Alphabet Academy Roslyn

Education institution number:
52546
Service type:
Education & Care Service
Total roll:
42
Telephone:
Address:

525 Featherston Street, Roslyn, Palmerston North

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Alphabet Academy Roslyn

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

Alphabet Academy Roslyn is one of two services governed by the Vision Community Trust. A head teacher oversees the day-to-day running of the service. Of all enrolled children a small number identify as Māori or of Pacific heritages, nearly half are Indian, and nearly a quarter are Filipino. 

Summary of Review Findings

The service philosophy prioritises a Christian based approach and is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Children’s preferences and contributions to decisions about their learning are respected. Aspirations held by parents and whānau for their children are acknowledged. 

A range of experiences and opportunities are provided to children to enhance and extend their learning and development. The curriculum acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua. Children have opportunities to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Key Next Step

A key next step is to:

  • Strengthen opportunities for children to see and hear their languages and cultures reflected through the daily programme and documented assessment. 

Action for Compliance

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

  • Daily checks of equipment, premises and facilities for hazards to children include all areas required by the licensing criterion.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS12.

Next ERO Review 

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

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

7 February 2024 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name Alphabet Academy Roslyn
Profile Number 52546
Location Palmerston North
Service typeEducation and care service
Number licensed for45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2
Percentage of qualified teachers 80-99%
Service roll56
Review team on siteDecember 2023
Date of this report7 February 2024
Most recent ERO report(s)Akarangi | Quality Evaluation, July 2022; Education Review, March 2019

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

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. 

Alphabet Academy Roslyn

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 Alphabet Academy Roslyn are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

 Whakawhanake Sustaining
 Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service

Alphabet Academy Roslyn is one of two early learning services governed by the Vision Community Trust. Day-to-day management of the centres is the responsibility of the managing director. An experienced head teacher leads a culturally diverse team of five registered teachers.

3 Summary of findings

Children are successful learners. They are effectively supported by intentional teaching in a child-led, play-based context. Culturally diverse and viewed as confident, capable learners, children experience a curriculum that celebrates their cultures, languages, and identities. Assessment practices show children’s increasing capabilities in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Parents and teachers work collaboratively to implement a responsive curriculum for all learners. Programmes are refined to include the views and aspirations parents have for their children. Their sense of belonging, learning and development is nurtured.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is incorporated through policies and practices to reflect Māori ways of knowing, doing and being. Tuakana teina (older-younger child) relationships support children to take increasing responsibility for their own and others’ actions. Te reo Māori, waiata, and tikanga are interwoven alongside Pacific language through the curriculum. The mana of children is upheld.

Equity for all children is prioritised. Teachers inquire into their practice and make appropriate changes to foster culturally responsive practices. Leaders purposefully examine the effectiveness and impact of programmes to promote positive and equitable outcomes for children. The service continues to build a shared understanding of evaluation to better identify what matters most for learners.

Sound governance practices and systems guide decision making to uphold the learning and wellbeing of children, families, and teachers.

4 Improvement actions

Alphabet Academy Roslyn will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • work with whānau Māori and mana whenua to build kaiako understanding of local histories and stories of significance

  • strengthen internal evaluation processes to better understand how well individual children and groups of children are progressing against the valued outcomes in Te Whāriki to identify what further changes need to be made.

5. Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Alphabet Academy Roslyn 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.

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.

6 Actions for Compliance

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

  • adults providing education and care are familiar staff are familiar with lockdown drills and have carried them out with children (HS8).

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

13 July 2022 

7 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Alphabet Academy Roslyn

Profile Number

52546

Location

Roslyn, Palmerston North

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

56

Ethnic composition

Māori 3, NZ European/Pākehā 2, Indian 27, Filipino 13, Other ethnic groups 11

Review team on site

May 2022

Date of this report

13 July 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, March 2019; Education Review, May 2016