23 Old Brighton Road, Fairfield, Dunedin
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama- indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Play & Learn ECE - Fairfield are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakatō Emerging |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakatō Emerging |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakatō Emerging |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whāngai Establishing |
Play & Learn ECE – Fairfield is one of four privately owned centres located in Dunedin. The Auckland based owner and Professional Services Manager support a small team of primarily long-serving staff. Teachers have responsibility for key aspects of the curriculum and health and safety. Children learn and play in a mixed-aged learning environment.
A responsive, nature-based curriculum supports children to take responsibility for their own learning and wellbeing. The use of the indoor and outdoor environments aligns with the overarching philosophy of all Play & Learn services to spend significant time in nature, involving real world learning. Excursions provide children with genuine opportunities to take calculated risks and explore. Teachers support children to play cooperatively with and alongside their peers. Teachers view children as confident and capable learners.
Infants and toddlers learn in a mixed-aged setting where teachers are responsive to their verbal and non-verbal cues. Interactions are respectful and unhurried. These approaches support young children to build a strong sense of belonging.
Teachers provide some opportunities for children to hear te reo Māori and experience aspects of tikanga Māori in the learning programme. An increased level of commitment is required of leaders and teachers to speak te reo Māori to promote the bicultural curriculum.
Assessment, planning, and evaluation practices reflect the strands and goals of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Individual and group planning shows children’s interests and participation in the learning programme. Leaders and teachers have established respectful relationships with parents and whānau. They are at the early stages of involving parents in curriculum development and using the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, to inform planning for learning. Assessment documentation should show clearly, the relevant planned teaching strategies and how these have been used to extend children’s learning.
A collaborative and improvement focused self-review process is in place that includes parent's perspectives and teachers’ reflections. Leaders and teachers are beginning to develop their understanding of internal evaluation. There is not yet a systematic approach that evaluates what is working well for children and what could be improved.
Those responsible for governance and management provide opportunities for parents and whānau to contribute to the service's organisational documents. They allocate resources in ways that clearly align to their nature-based philosophy and centre values. New teachers are well supported to enact the philosophy.
Play & Learn ECE - Fairfield will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These are to:
increase the daily use of te reo Māori within the learning programme to promote children’s understanding of the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand
build teachers’ understanding of assessment, planning and evaluation processes to include using the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, parent aspirations and intentional teaching strategies that extend children’s learning and show progress over time
develop shared understanding of the process and purpose of internal evaluation that contributes to positive learning outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Play & Learn ECE - Fairfield 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.
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 found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
daily hazard checklists must include all hazards listed in the Licensing Criteria
children needing to be supervised and seated while eating.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS12, HS22.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
10 May 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Play & Learn ECE - Fairfield |
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Profile Number |
83062 |
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Location |
Dunedin |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
25 children including up to 5 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
31 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 7, NZ European/Pākehā 22, |
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Review team on site |
November 2021 |
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Date of this report |
10 May 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review June 2018 |
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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.
Play and Learn ECE - Fairfield is one of three privately owned early learning centres located in Fairfield, a suburb in Dunedin. The centre is licenced for twenty five children with five under two. Children learn in mixed-age groupings. This is a full-day service, open daily.
The owner manages the centres from Auckland and is a fully qualified and experienced teacher. She travels to Dunedin each month to support the head teachers. The long-serving, experienced staff shares the head teacher's role, effectively using each other's strengths and expertise.
The philosophy and programmes are founded on nature-based learning. This is to engage and connect children to the environment and provide them with the skills and knowledge to prepare them for lifelong learning in a natural world.
Some areas for improvement since the 2014 ERO review have been addressed. The owner and teachers need to continue to develop and make further progress on the recommendations.
Play and Learn ECE - Fairfield is an inclusive, caring environment, where children and parents/whānau are made to feel welcome. Positive partnerships with parents/whānau support children's learning and wellbeing.
Teachers positively interact with children, encouraging and promoting inquiry and exploration in the world around them. This includes a strong focus on children learning about sustainability for the future. Children develop ownership while planting, caring for, harvesting, preparing and cooking their centre-grown produce. This also includes designing and building playground resources and constructions.
The learning programmes deliberately provide rich opportunities for children to connect with the natural environment and the wider community. Children benefit from weekly excursions to parks, reserves and local amenities to build their skills and extend their knowledge within the natural world.
Leaders and teachers effectively support children's learning and social development. Literacy, mathematics and science are well integrated into all aspects of children's learning. A digital on-line tool continues to be an effective avenue for parents and whānau to be well informed about their child's learning and provides opportunities for them to contribute to and be involved in this.
Children under two benefit from strong attachments with teachers, in a mixed-age setting. There are high levels of care and respect. Children are very calm and settled in an environment where tuakana- teina relationships are evident.
Leaders and teachers respond appropriately to the interests, strengths and capabilities of diverse groups of children. They use tikanga and te reo Māori in ways that value and recognise New Zealand's bi-cultural heritage.
Children benefit from well-planned and positive transitions in and out of the centre. Parents told ERO that their children are well prepared for entry into school. They settle quickly and are ready for learning. The centre and its families have strong reciprocal links with the local school that is situated close by and they are included in some events and activities.
Leaders and teachers are reflective practitioners. They are improvement focused and engage in regular discussions to improve teaching and learning practices.
The leadership team and ERO agree, that the key next steps to improve outcomes for children are to:
further develop the strategic plan to reflect this centre's priorities
develop measurable indicators against the strategic goals to measure on-going effectiveness
Before the review, the staff and management of Play & Learn ECE - Fairfield 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 Play & Learn ECE - Fairfield will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
12 June 2018
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 |
Dunedin |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
83062 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 5 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
24 |
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Gender composition |
Girls : 12 Boys: 12 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
April 2018 |
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Date of this report |
12 June 2018 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
August 2014 |
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Education Review |
June 2010 |
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Education Review |
June 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.