Pukekohe Early Learning Centre

Education institution number:
46911
Service type:
Education & Care Service
Total roll:
85
Telephone:
Address:

1 Harrington Avenue, Pukekohe

View on map

Pukekohe Early Learning Centre 

1 ERO’s Judgements

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. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence. 

ERO’s judgements for Pukekohe Early Learning Centre are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 
Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whāngai Establishing

Whāngai Establishing

2 Context of the Service

Pukekohe Early Learning Centre is privately owned and managed. A qualified owner, along with two centre managers support a team of thirteen qualified teachers, fifteen unqualified staff and a centre cook. The philosophy is focused on protecting the future by actively taking care of the world through sustainable practices. A small number of children attending are Māori, or from Pacific heritage. 

3 Summary of findings

Children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging is supported through caring and nurturing relationships with teachers and their peers. Infants and toddlers benefit from calm, unhurried routines and teachers who respond to their verbal and non-verbal cues. Social competence is fostered, which enables caring and kind friendships between children. 

The service’s environment is designed and set up to support play and a range of learning experiences. Within it teachers promote literacy and numeracy learning for children. Children’s decisions are respected, and their independence affirmed. 

Assessment practices are used to identify children strengthens and learning dispositions. This supports the development of a curriculum which is informed by children’s interests. Teachers have yet to consider the learning progress of children in relation to the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki the early childhood curriculum. 

Teachers have established relationships with parents, whānau, local schools and the community. They are working to strengthen connections with whānau Māori to support and inform the development of a localised curriculum that acknowledges te ao Māori perspectives. 

There is a process of self-review in place that is collaborative and improvement focused. Leaders continue to establish a process for internal evaluation that considers the impact of improvement actions on outcomes for learners. 

Organisational governance and management systems operate with shared collaboration between leaders and relational trust. Teachers are provided with relevant professional development opportunities and ongoing mentoring. Leaders need to continue to monitor systems and processes to ensure legislative requirements are consistently met. 

4 Improvement actions

Pukekohe Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • strengthening assessment information to clearly show children’s learning in relation to the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki (2017).
  • deepening understandings of the history, protocols, and legends of the local area to support a rich local curriculum for children.
  • strengthen internal evaluation processes that considers the impact of improvement actions on outcomes for learners.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Pukekohe Early Learning Centre completed an 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:

  • curriculum
  • premises and facilities
  • health and safety practices
  • governance, management and administration.

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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

6 Actions for Compliance 

The service provided ERO with evidence to show the following areas on non-compliance have been addressed:

  • Ensuring a record of excursion includes the time of the excursion and evidence of parental permission and approval of adult: child ratios for regular excursions.
  • Ensuring that before a person is employed or engaged as a children’s worker, as defined in the Children’s Act 2014, a safety check as required by that Act must be completed.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS17, GMA7A

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

17 June 2024 

7 About the Early Childhood Service 

Early Childhood Service NamePukekohe Early Learning Centre
Profile Number 46911
Location Pukekohe, Auckland
Service type Education and care service
Number licensed for 97 children, including up to 38 aged under 2
Percentage of qualified teachers 80-99%
Service roll64
Review team on siteApril 2024 
Date of this report17 June 2024
Most recent ERO report(s)Akanuku | Assurance Review, January 2021; Akanuku | Assurance Review, August 2019

 

Pukekohe Early Learning Centre

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.

ERO’s Judgement

Regulatory standards

ERO’s judgement

CurriculumMeeting
Premises and facilitiesMeeting
Health and safetyMeeting
Governance, management and administrationMeeting

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.

Background

Pukekohe Early Learning Centre is a privately - owned education and care service. The community is ethnically diverse. The July 2019 ERO evaluation found that the service did not meet a number of aspects of the licensing criteria. Sufficient progress has been made in response.

Summary of Review Findings

The service’s curriculum is inclusive. Infants, toddlers and older children experience positive and respectful interactions with teachers. Children have opportunities to develop an understanding of the dual heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Their home languages are respected and used by teachers. Cultural celebrations are integrated into the curriculum. The premises and facilities are resourced to provide for the learning and abilities of the children attending. A philosophy, policy framework and annual planning guide service operation. Teacher appraisal and internal evaluation processes are established. Health and safety processes are monitored, and changes are made when required.

