68 Brynley Street, Hornby, Christchurch
View on mapBrynley Street Nursery & Preschool
Brynley Street Nursery & Preschool
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 |
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
Brynley Street Nursery and Preschool is a privately owned early childhood service. The team leader is supported by the centre owner who is involved in the daily running of the service. A quarter of the children attending the centre are Māori.
Summary of Review Findings
Children experience respectful interactions with teachers that support their developing independence and confidence. They have choice in their participation and learning experiences. The learning environment is language rich, and children have opportunities to hear and speak te reo Māori.
The curriculum is aligned with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Assessment documentation shows parents’ aspirations and demonstrates an understanding of their child’s learning. The layout and design of the premises supports the provision of indoor and outdoor experiences for children who are attending.
Governance management and administration, and health and safety systems and practices need to be further developed to meet and maintain the regulatory standards.
Actions for Compliance
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
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evidence of how the evaluation of emergency drills carried out on at least a three-monthly basis has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan
-
an accurate record of the time each child attending the service sleeps, and the checks made by adults during that time
-
that children are seated and supervised at all times while eating
-
a record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children attending the service includes the name of the child, parental permission given to administer the medication and acknowledgment that medication has been given
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attendance records that meet the requirements outlined in the Early Childhood Education Funding Handbook for children currently attending the service.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS8, HS9, HS22, HS28, GMA11].
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
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first aid kit that complies with appendix 1 of the Licensing Criteria and is easily recognisable [PF28]
-
heavy equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage [HS6]
-
written child protection policy that meets the requirements of the children’s Act, 2014 including provision of direct reporting to relevant agencies in case of suspected abuse of children [HS31]
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an up-to-date copy of the Education (Early Childhood Services) Licencing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008 is prominently displayed for parents and visitors [GMA1]
-
information provided to parents about the amount and details of the expenditure of any Ministry of Education funding received by the service [GMA3]
-
that the risk assessment statement is fully completed as part of the three yearly safety check undertaken for all staff and meets the requirements of the Children’s Act, 2014 [GMA7a]
-
an annual plan that clearly identifies who is responsible for key tasks the service intends to undertake each year. [GMA8]
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
16 February 2023
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name |
Brynley Street Nursery and Preschool |
Profile Number |
70119 |
Location |
Christchurch |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
Service roll |
55 |
Review team on site |
November 2022 |
Date of this report |
16 February 2023 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, July 2019; Education Review, June 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:
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having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
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previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
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that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
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that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
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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:
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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:
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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:
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discussions with those involved in the service
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consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
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observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.
Brynley Street Nursery & Preschool - 11/10/2019
1 Evaluation of Brynley Street Nursery and Preschool
How well placed is Brynley Street Nursery and Preschool to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Brynley Street Nursery and Preschool is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Background
Brynley Street Nursery and Preschool is a small privately owned service. The centre's owners are involved in the ownership of four other centres in the Prebbleton area.
The centre's philosophy is underpinned by the Treaty of Waitangi and Te Whāriki, with a focus on relationships, whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, the use of natural resources and the environment.
The centre is licensed for 35 children, with a maximum of 10 children aged under two years. It has separate nursery and preschool areas, each with its own outdoor spaces. The mixed aged group setting for two to five year olds allows older and younger children to support each other within the programme. Staffing at the service is stable and experienced. Most of the staff are fully qualified teachers.
The centre has made good progress regarding the following next steps identified in the 2016 ERO report:
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further developing assessment
-
strengthening aspects of the self-review process
-
successfully embedding the new appraisal processes and further developing aspects of performance management
-
increasing bicultural perspectives in centre documentation and practices.
The Review Findings
Children are viewed as confident, capable learners. The programme is child-initiated, where children can follow their interests for extended periods of uninterrupted time. Children can choose from a wide range of experiences in a well-resourced programme. Teachers focus appropriately on the individual needs of each child. They respond well to their interests and strengths, and effectively identify how they can support them through the programme. There is a strong focus on developing close learning partnerships with parents.
Children under two years benefit from responsive teachers and respectful, unhurried routines. Transitions into, within and out of the service are well managed and focus on the needs and wellbeing of each child and family. Leaders and teachers have established positive relationships with the local primary schools to better facilitate transitions.
Children with additional learning needs benefit from an inclusive environment. Teachers have positive connections with community agencies. This ensures children and their whānau are very well supported.
Manaakitanga and whanaungatanga are well-established centre values. Teachers incorporate te ao Māori values into the daily programme. They work together collaboratively and foster respectful reciprocal relationships with each other and with children.
Centre leaders have developed clear strategic and annual planning to guide the development and operation of the service. They focus on ensuring accountability, with regular informative reporting in place, and provide useful formats that assist in the effective monitoring of systems and processes. Teachers make good use of the internal evaluation process. This could be further strengthened by ensuring that each internal evaluation is revisited.
Leaders and teachers engage in an effective appraisal processes and targeted professional learning and development. Leadership is collaborative, and teachers support each other to achieve the centre's priorities.
Teachers' assessment and planning is high quality. Learning stories show increasing complexity in children's learning and include ways that intentional teaching strategies have been used to support this. Teachers actively seek parents' aspirations for their child and respond to these. They regularly evaluate children's progress and the effectiveness of the planning and teaching strategies. Further strengthening of assessment would be improved by reflecting children's language, culture and identity in documentation.
Key Next Steps
ERO and centre leaders agree that the service's key next steps are to continue to strengthen:
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bicultural practices, and understandings and use of te ao Māori
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the final stage of the internal evaluation process to determine the impact of the inquiry on outcomes for children
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the visibility of children's home language, culture and identity in assessment documentation.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Brynley Street Nursery and Preschool 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 Te Tai Tini
Southern Region
11 October 2019
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 |
Christchurch |
||
Ministry of Education profile number |
70119 |
||
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
Number licensed for |
35 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
Service roll |
52 |
||
Gender composition |
Girls 28, Boys 24 |
||
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
12 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
Over 2 |
1:9 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
July 2019 |
||
Date of this report |
11 October 2019 |
||
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
June 2016 |
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.