Treetops ELC Pukekohe

Education institution number:
47774
Service type:
Education & Care Service
Total roll:
65
Telephone:
Address:

1246 Paerata Road, Pukekohe

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Treetops ELC Pukekohe

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 Treetops ELC Pukekohe are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whakatō Emerging

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 
Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whakatō Emerging

Whakatō Emerging

2 Context of the Service

Treetops ELC Pukekohe is one of three centres under common ownership. A centre director has oversight of daily operations. She is supported by a qualified centre manager, a team of eight qualified and ten unqualified teachers, an administrator and cook. There has been considerable staffing change since the 2022 ERO review. A small number of children attending are tamariki Māori 

3 Summary of findings

Children show a sense of belonging and ownership of the centre. A well-resourced environment enables children to explore and make choices both indoors and outdoors. Teacher’s value play-based learning. They encourage and support children’s engagement in play.

Children’s emotional wellbeing is promoted through respectful and responsive relationships with teachers. Infants and toddlers benefit from individualised and nurturing care and are treated with kindness and respect. A calm, unhurried programme enables children to learn alongside each other and at their own pace. 

Implementing a fully responsive curriculum for all children is yet to occur within the service. Service leaders are committed to growing and enriching teacher practices and capability in this area. Some te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are part of daily teaching practices and routines. Children’s home languages are affirmed, and some New Zealand Sign Language is used in meaningful ways. Leaders are aware teachers need to make children’ s languages and cultures and identities more visible in curriculum assessment and design. 

Leaders and teachers have positive relationships with parents and whānau. They provide good opportunities for parents to share aspirations for their children. 

Assessment planning and evaluation practices are not consistently implemented across the service. Leaders have identified that further work is required to support all teachers to: 

  • unpack and explore the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki the early childhood curriculum
  • consistently use the learning outcomes to show children’s developing capabilities and progress over time. 

Building leadership capability and shared understandings within the team an ongoing priority.  Leaders demonstrate relational trust and positive ways of working. There is a shared commitment to the philosophy and centre values. There are useful systems in place to guide service operations. Internal evaluation is currently based on an inquiry model aimed at making improvements.  Leaders and teachers should now evaluate and monitor any improvements made, to know how well changes impact on equity and outcomes for learners. 

4 Improvement actions

Treetops ELC Pukekohe will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Implement assessment practice that ensures information documented about children’s learning reflects the cultural contexts in which they live and includes culturally valued knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours.
  • Explore and unpack the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki and use these in assessment practices to show children’s learning progress overtime. 
  • Continue to build shared understanding of internal evaluation with a focus on the impact of teaching and learning practices on equity and outcomes for children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Treetops ELC Pukekohe 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 

During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:

  • Ensuring all children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014 (GMA7A).

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

26 February 2024 

7 About the Early Childhood Service 

Early Childhood Service NameTreetops ELC Pukekohe
Profile Number47774
LocationPukekohe
Service typeEducation and care service
Number licensed for100 children, including up to 22 aged under 2
Percentage of qualified teachers80-99%
Service roll73
Review team on siteDecember 2023 
Date of this report26 February 2024
Most recent ERO report(s)Akanuku | Assurance Review, March 2022

Treetops ELC Pukekohe

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

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

Background

This is the first ERO review of Treetops ELC Pukekohe, which opened in 2020. The area manager oversees the governance of the service, supported by a centre manager. There are three team leaders and a large team of qualified and unqualified teachers. The service provides for a diverse cultural community. There are four rooms for different age groups of children.

Summary of Review Findings

A philosophy statement and annual plan guide the service’s operation. The curriculum provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to extend their learning and development.

Teachers providing education and care engage in positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences.

Parents of children attending the service are provided with opportunities to contribute to the development and review of the service’s operation. The design and layout of the premises support provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

  • increasing the opportunities for children to develop knowledge and an understanding of te reo and tikanga Māori
  • supporting teachers, children, and their whānau to regularly share aspects of their culture with others.

Next ERO Review

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

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

1 March 2022 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service NameTreetops ELC Pukekohe
Profile Number47774
LocationPukekohe
Service typeEducation and care service
Number licensed for100 children, including up to 16 aged under 2.
Percentage of qualified teachers80-99%
Service roll79
Ethnic compositionMāori 12, NZ European/Pākehā 21, Filipino 8, Chinese 6, Indian 5,
Latin American 4, South African 4, other European 10,
other ethnic groups 9.
Review team on siteFebruary 2022
Date of this report1 March 2022
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.