122 Barbadoes Street, Christchurch, Christchurch
View on mapAkarangi | 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 Tafesilafa’i Early Learning Centre (TELC) are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whakatō Emerging |
Tafesilafa’i Early Learning Centre (TELC) is a faith-based centre serving its Samoan Community. Three teachers are certificated including the centre lead, who is responsible for reporting to an elected board on day-to-day operations. Most children are of Samoan heritage and a small number whakapapa Māori. Some progress has been made in relation to assessment for learning practices since ERO’s 2021 review.
The service’s curriculum aligns with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Children’s mana and their learner identity is promoted in a language-rich learning environment. They are supported by experts in Samoan cultural practices to implement the values of Fa’aaloalo (respect), Alofa (love), Tautua (service), Matāfaioi (responsibility) and A’oa’oga (learning and teaching). Bicultural practices, the philosophy values, and the vision for learners and fānau are clearly evident.
Children have many opportunities to learn in an inclusive and responsive environment. Older children are leaders of their learning through a balanced programme of child-led and teacher-led activities. Infants and toddlers experience predictable routines in a nurturing, unhurried environment with attentive adults.
The learning outcomes from Te Whāriki are used to show children’s growing capabilities in documented assessment. However, these are not yet being used to evaluate children’s learning progress overtime. Teachers gather parents’ aspirations but do not yet document these conversations to show how information shared is used to plan for their child’s learning. This was a recommendation in ERO’s 2021 report and remains an area for further development.
Teachers work collaboratively, and relational trust is evident. There is a process in place to support teachers and build their professional knowledge. They now need to evaluate how professional growth impacts on their practice to promote positive outcomes for children. Leaders, teachers, and the governing board are in the very early stages of understanding internal evaluation to promote positive outcomes for learners and their learning. It is timely for them to develop clear systems and processes that focus on improvement for children.
The board is parent-led and fully supports centre-led roles and responsibilities. However, they need to build their knowledge of the regulatory standards and be assured that these are being consistently met.
Tafesilafa’i Early Learning Centre (TELC) will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Tafesilafa’i Early Learning Centre (TELC) 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education & Care Services 2008, HS8, HS17, GMA8.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
5 June 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | Tafesilafa’i Early Learning Centre (TELC) |
| Profile Number | 70550 |
| Location | Christchurch |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 25 |
| Review team on site | February 2024 |
| Date of this report | 5 June 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, April 2021; Education Review, October 2017 |
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 | Meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Tafesilafa’i Early Learning Centre (TELC) promotes Gagana Samoa (Samoan language) and Aganu'u Samoa (Samoan culture) for children in a Catholic faith-based setting. Most children attending have Samoan heritage. The October 2017 ERO report found that the service required further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children. Significant progress is evident.
The service curriculum aligns with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Infants, toddlers and older children learn in a Samoan language-rich environment, underpinned by Catholic values. They have opportunities to develop their social and emotional competence with their peers and adults. Their cultures are respected and supported through the daily use of their home languages and cultural practices. Health and safety procedures are regularly monitored. The premises and facilities are appropriately resourced for the different ages and abilities of the children attending.
Next steps include strengthening aspects of assessment, planning and evaluation to show:
Next ERO Review
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
8 April 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Tafesilafa’i Early Learning Centre (TELC) |
| Profile Number | 70550 |
| Location | Christchurch |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2. |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
| Service roll | 28 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 1, NZ European/Pākehā 1, Samoan 25, Other ethnicities 1. |
| Review team on site | October 2020 |
| Date of this report | 8 April 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, October 2017; Education Review, November 2014. |
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 (PDF 1MB). 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 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC) requires external support to establish effective governance, management and employment practices and to build leadership and teaching capability.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC) is a total immersion Samoan service that operates under the umbrella of the Canterbury Catholic Diocese. It provides education and care for children from birth to school age. Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, guides the centre programme.
The aoga is a not-for-profit, community based service, governed by a board that oversees the centre's strategic direction. The Trust has been deregistered under the Charitable Trusts Act since 2010.
There are two registered teachers including the supervisor, who oversee the programme delivery. The rest of the staff comprise of a large number of relief teachers.
The 2014 ERO report identified some improvement in the quality of programmes for children and in the management of aoga operations. Since 2014, professional support for the governance board and staff has focused on improving the quality of the programme, internal evaluation, governance and management. For this professional development to have a positive impact, there needs to be a better understanding about effective governance and management structures and practices.
Children continue to benefit from being immersed in an inclusive and welcoming gagana and aganu’u Samoa context. They participate enthusiastically in cultural aspects of the programme. Some children take leadership roles in lotu and mat-time and use gagana Samoa confidently in their interactions with adults. Samoan cultural resources, artefacts and photo displays are strongly evident.
Teachers promote a programme that acknowledges the bicultural heritages of Aotearoa and include te reo Māori in the learning programme. They could further strengthen the programme by building on Māori world views and values of families belonging to other cultures.
Relationships amongst children are respectful and inclusive. Children confidently approach adults and articulate their ideas. They are imaginative, initiate activities and make independent choices relating to their play. It would be useful for the supervisor to develop a roster so that relievers know what they need to do to sustain the flow of the programme.
Teachers' external professional development has had a positive impact on how they document and describe what they know about children's learning and development. Children's individual portfolios contain some good records of what teachers know about children. Teachers meet regularly to share and discuss what they have noticed about individual children's progress. They evaluate learning and plan programmes that are focused on activities that children enjoy. Teachers should continue to work towards engaging parents in their children’s learning and maintaining consistently good quality practices.
The management and governance committee have made some progress in meeting their governance and management responsibilities and obligations. They have engaged with an external professional development provider to gain clarity of their roles. Developing a clear vision and mission to guide the service's future direction with strong links to policies and procedures is a next step. The committee agrees it urgently needs to appoint an experienced centre manager with early childhood education qualifications, to lead the team.
As a priority, the board will need to clarify its status as a Trust, establish effective governance and management structures and review the centre's financial viability. The governance and management committee agrees that improvements are required in:
Before the review, the staff and management of Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC) 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA3,7, HS28,31;
Education Act 1989, s319D, Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
ERO recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
The next ERO review of Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC) will be within two years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
30 October 2017
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.
| Location | Christchurch | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 70550 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 28 | ||
| Gender composition | Girls 16 Boys 12 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Samoan Cook Islands Māori other | 4 1 19 2 2 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ | 50-79% | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:5 | Meets minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:6 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | July 2017 | ||
| Date of this report | 30 October 2017 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | November 2014 | |
| Education Review | May 2012 | ||
| Education Review | February 2008 | ||
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:
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.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.