3 Bay Vista Drive, Red Beach
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.
Red Beach Playcentre, near Orewa operates as a family cooperative as part of the North Shore Playcentre Association. The centre caters for 30 children including 15 up to two years of age and is open for five sessions per week, including a 'Big Kids' session for older children.
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 a restructure. There will be a new regional manager and new centre support roles.
Since the 2013 ERO report centre members have made improvements to the outdoor area, and strengthened assessment and planning processes. While there have been changes in membership, whānau have continued to provide engaging programmes for children and support each other to undertake Playcentre adult education courses. Most members are currently enrolled in courses to improve their Playcentre training levels.
This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association.
Children are confident, caring and capable learners. They are supportive and inclusive of others with differing ages, abilities and ideas. Older children support younger children and show responsibility and leadership skills. Infants and toddlers have easy access to all areas of the centre and their individual care needs are respectfully catered for. Children’s learning through play is effectively supported in this well-resourced and attractive environment. They are busy, play cooperatively and have fun at Playcentre.
Children eagerly and actively engage in a good quality programme based on Te Whāriki and the Playcentre philosophy. Children learn through and lead their own play. They explore concepts of literacy, numeracy and science in meaningful ways and are encouraged to be creative and imaginative. Children's talk is encouraged and adults respond positively to their ideas, opinions and preferences. Children have a strong sense of belonging and a very positive attitude to learning.
Centre members take an active role in their children's education and the management of the centre. Well documented planning and evaluation systems show how children’s strengths and interests contribute to the programme. Children's assessment portfolios are valued, read and revisited by adults and children. Wall displays and email contact enable members to focus on ways to provide rich learning experiences for children.
Warm and respectful relationships between families contribute to the strong sense of community evident in the centre. There is a strong focus on the wellbeing of centre members and a high level of 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.
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. A greater focus on outcomes for children would help to deepen evaluation in the centre. Whānau are also considering how to add more complexity and challenge for older children in the programme.
The Association management team have a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to having a bicultural partnership with whānau Māori. This commitment is evident in Association operations and in the support provided for centres. Adults’ and children’s familiarity with te reo and tikanga Māori is encouraged and te reo is used naturally throughout the session. Adults continue to look for ways to enhance their inclusion of te ao Māori in the programme. They are keen to continue to strengthen their bicultural practices.
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:
develop shared understandings of how they could extend learning for different age groups of children and make this process visible for everyone
continue to strengthen bicultural practices and enhance te ao Māori throughout the programme.
evaluate how effectively all children's home language culture and identity are celebrated
strengthen internal evaluation.
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 Red Beach 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 Red Beach 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 |
Red Beach, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
22048 |
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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 |
34 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 18 Boys 16 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
|
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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 |
|
|
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 |
March 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2010 |
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|
Education Review |
February 2008 |
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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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Red Beach Playcentre, near Orewa, is a well established centre that runs as a parent cooperative. Centre practices are based on playcentre philosophy of families learning and growing together. The centre is open for five sessions per week and caters for children from birth to school age. In the last year the centre has gone through changes in leadership, with new co-presidents and a new committee now in place.
The centre has a history of positive ERO reports. The last report recommended further development of assessment practices and self-review practices to support ongoing improvement. Centre leaders continue to progress these development areas.
The playcentre operates as part of the North Shore Playcentre Association. The association is the umbrella organisation for 21 playcentres situated in North Auckland. Many of these centres are semi-rural. The association manages and distributes funding to the centres 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.
This review was part of a cluster of seven reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association.
Red Beach Playcentre is well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.
The centre has a sense of calm and purposefulness. Children show a strong sense of trust and of belonging. They confidently approach adults to ask questions and share achievements. Children play independently and cooperatively with each other. They choose from a wide range of easily accessible resources when initiating their own play. Parents/whānau interact with children in their learning and inquiry. The programme provides a sound foundation for children’s learning.
The centre’s curriculum is clearly linked to the principles and strands of, Te Whāriki the early childhood curriculum. Good foundations for early learning are in place to prepare children for school.
A bicultural partnership with Māori whānau is evident in the playcentre’s operations. The management team has a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to building both adults’ and children’s familiarity with te reo and tikanga Māori. Te reo Māori is strongly threaded throughout the programme. Children benefit from members’ commitment to New Zealand’s bicultural heritage. Multicultural perspectives are also developing within centre programmes.
Centre members work collaboratively to provide well coordinated and purposefully resourced programmes. They respect each child’s uniqueness and build on their interests.
Members support each other and share their strengths to enhance the programme. They evaluate each session to help them plan future programmes. Members’ share knowledge about individual children to promote a cohesive learning environment.
Centre members are developing leadership capacity. They work together as a team with the capable leadership of their co presidents to help ensure that the playcentre is well organised and managed. The well being of all children is a focus. Centre members value the good communication and support they receive from the association. Continuing education and training for all parents is an ongoing priority.
The association philosophy is used to guide programmes and procedures. A next step in development would be for Red Beach Playcentre to develop and share its own philosophy.
The association management team takes responsibility for specific tasks relating to the function of the association. Management team members are committed to and enthusiastic about their involvement in playcentre. They actively foster emergent leadership to help sustain the association and demonstrate 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.
Centre members and ERO agree that next steps include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Red Beach 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 Red Beach Playcentre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
7 March 2014
|
Location |
Red Beach, Auckland |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
22048 |
|
|
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 |
34 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Boys 20 Girls 14 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Brazilian Asian Samoan |
1 24 1 7 1 |
|
Review team on site |
October 2013 |
|
|
Date of this report |
7 March 2014 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
November 2010 |
|
Education Review |
February 2008 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 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.