157 Otumoetai Road, Brookfield, Tauranga
View on mapThe Blue Cottage Early Learning Otumoetai Road
Thrive Learning Centre
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 |
Meeting |
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Background
Thrive Learning Centre is privately owned and operated. It caters for children from birth to school age in two age-based rooms. The owner/centre manager leads a team of nine qualified and two unqualified teachers. This is the service’s first ERO review since opening.
Summary of Review Findings
Inclusive and responsive teaching practice responds to children as confident and competent leaners. Their preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. A language rich environment is promoted. Bicultural practice reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua.
Teachers provide positive and meaningful interactions to enhance learning and reciprocal relationships. The curriculum presents children with a range of experiences and opportunities to extend their learning. The annual plan guides operations. Policy review and internal evaluation supports improvement.
Key Next Steps
Next steps include:
- strengthening the provision for all children’s languages, cultures and identities to be more visible in assessment
- further developing the use of the learning outcomes of the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum Te Whāriki.
Next ERO Review
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
17 June 2021
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name | Thrive Learning Centre |
Profile Number | 47617 |
Location | Brookfield, Tauranga |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
54 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
Service roll |
53 |
Ethnic composition |
Māori 6, NZ European/Pākehā 41, Other ethnic groups 6 |
Review team on site |
April 2021 |
Date of this report |
17 June 2021 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
First ERO review of the service |
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 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:
- 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 certification; ratios)
- evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
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.