Clendon Kids Early 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

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.

Background

Clendon Kids Early Learning Centre is one of five services that are part of Community KIDS Early Learning Centres (Fruition Education Limited). This service opened in 2021. Two directors/owners and an operations manager work with a centre manager, team leaders and teachers. There are three rooms for different age groups of children. The community is ethnically diverse. Enrolled children include a large number who have Pacific heritages, and about a quarter are Māori.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understand and respect other cultures. The curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions and nurture reciprocal relationships. A language-rich environment supports children’s learning. A philosophy statement guides the service’s operations.

Consistent implementation of health and safety practices is required to maintain regulatory standards.

Key Next Steps

Next steps are to:

• Continue to develop the local curriculum to reflect the things that are important to children and their families, to kaiako and the wider community.

• Strengthen children’s assessment records to show their progress and learning over time.

• Improve the extent to which individual/group planning processes, and evaluation information demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning, their interests, whānau and life context.

Actions for Compliance

The service has provided ERO with evidence to show the following non-compliances have been addressed:

• Having a tempering valve or other accurate means of limiting hot water temperature installed for the requirements of criterion HS13 to be met (PF24).

• Ensuring heavy furniture, fixtures, and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured (HS6).

• Ensuring documentation required for special excursions includes the names of adults involved, assessment and management of risk, evidence of parental permission and approval of adult:child ratios, and the signature of the person responsible who has given approval for the excursion to take place (HS17).

• Maintaining a record of training and/or information provided to adults who administer medicine to children (other than their own) while at the service (HS29).

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

17 October 2023 

Information About 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 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.