58 Kupe Drive, Whitianga
View on mapERO’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 |
Not meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Whitianga Explorers Ltd trading as Mercury Bay Preschool is one of two services operating under Whitianga Explorers Ltd. There has been a recent change of service ownership and there have also been significant staff changes. Nearly a quarter of the roll identify as Māori, and a small number as Pacific. The areas of non-compliance identified in the 2020 ERO report remain non-compliant.
Tamariki learning is supported within a language-rich curriculum. Māori are acknowledged as tangata whenua. Positive steps are taken to respect parent aspirations. Kaiako support tamariki learning through positive interactions and nurture reciprocal relationships.
The layout of the premises supports different types of indoor and outdoor experiences for tamariki. They have access to a sufficient quantity and variety of learning equipment suitable to their ages and stages.
Practices and policies are in place to maintain health and safety requirements. Aspects of governance, management and administration are yet to be consistently implemented.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
recorded outcomes from evaluation processes
implementing a system of regular appraisal.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education & Care Services 2008, GMA6, GMA7]
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
ensuring every children’s worker is safety checked every three years (GMA7A).
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.
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
11 October 2022
| Early Childhood Service Name | Whitianga Explorers Ltd t-a Mercury Bay Preschool |
| Profile Number | 30303 |
| Location | Whitianga |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
39 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
45 |
|
Review team on site |
September 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
11 October 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, December 2020; Akanuku | Assurance Review, July 2019 |
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.
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.
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.
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 |
Not meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Mercury Bay Preschool (2018) Ltd is a privately owned service. Since the July 2019 ERO Akunuku | Assurance Review, there have been changes in leadership and teachers. ERO identified areas of non-compliance in the July 2019 report relating to teacher appraisals, excursion records and emergency drill records. Some progress is evident.
Children are provided with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development. They are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions that nurture reciprocal relationships.
The quantity and variety of resources provided are appropriate for the learning and abilities of children attending.
Procedures are in place to manage health and safety requirements including excursions and emergencies.
Processes for reviewing and evaluating teaching and learning practices require strengthening. Appraisals of the centre manager and teachers are yet to be implemented.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA6, GMA7]
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
4 December 2020
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Mercury Bay Preschool (2018) Ltd |
|
Profile Number |
30303 |
|
Location |
Whitianga |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
39 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
44 |
|
Gender composition |
Female 24, Male 20. |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 14, NZ European/Pākehā 21, Pacific 3, Other ethnic groups 6. |
|
Review team on site |
November 2020 |
|
Date of this report |
4 December 2020 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Akanuku | Assurance Review, July 2019; Education Review, December 2015. |
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. 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:
|
Regulatory standards |
|
|
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 non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Mercury Bay Preschool (2018) Ltd is a privately owned centre. Since the last ERO review in 2015 there have been significant changes in the ownership, leadership and within the teaching team. Leaders and teachers have benefited from recent professional development through Ministry of Education funded Strengthening Education Learning Opportunities (SELO) to address areas identified in the last ERO report and to support the new team.
Children benefit from meaningful and positive interactions with their teachers. The recently revised curriculum provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance their learning and development. The playground has been developed and a sufficient variety of furniture, equipment and materials is provided. Infants and toddlers have their care needs well met and their preferences respected.
Areas found to be non-compliant in 2018 are related to appraisal, excursions and fire drills. Some of these have processes have since been addressed. The new centre manager has recently resigned. ERO has concerns about the ongoing sustainability of the staffing within the centre.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
teacher appraisals, not conducted in 2018
excursion records, not consistently signed by parents in 2018
travel by private motor vehicle, not accurately documented in 2018
fire drills, not completed three-monthly during 2018.
These processes have been strengthened in 2019 and now need to be accurately monitored by managers and leaders.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7, HS17, HS18, HS8 Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, Regulation 47, (1) (a&e), 46 (1) (a,b &d).
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.
The next ERO review of Mercury Bay Preschool (2018) Ltd will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
23 July 2019
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Mercury Bay Preschool (2018) Ltd |
||
|
Profile Number |
30303 |
||
|
Location |
Whitianga |
||
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
||
|
Number licensed for |
39 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff / adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 Meets regulatory standards |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:10 Meets regulatory standards |
||
|
Service roll |
32 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Female 18 Male 14 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 7 |
||
|
Review team on site |
May 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
23 July 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2015 |
|
|
Education Review (as Lil Nippers Daycare and Preschool) |
July 2012 |
||
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 Home-based Education and Care Services 2008
the Licensing Criteria for Hospital-based 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.
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 Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
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 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 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.