52 Ward Street, Upper Hutt CBD, Upper Hutt
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.
Wallaceville Playcentre is one of 17 centres administered by the Hutt Playcentre Association (the association). The association is made up of elected volunteer representatives from its member centres. It provides governance and management support for the parent committee at Wallaceville Playcentre. A kaitautoko, a centre support person is employed by the association to provide guidance.
The playcentre is licensed to provide mixed-age sessions for 30 children four days a week. This includes 15 children up to the age of two. The service is currently attracting increased enrolments. Almost all of the families attending are new to playcentre since the September 2013 ERO review. All centre members take advantage of the adult education training programme provided by the association and are actively involved in their children's education.
Curriculum planning and implementation are a shared responsibilities. Each session is supported by a team of parent educators who hold playcentre training certificates. The centre employs a supervisor on a Monday, to assist the parent group, with the level of training that meets legislative requirements for group supervision.
This review was part of a cluster of eight reviews in the Hutt Playcentre Association.
Children’s active exploration through play and learning is well supported by attentive parent educators. A positive tone and inclusive practice are evident. Children’s social skills development and confidence are nurtured. Respectful relationships enhance their sense of belonging and wellbeing.
The service’s philosophy, reviewed in March 2016, is an expression of what children do and what families want for their children. It reflects the playcentre philosophy of parent led education, learning through play and the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. A strong culture of care, respect and shared responsibility for leading children's play and learning is evident.
Assessment, curriculum planning and evaluation practices provide adults with useful information to help them plan programmes responsive to children’s interests, strengths and, if required, identified needs. New members are well supported by the more experienced parents as they develop their understandings of assessment practice. Individual learning profile books celebrate children's progress, and their developing skills, knowledge and attributes.
Children have plentiful opportunities to be physically active and curious explorers. This is particularly notable during outdoor sessions held regularly at the local reserve. Children play amicably alongside their peers as they enthusiastically interact with a varied range of accessible, well-planned activities and experiences. The youngest children are embraced and nurtured within a culture of care.
Literacy, mathematics and science activities and concept learning are integral parts of children’s playcentre experience. Te ao Māori within the programme is well considered and continues to develop. Centre members recognise the inclusion of all children's cultures languages and identities in the curriculum as a next step for development. ERO's evaluation confirms this.
At Wallaceville Playcentre the parent-led committee and 'supervision groups' are made up of a diverse group of enthusiastic parents and whānau who bring valuable skills and experiences to their roles. The high levels of involvement of the centre's community and a collective sense of responsibility to children, provides a positive platform for learning.
The association is an improvement focused organisation committed to providing timely and relevant support for its member centres. The September 2013 ERO reviews found the support provided at the centre level by kaitautoko was appreciated and supportive. ERO also recognised that formalising this arrangement to promote a more effective approach for responding to the needs of individual centres was a next step for development. An evaluation of the effectiveness of changes to kaitautoko practice in improving outcomes for centre members and children is planned.
The September 2013 ERO report identified that members should further develop their understanding and use of evaluative self review and association self-review resources. Many reviews have been undertaken since the centre's annual general meeting late in 2015. The dual purposes of self review for accountability and improvement are understood and increasingly guide ongoing decision making to improve outcomes for children.
The association should assist playcentre members to:
formalise the centre's annual planning and self review to further improve internal evaluation.
The association:
must implement rigorous annual appraisal for the kaitautoko and identify professional development to support them in their leadership roles
should build kaitautoko knowledge and capability to undertake effective internal evaluation. This should include a focus on providing centre members with evaluative feedback that assists them to further develop aspects of the curriculum and centre practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of Wallaceville 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:
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 identified areas of non-compliance relating to governance and management practices. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following area:
fully implementing a system of regular appraisal.[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7]
The next ERO review of Wallaceville Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
21 June 2016
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 |
Upper Hutt |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60027 |
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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 |
25 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 17, Girls 8 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Tongan Chinese Indian African-Zulu |
2 12 1 5 3 2 |
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Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
April 2016 |
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Date of this report |
22 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
September 2013 August 2009 July 2006 |
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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:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
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 |
While many members are new to management roles, their collective commitment, well considered forward planning and strong support from the Hutt Playcentre Association (the association) positions them well to improve and sustain good practice.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Wallaceville Playcentre is one of 18 administered by the association. Bicultural partnership is integral to the way the association operates. An executive committee provides guidance and support for centre members. This includes leadership for strategic planning, financial management and policy development, and for decisions related to the education programme, property and equipment. A kaitautoko, a centre support person, employed by the association, visits and provides professional advice, feedback and role modelling to strengthen practice and promote improvement. The recently commenced review of the association’s structure, supported by an external consultant, is aimed at improving operation and ensuring the sustainability of playcentres.
