3 Balfour Terrace, Christchurch Central, Christchurch
View on mapGrow Active Balfour Terrace
Grow Active Balfour Terrace
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 Grow Active Balfour Terrace are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
2 Context of the Service
Grow Active Balfour Terrace is one of three early childhood services operating under Grow Active Canterbury Ltd. There has been significant restructuring within the organisation since the 2021 ERO review. The owners are supported by a regional manager. Centre business managers and curriculum leaders are responsible for the day-to-day operations. This centre’s roll is culturally diverse and includes a small number of tamariki Māori, children of Pacific heritages and Indian heritages.
3 Summary of findings
Children are actively engaged as they learn in well-resourced environments where their independence is fostered. They are encouraged to explore and make choices about their learning. The service’s learning priorities are evident within the daily curriculum. Teachers are highly responsive to the individual needs of infants and toddlers. They maintain a slow and calm pace that allows younger children to lead their own learning.
The bicultural curriculum continues to develop. Te reo Māori is valued as an integral part of the daily learning programme. Teachers proactively support children’s te reo Māori development. Aspects of tikanga Māori are evident in practice. Some te reo Māori is integrated within children’s learning records.
Teachers continue to develop their understanding and use of the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Parents are invited to contribute their aspirations for their child’s learning. Teachers document and respond to these. Processes for assessment and planning for children’s learning are relatively new. Service leaders agree that this is an area for ongoing refinement.
Leaders are improvement focussed. Professional development is provided to build leadership capability. There are planned opportunities to share learning among the teaching and leadership team. Teachers are supported in their professional growth cycles by the leadership team.
Those responsible for governance and management systematically monitor regulatory and professional requirements. Resourcing aligns to the service’s philosophy, vision, and goals for learning. Internal evaluation for improvement is not yet well understood across the organisation. A stronger focus is now required on learner outcomes, to support decision making.
4 Improvement actions
Grow Active Balfour Terrace will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
- Continue to develop teachers’ shared understanding of the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, to better show children’s learning progress over time.
- Continue to strengthen the bicultural curriculum by increasing opportunities for children to hear and speak more complex te reo Māori and seeking whānau Māori contributions to the curriculum and their child’s learning.
- Make visible children’s languages, cultures and learner identities in their assessment documentation.
Grow Active governance will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
- Build capability across the organisation to understand the purpose and use of internal evaluation for improvement, with a focus on learner outcomes.
- Develop a process for reporting that has a clear focus on priorities for children's learning to show what is and is not working and for whom.
5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Grow Active Balfour Terrace 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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
2 May 2024
6 About the Early Childhood Service
Early Childhood Service Name | Grow Active Balfour Terrace |
Profile Number | 47550 |
Location | Christchurch |
Service type | Education and care service |
Number licensed for | 97 children, including up to 28 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
Service roll | 97 |
Review team on site | February 2024 |
Date of this report | 2 May 2024 |
Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, January 2021 |
Grow Active Balfour Terrace - 17/01/2021
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 |
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.
Background
Grow Active Balfour Terrace is a privately owned and operated education and care service opened in 2018. The centre manager is responsible for the day-to-day operation, and an area manager supports the teaching team. This is the centre’s first ERO review.
Summary of Review Findings
Children participate in a play-based programme. The service’s curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning, development and interests.
The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor learning experiences for all children. Adults providing education and care, engage in interactions that enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.
A policy framework and annual planning guide operations. Health and safety procedures are implemented, monitored and changes made when required.
Key Next Steps
Next steps include:
- considering how best the service can give greater prominence to te ao Māori in key documentation and practices, including te reo me ngā tikanga Māori with children
- developing ways teachers can evaluate the impact of their teaching strategies on learning outcomes for children
- greater celebration of children’s culture, language and identity in assessment documentation.
Next ERO Review
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
17 January 2021
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name | Grow Active Balfour Terrace |
Profile Number | 47550 |
Location | Christchurch |
Service type | Education and care service |
Number licensed for | 97 children, including up to 28 aged under 2. |
Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
Service roll | 76 |
Ethnic composition | Māori 5, NZ European/Pākehā 47, Asian 14, Other ethnic groups 10 |
Review team on site | October 2020 |
Date of this report | 17 January 2021 |
Most recent ERO report(s)
| First ERO review of the service |
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. 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.