Chelsea House

Education institution number:
55407
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
91
Telephone:
Address:

9 Lorien Court, Raumati-Wellington

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Chelsea House

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

Not meeting

Health and safety

Not meeting

Governance, management and administration

Not meeting

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

Background

Chelsea House is one of two privately-owned early childhood services. Recent internal leadership changes include a centre director who oversees the operation of both centres, supported by an assistant centre manager. The culturally diverse roll includes a small number of Māori children, and those of Pacific heritage.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Children have a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development – both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. They are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Adults engage in meaningful, in positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships Children are supported to be confident in their own culture and encouraged to respect and understand other cultures. Greater understanding and monitoring of the regulatory standards is required.

Actions for Compliance

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

  • the older childrens outdoor activity space is suitably surfaced for a range of activities

  • evidence of a review of the written emergency plan on at least an annual basis. The plan includes a list of safety and emergency supplies and resources sufficient for the age and number of children and adults and details of how these will be maintained and accessed in an emergency

  • a record of emergency drills carried out and evidence of how evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan

  • keeping full and consistent records of regular and special excursions that include: the time and date of the excursion, assessment and management of risk, adult:child ratios, evidence of parental permission and approval of adult:child ratios, and the signature of the person responsible

  • when children travel in a motor vehicle the written permission of a parent of the child is obtained before the travel begins

  • a record of all injuries, illnesses and incidents that consistently shows evidence that parents have been informed

  • the amount and details of expenditure of Ministry of Education funding.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, PF13, HS7, HS8, HS17, HS18, HS27, GMA3].

Since the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non compliances:

  • a first aid kit that complies with the requirements of Appendix 1 [PF28]
  • stretchers that will be used by more than one child over time are securely covered with a non-porous material that does not allow liquid to pass through [PF30]
  • furniture and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage is secured [HS6]
  • sleep records that consistently show when children go to sleep and wake up, and that they are checked at least every 5 to 10 minutes [HS9]
  • daily hazard checks that include the condition and placement of learning, play and other equipment, windows and other areas of glass, and bodies of water, and are undertaken in the indoor and outdoor areas on a daily basis [HS12]
  • designated sleep rooms are kept at a comfortable temperature no lower than 18°C (at 500mm above the floor) while children are attending [HS24]
  • medication needs to be consistently recorded including the name and amount of medicine given, and evidence of parental acknowledgement [HS28]
  • a written child protection policy that includes provision for reporting of child abuse and neglect [HS31]
  • parents are provided with opportunities to contribute to the development and review of the service’s operational documents [GMA4]
  • all children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014. [GMA7A]
  • an attendance record is consistently maintained that shows the times and dates of every child’s attendance. [GMA11]

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence issued to this service provider. 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 will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Kathy Lye
Director Review and Improvement Services (Acting, Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

22 February 2023 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Chelsea House

Profile Number

55407

Location

Raumati

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

90 children, including up to 27 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

104

Review team on site

November 2022

Date of this report

22 February 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review April 2020; Education Review November 2016.

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.

Chelsea House - 28/04/2020

1 Evaluation of Chelsea House

How well placed is Chelsea House to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Chelsea House is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Chelsea House in Raumati is a privately-owned early learning service. It is licensed to provide all-day care and education for up to 90 children, including 27 up to the age of two. At the time of this review, five of the 82 children enrolled identified as Māori and three were of Pacific heritage.

Day to day management of the service is the responsibility of the centre manager. The learning environment is comprised of six rooms overseen by team leaders.

The recently-reviewed philosophy values relationships with learners and families, and respects individuality, culture and heritage.

The 2016 ERO report identified internal evaluation, appraisal, developing knowledge of culture, language and identity, and curriculum as areas for development. Progress is evident in these areas.

The Review Findings

Children engage with a meaningful range of opportunities that allows them to initiate and sustain their learning. They collaborate with one another in an inclusive environment. Regular excursions and community resources are used to enhance learning experiences.

Gentle, respectful interactions support children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging. Routines are used as meaningful learning opportunities, especially for infants and toddlers. Teachers have renewed their teaching practices to ensure that they are responsive to the needs of very young children. These changes impact positively on the quality of care they provide. Teachers have developed their proficiency in observing babies’ cues and are highly attuned to, and respectful of each child’s needs and urges.

Care is taken to ensure that children transition at their own pace and that parents are fully informed throughout the process. Each child's readiness for transition is a key consideration.

The centre's bicultural curriculum and culturally responsive practices are becoming more evident within the learning environment. External expertise has supported a deliberate focus on developing and strengthening te ao Māori. This is having a clear and positive impact on centre practice. Leaders have identified the need to further develop their place-based curriculum. Staff have already begun to include local Māori stories and make connections with iwi kaumatua.

Pacific heritage families support teachers as they include Pacific words of relevance into the centre and learning stories. Leaders and teachers continue to look for ways to strengthen practice in promoting the language, culture and identity of Pacific learners.

Children with additional learning needs are identified, and external support is appropriately accessed, to enhance their learning. The inclusive centre environment supports their wellbeing.

A useful policy outlines expectations for curriculum planning and assessment. This is reflected in teacher practices across rooms. Teachers notice and recognise children’s learning. Documenting how they add complexity varies. A next step is to further develop the consistency of high-quality practices across the centre. Gathering and responding to parent aspirations in learning stories should be made clearer.

A suitable appraisal process is in place to support teacher development and meet accountabilities. Leaders appropriately focus on building the quality of teaching and learning through providing professional learning opportunities.

The improvement aspect of self review is understood, with regular reviews focusing on areas identified for improvement. Developing shared understandings of internal evaluation that focus on improving the quality of practices is a next step.

Key Next Steps

ERO and leaders agree about the need to further develop:

  • the consistency and quality of curriculum assessment and planning to improve outcomes for children

  • a shared understanding and implementation of internal evaluation to inform decision making.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Chelsea House 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)

Southern Region - Te Tai Tini

28 April 2020

The Purpose of ERO Reports

The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Raumati-Wellington

Ministry of Education profile number

55407

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

90 children, including up to 27 aged under 2

Service roll

82

Gender composition

Girls 44, Boys 38

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Pacific
Other Ethnicities

5
60
3
14

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

December 2019

Date of this report

28 April 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

November 2016

Education Review

August 2014

Education Review

September 2011

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:

Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children

Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children

Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children

Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.

Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.

ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.

A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.

For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.

ERO’s Overall Judgement

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

  • Very well placed

  • Well placed

  • Requires further development

  • Not well placed

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.