72A Hamilton Road, Hataitai, Wellington
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 |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Meeting |
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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.
Hataitai Playcentre is a whānau-led early childhood education service administered by Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa – Playcentre Aotearoa. Since the previous May 2017 ERO report there has been significant restructuring and change at the national playcentre level. Regular support is provided by a Centre Advisor. The service offers four morning sessions for children from birth to school age and two afternoon sessions for infants. The roll includes a diverse range of ethnicities including a small number of Māori children.
Children participate in a programme consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Infants, toddlers, and older children experience positive, meaningful interactions with adults. They have opportunities to hear and speak te reo Māori and learn about the dual heritages of Aotearoa.
The premises and facilities are designed and resourced to provide for the learning and abilities of the children attending. Parents contribute to the review of the service’s operational documents. A national policy, procedure and process framework guides the operation of each playcentre. Greater monitoring of some health and safety practices is required.
Next steps include:
continuing to develop the bicultural curriculum including the localised curriculum.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
heavy furniture and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage is secured
a consistent record of special excursions that aligns to all licensing criteria requirements.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, HS6, HS17.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
14 November 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Hataitai Playcentre |
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Profile Number |
60032 |
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Location |
Wellington |
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Service type |
Playcentre |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 18 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
53 |
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Review team on site |
September 2022 |
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Date of this report |
14 November 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review May 2017; Education Review May 2014 |
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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Hataitai Playcentre is one of 19 parent-led early childhood centres governed and administered by the Wellington Playcentre Association (the association). It is licensed to provide mixed age sessional education and care for up to 30 children, five mornings a week. This includes provision for 18 children up to the age of two at any one time.
A council, of elected volunteer representatives from each of the association's member centres, oversees operation of the association at the governance level. Their work is assisted by an operations manager and general manager. An executive committee administers the adult education programme and tutors provide timely guidance and support for members. Responsibility for
day-to-day operation is undertaken by centre-elected office holders.
A centre support worker is employed to visit the centre and provide professional advice and feedback to strengthen practice and promote improvement. The support worker's more formalised role was developed after the 2014 ERO review that identified the need for a more effective response to the needs of individual centres.
The association philosophy, Whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together, is articulated as empowering parents and children to learn, grow and play together and underpins practice. This was reaffirmed by the association and Hataitai Playcentre in 2016 and guides service provision and practice for their learning community.
Hataitai Playcentre has a positive reporting history with ERO and responded proactively to the areas identified for improvement in the 2014 review. The 2014 ERO report identified that centre leaders would benefit from association support to further develop a more bicultural perspective, to refine assessment, planning and to strengthen self-review practices. In addition the association was to redevelop the appraisal process for centre-based employees. All have been considered and appropriately actioned.
Curriculum planning and implementation, at Hataitai Playcentre, is a shared responsibility. Each session is supported by a duty team of parent educators or an employee who hold Playcentre training certificates. Most centre members participate in the adult education programme provided by the association.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation, of which the Wellington Association is part, is planning a significant restructure for 2017. Playcentres will become part of a regional hub, supported by a regional manager and support persons.
The review was part of a cluster of nine in the Wellington Playcentre Association.
Children’s holistic development is enhanced through their engagement in child initiated play-based learning. Te Whāriki and Playcentre philosophy underpin centre practice. Assessment and planning have been significantly improved, with clear guidelines for achieving positive outcomes for children as confident, lifelong learners. Effective systems to collate and communicate observations about children’s developing interests and skills inform planning and assessment. Individual learning portfolios celebrate children's progress, showing their developing skills, knowledge and attributes.
The centre support person and duty teams provide effective leadership that contributes positively to children’s early learning experience. Helpful strategies are in place to support newer members to the centre to document and record children's learning and progress.
The high levels of involvement in the centre's community and a sense of collective responsibility for children, provide a positive platform for learning. Members are a diverse group of enthusiastic parents and whānau who bring valuable skills and knowledge to their roles. Well-developed systems support the day-to- day running of the playcentre. A four person leadership team ensures all aspects of organisation and operation are well managed. Each leader has responsibility to provide specific guidance for the smooth running of the centre. This deliberate practice supports succession planning.
The centre’s bicultural journey has been intentionally planned to support all adults and children. A comprehensive internal evaluation was undertaken, during 2014, to discover how well the association expected to see te reo me ngā tikanga Māori as part of a culturally rich, responsive curriculum. In 2016, Hataitai Playcentre began a review of how successfully members engage with
te ao Māori and the impact on children. Success for children who identify as Māori is part of the review. ERO's evaluation affirms this process.
The dual purpose of self review for accountability and improvement is well understood and guides ongoing decision-making. Planning priorities are aligned to the service and association vision and positioned to improving teaching and learning. Self-review practices have had a positive impact on children’s social development and learning. In 2015, a review of how well members support the sense of belonging and wellbeing of tamariki in relation to kai led to changes in routines. Leaders are aware of the importance of revisiting the impact of any review so that all members know the purpose and outcomes from the process.
Well-considered transition processes for children and parents new to the centre enable them to become part of the learning community. Parents are mentored by more experienced members who model an open collaborative approach. Well-chosen age-appropriate equipment and effective session planning enables and supports children of all ages to play and learn together. The centre is highly responsive and provides well for up to two year olds and for all children. Thoughtful improvements to the inside and outside environments provide support, challenge and fun in the programme.
Association and centre leaders should continue to improve outcomes for children and families by using internal evaluation effectively to ensure the good practice occurring is sustained and prioritised developments are achieved.
Before the review, the staff and management of Hataitai 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 Hataitai Playcentre will be in four years.
Patricia Davey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
4 May 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 |
Wellington |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60032 |
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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 18 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
25 |
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Gender composition |
20 Boys, 5 Girls |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
7 |
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Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2017 |
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Date of this report |
4 May 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
May 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
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|
Education Review |
December 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.