Te Pahu Preschool Group - 11/02/2021

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

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

Te Pahu Preschool Group is a non-profit, incorporated society. The service is governed by an elected volunteer executive committee. The preschool provides all-day education and care for children from three to six years of age. A head teacher and office manager are responsible for the management operation and leadership.

Summary of Review Findings

The centre philosophy reflects the service’s beliefs and values. The curriculum is inclusive, and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Parents’ aspirations and children’s interests inform individualised learning plans. Children and their families are supported to be confident in their own culture. Children are encouraged to develop an understanding, and respect for the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua.

The design and layout of the indoor and outdoor environments support the provision of different types of learning and experiences. Management processes are in place to guide daily centre operation.

Actions for Compliance

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

heavy furniture, fixtures and equipment that could topple and fall needing to be secured or removed (HS6)
a safety device attached to the kitchen door ensuring that children don’t have access to the kitchen without adult assistance or supervision (PF17)
consistent evidence of parental acknowledgement that medicine has been given to children (HS28).

Next ERO Review

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

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

11 February 2021

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name	Te Pahu Preschool Group
Profile Number	34046
Location	Te Pahu, Waikato
Service type	Education and care service
Number licensed for	33 children
Percentage of qualified teachers	80%
Service roll	35
Gender composition	Female 18, Male 17.
Ethnic composition	Māori 4 NZ European/Pākehā 29 Other ethnic groups 2
Review team on site	November, 2020
Date of this report	11 February 2021
Most recent ERO report(s)	Education Review, December 2016 Education Review, August 2013

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.