Actions for Compliance

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • furniture and items intended for children to sleep on (such as cots, beds, stretchers or mattresses) that will be used by more than one child over time are securely covered or made of a non-porous material.

Licensing criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, PF 30.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

3 March 2021 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service NamePukekohe Early Learning Centre
Profile Number46911
LocationAuckland
Service typeEducation and care service
Number licensed for97 children, including up to 25 aged under 2.
Percentage of qualified teachers80%+
Service roll95
Ethnic compositionMāori 12, NZ European/Pākehā 30, Pacific 9, South African 13, Indian 16, Filipino 5, Other ethnicities 8.
Review team on site10 November 2020
Date of this report3 March 2021
Most recent ERO report(s)Akanuku |Assurance Review, August 2019; Education Review May 2018.

General Information about Assurance Reviews

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.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
  • previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
  • that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
  • that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
  • where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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 (PDF 1MB). In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:

  • curriculum
  • premises and facilities
  • health and safety practices
  • governance, management and administration.

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:

  • 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 certification; ratios)
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

  • discussions with those involved in the service
  • consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
  • observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.

Pukekohe Early Learning Centre

ERO’s judgement

Regulatory standards
CurriculumNot meeting
Premises and facilitiesNot meeting
Health and safetyNot meeting
Governance, management and administrationNot meeting

At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.

Background

Pukekohe Early Learning Centre is a privately owned, full-day education and care centre situated in Pukekohe. The centre was reviewed by ERO in 2018 and was found to be requiring further development. The Ministry of Education supported the staff employed at the time to access professional development. There have been significant changes in management, leadership and teachers over the last year.

Summary of review findings

The newly appointed operations manager and centre manager are in the process of revising systems and processes. These include assessment and curriculum planning, appraisal and policy review. These need time to be fully implemented. The majority of the teaching team are new to the centre. Teachers are working well together to develop respectful relationships with children and families and to build a cohesive team culture. Leaders and teachers are currently accessing external support to respond to areas identified in the 2018 ERO report. Some of the non-compliances identified in the previous ERO report remain areas to be addressed. Addressing issues relating to the safety of children are priority areas for improvement.

Actions for compliance

ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:

  • regular emergency drills
  • consideration of hazards
  • assessment and planning of learning
  • strengthening the response to children’s individual language, culture and identity
  • children being viewed as competent, confident learners
  • providing a sufficient range of experiences for children
  • consultation with parents and whānau to review policy
  • human resources management including developing an appraisal policy and process, job descriptions, and an induction process for new staff
  • providing a sufficient quantity and variety of resources.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, C2, C6, C7, C9, GMA4, GMA7, HS8, HS12, PF4. Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, Regulation 43 (1) (a), (i, iv) c), 47 (1) (a,b,e) (i&ii), 46 (1) (c,d), (iii).

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence of Pukekohe Early Learning Centre. ERO will not undertake a further review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets regulatory standards.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review of Pukekohe Early Learning Centre will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

7 August 2019

Information about the service

Early Childhood Service NamePukekohe Early Learning Centre
Profile Number46911
LocationPukekohe
Service typeEducation and care service
Number licensed for69 children, including up to 25 aged under 2
Percentage of qualified teachers80% +
Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4 Better than regulatory standards

Over 2

1:8 Better than regulatory standards
Service roll63
Gender compositionMale 32 Female 31
Ethnic compositionMāori 6
NZ European/Pākehā 21 
Indian 8 
Chinese 5
Other European 5 
Other 18
Review team on siteMay 2019
Date of this report7 August 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Supplementary Review May 2018

General Information about Assurance Reviews

All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include:

Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.

ERO undertakes an Assurance Review process in any service:

  • having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
  • previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
  • that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
  • that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
  • where an Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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:

  • curriculum
  • premises and facilities
  • health and safety practices
  • governance, management and administration.

As part of an 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:

  • 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 certification; ratios)
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

As part of an Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

  • discussions with those involved in the service
  • consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
  • observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.