352 Te Moana Road, Waikanae
View on mapERO’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.
Regulatory standards | ERO’s judgement |
| Curriculum | Meeting |
| Premises and facilities | Meeting |
| Health and safety | Meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Meeting |
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.
Castle Kids Te Moana is a privately owned Christian-based early childhood centre. Since the last ERO review, a new leadership team has been appointed. A centre manager has responsibility for operations and a head teacher supports the teaching team. The service has a small number of Māori children and those of Pacific heritage.
The service curriculum aligns to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers support children’s developing social competency and understanding of appropriate behaviour. Their preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Children are provided with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development, both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups.
Practices relating to aspects of health and safety and governance are not robust. A stronger focus on implementing and monitoring aspects of governance, management and health and safety systems is required by those responsible for governance, to consistently maintain the regulatory standards.
Next steps include:
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS6, HS31, GMA3]
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
1 February 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name: | Castle Kids Te Moana |
| Profile Number | 60079 |
| Location | Waikanae |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 35 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 100% |
| Service roll | 43 |
| Review team on site | December 2023 |
| Date of this report | 1 February 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, September 2022; Education Review, October 2018 |
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.
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:
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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
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.
Castle Kids Te Moana, previously known as Castle Kids Nursery, is a Christian-based, privately owned early childhood centre. A general manager has responsibility for the ongoing operation. A centre supervisor supports an established teaching team. The service has a small number of Māori and children of Pacific heritages.
The service curriculum aligns to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and Christian values. Teachers are responsive and engage in considerate interactions with children. Positive steps are taken to respect and acknowledge the aspirations held by parents and whānau. Children have a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development, both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. The premises and facilities are appropriately resourced.
Internal evaluation and the professional growth cycle are established. The service requires a more informed understanding of the regulatory standards, in relation to governance, management and administration and greater monitoring of health and safety.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
regular and special excursions meet all aspects of the licensing criteria
children are supervised and seated while eating
all children’s workers who have access to children have a risk assessment completed as part of the safety check requirements
an annual plan identifying ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘when’ in relation to key tasks undertaken and how key tasks will have regard to the Statement of National Education and Learning Priorities.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, HS17, HS22, GMA7A, GMA8].
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
a first aid kit that is easily recognisable and readily accessible to adults
unsecured equipment that could fall and topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured
a consistent record of the time each child attending the service sleeps, and checks made by adults during that time
water stored in any hot water cylinder is kept at a temperature of at least 60°C
records show the type of food provided
rooms used by children are kept at a comfortable temperature no lower than 18 degrees.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, PF28, HS6, HS9, HS14, HS19, HS24].
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.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
6 September 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Castle Kids Te Moana |
|
Profile Number |
60079 |
|
Location |
Waikanae |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
35 children, including up to 7 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
|
Service roll |
37 |
|
Review team on site |
July 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
6 September 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, October 2018; Education Review, September 2015 |
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.
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.
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.