Four mixed-age sessions per week are offered. These are entirely supervised by centre members. A large proportion of the children attending during this review were infants and toddlers. The philosophy highlights the importance of child-directed play and adult education, consensus management and tuakana teina relationships.
An ongoing challenge is the high turnover of members and retention of older children. Recent new members show high levels of commitment to gaining Playcentre training certificates and to ongoing professional development.
This year the centre celebrates 60 years in operation. It was relicensed in February 2013 under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. A plan is in place for the redevelopment of the outdoor area. It has a positive reporting history with ERO.
This review was part of a cluster of nine playcentre reviews in the Hutt Playcentre Association.
The spacious playcentre environment effectively supports children’s developing confidence as learners. Members maintain a wide variety of high quality resources and learning materials which are freely available for children. Activities and equipment are adapted to encourage the participation of all age groups. The outdoor area supports a variety of physical and exploratory play. Children enjoy the learning opportunities provided and display a strong sense of belonging at playcentre.
Adults’ interactions are responsive, respectful and friendly. They get alongside and involved in children’s play. Self-management is encouraged and supported. Many children sustain their interest and involvement in play for long periods of time. They are generally cooperative, friendly and are comfortable working with adults and peers.
Infants and toddlers are valued and nurtured by all. They are settled and well supported in the playcentre environment. Parents help each other to care for babies and to play alongside older children wanting to explore.
The programme strongly reflects members’ belief in children learning through play and real-life contexts. Centre routines are used well as social and language learning times. Literacy and numeracy are appropriately integrated into the activities.
Centre practices reflect the association’s commitment to bicultural partnership. Māori values are evident in everyday practice and routines. Te reo Māori is used in meaningful ways within the programme. Some members share their expertise to support the understanding of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori.
Members regularly observe, recount and record stories about individual children. Best examples of profile books are well presented and illustrate many aspects of children's participation and learning at playcentre. The daily team’s in-depth discussions and sharing of information helps in decisions about further planning. All parents are encouraged to recognise learning linked to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and to participate in planning the programme.
Members are reviewing and developing their approach to planning for learning. They have identified that they need to be more actively involved in writing observations, identifying and recording next learning steps and encouraging children’s ideas in planning. Recent professional development has resulted in an increased focus on identifying aspects of children’s learning linked to Te Whāriki.
The friendly, supportive culture and well developed communication foster parents’ confidence and willingness to become involved. Adults take pride in being part of a learning community alongside their children. They work collaboratively and bring a wide range of expertise and life skills to their roles. Families display a strong sense of belonging and commitment to Playcentre philosophy.
Members are improvement focused. A carefully considered, consultative process has led to the development of a strategic plan that provides clear direction for the future. An annual plan outlines actions to achieve specific goals and progress is monitored. Researching aspects of quality, linked to action points on the annual plan should help ensure decision-making about priorities is sound.
The kaitautoko provides regular and valued feedback to support members in their roles. A more formalised approach focused on developing particular skills and knowledge should strengthen reflection on practice over time.
The association has a pro-active approach to governance. It effectively works alongside members to support self management. Self review is strongly promoted. Association systems and processes help to ensure that legislative requirements are met, good practice is sustained and improvement is promoted.
Further development is needed to strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation practices, particularly in relation to :
Members should further develop their understanding and use of evaluative self review. This should include working through the association self-review resources.
Before the review, the staff and management of Wallaceville 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 Wallaceville Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services Central Region (Acting)
11 September 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 |
Upper Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60027 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including 15 aged up to 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
37 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 19, Girls 18 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Pacific Other ethnic groups |
4 26 2 5 |
|
|
Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2013 |
||
|
Date of this report |
11 September 2013 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2009 |
|
|
Education Review |
July 2006 |
||
|
Education Review |
October 2003 |
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:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
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.