19 Wainui Road, Silverdale
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Silverdale Playcentre operates as a family cooperative as part of the North Shore Playcentre Association. It is in a historic building beside the Silverdale Museum and has retained its small community focus in a growing urban area. The centre is open for three sessions each week and is licensed for 30 children including 15 up to two years of age. Most of the children currently attending are between the ages of two and three.
The Playcentre philosophy affirms parents as valued and best educators of their children. Sessions are guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. There is an expectation that te reo and tikanga Māori will be included during sessions. Recently the Association has undertaken to make professional development available, to support centre members in learning and using New Zealand Sign Language.
The North Shore Playcentre Association manages centres’ funding and provides a training programme for parents/whānau to achieve Playcentre qualifications. It also has good systems to support centre members to manage their centres and to provide good quality educational programmes for children. The national Playcentre organisation is currently undergoing restructure. There will be a new regional manager and new centre support roles.
ERO’s 2013 report noted that parents and children have fun together as adults develop their understanding of effective teaching and learning. ERO recommended that members improve training levels, internal evaluation systems and consider ways to extend children’s learning through appropriate use of Te Whāriki. Some good progress has been made in these areas
This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association.
Children are happy and settle quickly when they arrive at the centre. They are confident to make choices and older children show a willingness to try new experiences. Adults work together well and support children to make decisions and express their ideas. They actively listen to children and work well alongside them to support their ideas and interests. Adults use simple te reo Māori in appropriate ways.
Children have fun and are totally engaged in play. Their ideas are valued and respected. Both children and whānau enjoy a sense of belonging and whanaungatanga. In an unhurried and unrushed atmosphere, children are able to explore and develop good self esteem.
Centre members take an active role in their children's education and the management of the centre. Warm and respectful relationships between families contribute to the strong sense of community in the centre. There is a strong focus on the mutual support between members in the parenting and education of their children. Members work cooperatively as a cohesive group to maximise opportunities for children to learn through play. They are responsive to children’s choices, support children to develop friendships, and have considered ways to better respond and cater for infants.
An Association Centre Field Officer guides and supports whānau to implement the programme. Individual assessment portfolios show children's interests and adults’ documentation of children’s learning and development. Whānau are beginning to make good links with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. They now need to plan experiences to extend children’s interests and evaluate the impact of these experiences for children’s learning.
The Association management team have a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and having a bicultural partnership with whānau Māori. This commitment is evident in Association operations and in the support provided for centres. Te ao Māori is visible in the centre and whānau encourage each other to include te reo and tikanga Māori throughout the programme. Centre members are keen to continue to share their good practices with other centres in the Association.
Internal evaluation is child focused and purposeful and is being used to inform improvements. Whānau review the programme to ensure they meet the needs of the mixed-age group of children, particularly infants and older children. They agree that they could include outcomes for children in their evaluation processes. Centre members are also considering how to add more complexity and challenge for older children in the programme.
Experienced centre members provide effective leadership and work collaboratively to manage the Playcentre. They willingly share their knowledge and expertise with new parents and appreciate the strong support they receive from the Association.
The Association provides effective governance and management structures for the centres. There are good systems in place to monitor the quality of sessions, adult education levels, and health and safety requirements. The management team demonstrates the professional leadership necessary to help the centres respond to change, including the restructure of the national Playcentre organisation.
Key next steps for centre members are to continue to:
strengthen the bicultural programme
evaluate how effectively all children's home languages and cultural identity are celebrated and included
evaluate progress towards long term and annual goals.
To help enhance practices in all North Shore Playcentres, new regional support personnel should consider ways to support members to:
increase their bicultural understanding and integration of te reo me ōna tikanga Māori
improve their understanding and use of internal evaluation as a tool to guide and improve practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Silverdale Playcentre 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:
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.
The next ERO review of Silverdale Playcentre will be in three years.
Violet Tu'uga Stevenson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
30 June 2017
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.
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Location |
Silverdale, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
22050 |
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Licence type |
Playcentre |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
17 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 14 Girls 3 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
May 2017 |
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Date of this report |
30 June 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
November 2013 |
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|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
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Education Review |
March 2007 |
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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:
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.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
The North Shore Playcentre Association is providing appropriate support that is helping Silverdale Playcentre to be well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Silverdale Playcentre provides early childhood education for children up to six years of age. The centre is open for three sessions each week and is licensed for up to thirty children, including a maximum of fifteen children under two years of age. At present, the majority of children are between the ages of two and three.
The North Shore Playcentre Association is the umbrella organisation for twenty-one playcentres, including Silverdale, situated in North Auckland. Many of these centres are semi-rural. The association manages and distributes centres’ funding and provides a training programme for parents/whānau to achieve playcentre qualifications. It also has good systems to support centre members to manage the playcentres and to provide educational programmes for children. The association is currently reviewing many aspects of its operations to help reduce the administrative workload for its members.
Silverdale Playcentre operates in a heritage building. Significant renovations to this building occurred during 2012, enhancing children’s wellbeing and comfort. During these renovations, the playcentre was closed, and parents and children attended some sessions at other playcentres. As a result, centre membership declined. Since that time, and particularly during 2013, membership has grown.
ERO’s 2010 review recommended that centre members should continue to improve the programme by extending children’s learning. Currently, most centre members are new to the playcentre and are developing their understanding of playcentre philosophy, expectations and responsibilities. Members are appreciative of the good levels of support provided by North Shore Playcentre Association.
This review was part of a cluster of 21 playcentre reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association.
Parents and children have fun together. They readily access resources and choose to be involved in activities and play areas. Their choices are respected. Children are beginning to establish friendships and are increasingly playing alongside each other and in groups.
Members are developing their understanding of effective teaching and learning practices, including achieving a balance between child-initiated and parent-supported play. They meet before and after each session to discuss and plan a programme to respond to and broaden children’s interests.
The recently appointed playcentre president is responding well to identified centre priorities and is putting systems in place to improve centre management and organisation, and programme provision. This direction is well supported by parents who are accepting positions of responsibility to improve outcomes for children. Centre leaders have identified their priorities at this stage as:
The Association management team takes responsibility for specific tasks relating to the function of the association. They are committed to and enthusiastic about their involvement in playcentre and actively foster emergent leadership to help sustain the association. The management team demonstrates the professional leadership necessary to help the association respond to change, make decisions and manage issues as they arise. The North Shore Playcentre Association provides effective support to help this playcentre remain well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.
A bicultural partnership with Māori whānau is evident in Association operations. The management team have a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to building both adults’ and children’s familiarity with te reo and tikanga Māori. Children at this centre participate in Matariki celebrations, weaving and making poi.
The Association management team has identified that aspects of self review could be more robust and better documented. This self review should be focused on positive outcomes for children. In addition to the above identified priorities, and as Silverdale Playcentre members progress in their training levels, they should now also:
Before the review, the staff and management of Silverdale Playcentre 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of Silverdale Playcentre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
15 November 2013
|
Location |
Silverdale |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
22050 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
21 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 12 Girls 9 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā Indian |
20 1 |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
August 2013 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 November 2013 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
October 2004 |
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:
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.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.