Woodlands Preschool Limited - Dallington

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

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

This is the first review of Buttercups Preschool-Dallington. The owners govern and manage the service. Staff include a curriculum leader and seven teachers. There are two aged-based areas to cater for children from infants-to-school age.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children as individuals. Teachers provide children with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development. There are regular opportunities for parents to communicate and be involved in decision making concerning their child’s learning and development. The premises and facilities are resourced with variety of indoor and outdoor furniture and equipment that is appropriate to the learning abilities of the children attending the service. A policy framework and annual planning guide operations. An appraisal system is in place and teachers undertake regular internal evaluation. Health and safety procedures are regularly monitored.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

• increasing the opportunities children have to hear and speak te reo Māori in meaningful contexts
• refining the documentation of the local curriculum to reflect things that are important to children and their families, to kaiako and the wider community.

Next ERO Review

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

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services

Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

29 October 2020

Information About 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.