27, Other ethnic groups 8. |
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Review team on site |
December 2021 |
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Date of this report |
17 February 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review September 2017 |
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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Omokoroa Pre School provides full-day education and care for children from birth to school age in two age-specific areas. The centre opened in 2015 and is privately owned and operated. It is situated in a residential area of Omokoroa Beach, near Tauranga and is licensed for 53 children. Currently the roll of 75, includes eight children who identify as Māori.
The centre philosophy aims to provide children with opportunities to build self-confidence, self-esteem and foster independent thinking.
Since opening the centre, the roll has steadily increased resulting in the centre extending their hours of operation and licence space for children. New teachers have been appointed and key leadership roles established.
This is the centre's first ERO review.
Leaders and teachers are committed to establishing and maintaining reciprocal and positive relationships with children and their families. Teachers are respectful and responsive to children's wellbeing and belonging. Effective communication with parents encourages them to take an active role in centre life. Information shared about their children, through an online assessment tool, provides parents with opportunities to have input into the programme. Parents and whānau are well-informed about their children's learning.
Teachers prepare a well-designed curriculum. A feature of the programme is the deliberate use of natural resources. The curriculum reflects a play-based approach to learning. There is a mix of adult-led and child-directed experiences that promote social competence and independence. The centre places strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy learning. Excursions into the community are well-utilised as an additional resource for learning. Children experience a curriculum where they are listened to and encouraged to become confident, successful learners and explorers.
Teachers are committed to providing children with experiences and opportunities to learn about te ao Māori and the significance of Māori as tangata whenua. Tikanga Māori and te reo Māori practices such as waiata, karakia and pōwhiri are integrated into the programme, and Māori culture and language is visible throughout the environment. Children are increasingly building their knowledge and understanding of New Zealand's cultural heritage.
Teachers are responsive and inclusive to children with additional learning and health needs. Children up to the age of two years benefit from nurturing teaching interactions. The separate space for young children supports them to explore their environment in a safe, secure and calm way. Children's communication skills are enhanced by teacher's deliberate use of rich language through one-on-one engaging interactions. Children are encouraged to become increasingly knowledgeable and capable self-managing learners.
Effective distributed leadership empowers teachers to lead aspects of the centre operations. There is a focus on reflective, collaborative practice and a commitment to improvement through ongoing self-review. A priority for development is for teachers and leaders to continue to align self-review, appraisal and teacher reflective practice. Collaborative ways of working between teachers and teams promotes a culture where children are valued and affirmed as competent learners.
The centre owner provides effective governance and management. She is committed to the establishment of a high-quality education and care service. A clear vision and philosophy has been developed and underpins the centres direction and development. She has created a strong organisational culture that is leading to improvement.
Leaders and teachers need to continue to review and further design the centre's curriculum. Particular attention should be given to:
the four year old programme in relation to effective teaching of literacy and numeracy within an early childhood context and pedagogy
the way teachers plan for and balance teacher initiated activities and children's emerging interests in connection with their learning
further professional learning and development about programmes specific to infants and toddlers.
Before the review, the staff and management of Omokoroa Pre School 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.
The next ERO review of Omokoroa Pre School will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region
27 September 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.
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Location |
Omokoroa, Tauranga |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46656 |
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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 |
53 children, including up to 18 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
75 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 42 Boys 33 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
August 2017 |
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Date of this report |
27 September 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
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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.