15 Opaheke Road, Papakura
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.
Papakura Playcentre is a well-established, parent-led early childhood education service. It is situated in a residential area. The playcentre offers four group-supervised, general sessions per week, catering for up to 30 children from birth to school age. Extended sessions for older children are provided one morning per week. These sessions are planned and overseen by employed supervisors.
Through the philosophy, centre members aim to provide a safe and caring environment for children for play and learning. Parents provide experiences where children learn through play, opportunities for peer learning and exploration in their own time alongside others, or in some cases by themselves. Papakura Playcentre philosophy states that parents are the first and best educators of children. Playcentre is a place for whānau to find friendship and support, growing together as part of the learning community.
The previous ERO report in 2013 identified areas for development around strategic planning, planning, assessment and evaluation. Considerable progress made in the following areas:
there is now an inclusive environment for infants and toddlers
a strategic plan is in place
parents noticing, recognising and responding to children's interests and learning in a more emergent environment.
Currently a professional development officer from the Counties Playcentre Association facilitates Ministry of Education funded professional learning for members to guide practice and self review that is designed to improve implementation of a learning focussed programme.
The playcentre is one of 17 centres in the Counties Playcentre Association (CPA). The New Zealand Playcentre Federation (NZPF) and the CPA provide governance oversight for the centre. This includes strategic direction, management support, documentation and adult education programmes. In addition, the centre receives regular visits from experienced personnel who offer advice guidance and support to centre members. The NZPF is currently undergoing restructuring, and this has implications for CPA governance actions in the future.
This review was part of a cluster of six playcentre reviews in the Counties Playcentre Association.
Children benefit from a well-resourced and planned learning environment. Rich opportunities for playing and learning alongside peers is promoted by parents. The programme is a mix of child-directed and adult-led experiences, where children can make choices around the complexity that is added to their play. The programme follows some deliberate planning related to the children’s interests, particularly in the extended sessions.
Children of all ages have ongoing access to plentiful equipment in all areas of play. They are supported to explore and investigate through play in unhurried and calm learning spaces. In general sessions, parents promote experiences for their children to extend knowledge and skills that builds confidence and competence.
Children enjoy learning with and alongside their parents. This affirms their language, culture and identity. Parents confidently use their home languages, allowing children to develop their play and interactions with others. The environment responds to interests, strengths and abilities of all children. Strong links between centre and home provide continuity for children.
Experienced members plan for and implement learning opportunities, and in collaboration with a liaison officer from the CPA, model good practice and positively guide children’s behaviour. Improvements made to assessment since ERO's last report in 2013 is enabling members to develop an understanding of what children are learning, and is guiding practice on how to provide continuity of this learning.
Parents are supporting their children to gain an appreciation and understanding of the Māori language and culture, and the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa. They are developing a commitment to using te reo Māori in sessions, learning about and including significant events and celebrations. This enables children to develop skills in listening and language.
Self review is developing and informs improvement and change. Planned reviews ensure that aspects of the playcentre are evaluated in a systematic way. In response to ERO's 2013 report centre members undertook specific self review in care and learning for babies and toddlers. This review has resulted in strengthened curriculum provision and inclusion of these very young learners.
The centre benefits from a core group of knowledgeable parent members who support and engage in parent education to promote learning opportunities for children, and to provide leadership. Experienced centre members are actively supporting new members to engage in playcentre adult education courses. This is resulting in an increasing number of members in training, those holding playcentre qualifications, and a shared commitment to improving education and care for children.
Through self review, consideration should now be given to:
reviewing the centre philosophy to develop a shared understanding of the intent of CPA expectations and aligning these to a common vision and goals for Papakura Playcentre
ensuring that planning for extension sessions consistently promotes independence and opportunities for children to lead their own learning and investigations through play.
ERO recommends that CPA:
continues to access support for Papakura Playcentre for professional learning and development that focuses on strengthening self review
develops strategies to ensure that its centre members are kept up-to-date with obligations and expectations in relation to current regulatory requirements and policies.
Before the review, the staff and management of Papakura 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.
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to governance and management and health and safety. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
implement a system of regular appraisal for employees.
develop, document and implement an annual plan
secure heavy objects that might fall
police vet for anyone appointed to work during normal opening hours
record accidents and incidents to eliminate hazards
record risk assessment for excursions.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA 7, 8, HS6,12,17]
The next ERO review of Papakura Playcentre will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
26 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.
|
Location |
Papakura, Auckland |
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|
Ministry of Education profile number |
25208 |
|
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
|
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
|
|
Service roll |
34 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Girls 20 Boys 14 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
|
Review team on site |
February 2017 |
|
|
Date of this report |
26 June 2017 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
December 2013 |
|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2007 |
|
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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Papakura Playcentre is one of seventeen parent run cooperatives in the Counties Playcentre Association, which provides a management and policy framework for centre operations. Liaison workers and other elected association officers provide support for centres. Association members deliver the Playcentre adult education programme to help whānau build their understanding about children’s learning.
Papakura Playcentre is a well established centre that continues to maintain high membership levels. The centre is managed by an elected president and members who hold officer roles and responsibilities. Members promote the importance of ‘Whanau Tupu Ngatahi’- families growing together. They maintain good levels of qualifications and offer general sessions and one weekly extended session for older children aged three to five years old, which is staffed by a paid supervisor.
This review was part of a cluster of eight playcentre reviews in the Counties Playcentre Association.
Children settle quickly into the programme and play well together. They benefit from positive and inclusive interactions with adults who know them well. Adults also provide good support for children to develop as socially competent learners. Children easily access good quality resources and engage in interesting learning activities. Children with special needs are supported by all adults and children.
Most adults have ongoing conversations with children and some ask open questions to extend children’s learning. These experienced parents could model these questions more explicitly in order to share these good practices with newer members.
Attractive assessment records of children’s progress document children’s learning. Literacy and numeracy is integrated into the programme and is emphasised in the extension group offered to support children’s transition to school.
Members are developing self-review practices to provide information that will assist with centre improvement. Positive feature of centre self review are that it involves centre members, and it contributes to decision making. Members could now use a more rigorous approach to self review by consistently considering how well positive outcomes for children have been promoted as a result of each review.
There are high levels of training at the centre and good quality support for members. Inclusive leadership practices promote members’ sense of ownership of and belonging to the centre. The playcentre is well positioned to develop mentoring opportunities to strengthen leadership capacity.
There is evidence of some bicultural practices in the centre. A more culturally responsive approach to the programme should increase the ways in which children’s language, culture and identity are promoted through the curriculum.
Association management practices are well established. A strategic review is currently underway, with a view to streamlining Association systems and practices and making them more manageable for Playcentre members. This review could also consider how the Association can provide earlier, more focused support for centres that are facing challenges. Liaison workers should consider ways to help centres establish effective strategic and annual planning, and strengthen self review practices. Monitoring and supporting the quality of programmes in centres should be a more central aspect of the liaison worker role.
Centre members and ERO agree that the key next steps for the centre include:
As a result of this cluster of reviews, ERO recommends that the Counties Playcentre Association access support from the Ministry of Education and the NZ Playcentre Federation to refine the Association’s structure, systems and practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Papakura 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.
To improve the health and safety of children at the centre, adults need to ensure:
The next ERO review of Papakura Playcentre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region
9 December 2013
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.
|
Location |
Papakura, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
25208 |
||
|
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 |
64 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 34 Boys 30 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Asian Indian African Tongan other European |
22 24 4 4 2 1 7 |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
August 2013 |
||
|
Date of this report |
9 December 2013 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
January 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.