Puttick Road, Linton Camp
View on mapRuahine Linton Camp Early Learning
Linton Camp Childcare Centre Ltd
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
Linton Camp Childcare Centre Ltd is a privately owned mixed-aged service. In June 2021 a mentor was appointed to support the centre manager to build capability across the service, and the centre has since regained their full licence. The centre philosophy emphasises their Christian values through whanaungatanga and manaakitanga.
Summary of Review Findings
The curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children as competent and confident learners. A language-rich environment supports children’s learning. Children have the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Teachers respect and acknowledge the aspirations held by parents and whānau for their children.
Information and guidance is sought when necessary from external agencies to work effectively with children and their parents.
Self-review helps the service maintain and improve the quality of its education and care. A philosophy and annual plan guide the service’s operation.
Key Next Steps
Next steps include:
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refining assessment practices to show evaluation of children’s learning over time, and to more consistently reflect their identity, language, and culture
-
embed the centre local curriculum to reflect the things that are important to children and their families, teachers and the wider community.
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
13 July 2022
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name | Linton Camp Childcare Centre Ltd |
Profile Number | 52533 |
Location | Linton Camp |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
58 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
Service roll |
49 |
Ethnic composition |
Māori 29, NZ European/Pākehā 13, Pacific 5, Other ethnic groups 2 |
Review team on site |
June 2022 |
Date of this report |
13 July 2022 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, November 2019; Education Review, October 2015 |
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
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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:
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emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
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physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
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suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher certification; ratios)
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evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
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.
Linton Camp Childcare Centre Ltd - 20/11/2019
1 Evaluation of Linton Camp Childcare Centre Ltd
How well placed is Linton Camp Childcare Centre Ltd to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Linton Camp Childcare Centre Ltd is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Background
Linton Camp Childcare Centre Ltd is a privately-owned service located at Linton Military Camp, Palmerston North. The centre operates from 7.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. It is licensed for a maximum of 58 children including 25 aged up to two years. At the time of this review there are 49 children enrolled: 33 identify as Māori and five of Pacific heritage.
The centre philosophy prioritises the importance of children and whānau knowing they belong and are valued and respected.
Since the October 2015 ERO report there has been further redevelopment to the outdoor area.
The Review Findings
Children explore the space as confident, capable learners with opportunities to play independently. Improved resourcing provides children with increased learning experiences. A purposeful learning tone is evident in the environment. Children's interactions with peers and adults are warm, affirming and respectful.
Teachers work in collaboration with parents and whānau to develop learning goals aligned to Te Whāriki and to identify children's strengths, interests and dispositions for learning. These effectively contribute to planned teaching strategies to progress individual children's goals. Children's cultures, languages and identities are visible through artefacts, displays and verbal greetings. Children's interactions with peers and adults are warm, affirming and respectful.
Assessment successfully illustrates and supports children's continuity in learning. Twice termly individual summaries capture progress and highlight next learning steps. This is done in collaboration with parents and whānau. Mathematics and literacy learning experiences are promoted throughout the curriculum.
Te ao Māori is highly evident through the programme. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are promoted through rituals, waiata, kupu Māori, pepeha, karakia and place. This is reflective of management and teacher commitment to upholding Māori success as Māori and advocating for Te Tiriti o Waitangi based practice. Links with local iwi support the curriculum.
Infants and toddlers experience a settled environment and caregiving practices which support secure attachments. Routines are responsive to individual preferences. Teachers know parents, whānau and children well, working collaboratively to align centre practices to those at home. Tuakana and teina relationships provide opportunities for children to talk, play and build relationships.
Those children with additional learning needs are individually supported within the centre and through external support in partnership with parents and whānau. Pacific cultures and languages are visible across the centre environment.
Well considered transition processes in to, between and on to school promotes children's sense of belonging. Children are supported by parents and whānau during transition into the centre, giving the child and whānau opportunities to develop relationships. Younger children enjoy opportunities to transition to the older areas as a group. Reciprocal relationships with local schools provide opportunities for children to build connections to their new learning environments.
The leaders effectively guide a collaborative team. To further strengthen teachers' knowledge and understanding of evaluative practice and improve consistency of the appraisal process leaders should ensure:
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mentoring supports teachers to develop their practice
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teachers' goals are included in observations of practice
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inquiries measure the impact of change for teachers and outcomes for children.
Review for improvement and accountability is well established. Leaders should continue to grow their own knowledge and practice of internal evaluation to focus more closely on expected and achieved outcomes for children.
The vision and strategic direction clearly guide centre practices and is communicated well to parents and whānau. Leaders identify that centre systems and documents should be further refined to support the centre's sustainable practices. ERO's evaluation confirms this.
Key Next Steps
Priorities for the centre are to continue to strengthen:
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appraisal processes
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understanding and use of internal evaluation to more closely focus on and highlight the impact of teacher actions on outcomes for children.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Linton Camp Childcare Centre Ltd 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
20 November 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 |
Palmerston North |
||
Ministry of Education profile number |
52533 |
||
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
Number licensed for |
58 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
Service roll |
49 |
||
Gender composition |
Male 30, Female 19 |
||
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
33 |
|
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 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
September 2019 |
||
Date of this report |
20 November 2019 |
||
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2015 |
|
Education Review |
September 2012 |
||
Education Review |
April 2009 |
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.