89 Pine Avenue, Melville, Hamilton
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 |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
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.
Children enrolled at Playworx Kindy reflect the diversity of the community. This includes a large number of Māori and a small number Pacific learners. The service came under new ownership in November 2021. The philosophy values relationships with whānau and tamariki, committing to make a difference in families lives.
The unique place of Māori as tangata whenua is acknowledged in the curriculum. Children have the opportunity to develop knowledge of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Adults engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.
The curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning, interests and life contexts. Positive steps are taken to respect the aspirations held by parents and whānau for their children. An ongoing process of self-review and internal evaluation helps the service maintain the quality of education and care.
Next steps include:
strengthening the extent to which information documented about children’s learning reflects their identity, language, and culture.
Since the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non‑compliances:
Ensuring relevant emergency drills are carried out with children on an at least three-monthly basis.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS8]
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
25 November 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Playworx Kindy |
|
Profile Number |
45702 |
|
Location |
Melville, Hamilton |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
20 children aged over 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
|
Service roll |
13 |
|
Review team on site |
October 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
25 November 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, April 2019; Education Review, November 2016 |
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Playworx Kindy is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Playworx Kindy is one of two early childhood services in Hamilton under the same private ownership. It is located in the suburb of Melville and is licensed for 24 children aged over two years. The current roll of 12, includes two children of Māori and two of Samoan descent. The service operates from 8.00am to 3.30pm daily. Two of the three teachers have a recognised ECE qualification and one is in training.
The centre philosophy is ‘through play, learning is fun’. Since the previous ERO review in 2016, the teaching team are all new to their roles. An experienced teacher, employed in 2016, provides professional leadership and guidance for teaching staff. She visits the centre fortnightly to work alongside teachers to strengthen the quality of education provided, and to implement and align the centre philosophy, self review, strategic planning and staff appraisal processes. The professional leader also works in the other Playworx centre in Hamilton.
The previous ERO review in 2016 identified significant improvements were needed in curriculum development and review, assessment planning and evaluation and bicultural practices. In addition, important aspects of the service were not compliant with licence requirements. The Ministry of Education then placed the service on a provisional licence until these requirements were met and a full licence was reissued in September 2017. ERO's 2019 review shows that the service has responded well to the areas for improvement, and compliance issues have been addressed.
Teacher, child relationships are respectful and responsive. Teachers work alongside children to support exploration and challenge. They ensure children’s wellbeing is prioritised and their care needs are well met. Children readily approach teachers and high levels of trust are evident during teacher child interactions. Teachers use a range of effective strategies to extend children’s learning and ideas. Children experience a strong sense of ownership and belonging in the kindy. Teachers need to undertake professional learning to more confidently use and model te reo Māori as a functional language with children.
Children are able to choose from a range of resources and experiences. There are many opportunities for children to explore and challenge themselves in areas that are attractive, well presented and used in a range of flexible and open-ended ways. The centre environment and programme organisation allow children to engage in learning and exploration for sustained periods.
The programme is planned in response to children’s strengths, emerging ideas and interests. Teachers meet regularly to discuss children's emerging interests and themes, then plan the programme and environment to support each child's learning and development. Children experience a programme that reflects their ideas and supports their developing competencies.
Learning story assessments indicate that teachers are effectively noticing the learning that is occurring throughout the day. Many of these stories also show that teachers know each child well. They also show the way children's interests, skills or learning dispositions are developing over time. Individual learning portfolios enable children to share learning and revisit important experiences with teachers and whānau. Teachers need to consider ways to ensure these documents are more accessible to children.
Effective systems support teachers to improve their practice. A designated professional leader works closely with each teacher and with the teaching team to build capability. A coherent appraisal process is now in place to support teachers’ professional learning journeys. Teachers are enthusiastic about continually improving outcomes for children. They need to continue with this programme of learning and support.
Processes for planned and spontaneous review are well documented. These processes provide sound guidelines for ongoing centre review and development. A three-year strategic plan is supported by an annual plan and ongoing review by teachers and leaders. Self review across the centre is resulting in improvements to the quality of education and care for children. Teachers and leaders need to seek ways to gather and more clearly document parent views as part of review and improvement processes.
It is important that the service develops policies and procedures to cater for children with diverse and special needs. No children with identified needs were enrolled at the time of this review.
2. Leaders need to systematically build leadership capability in the centre, including relevant job descriptions and programme of professional learning for those undertaking leadership roles.
3. Leaders need to develop policies and procedures for children with special and diverse educational or developmental needs.
Before the review, the staff and management of Playworx Kindy 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region
11 April 2019
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 |
Melville, Hamilton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
45702 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
24 children, over the age of 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
12 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 8 Boys 4 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
February 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
11 April 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2016 |
|
|
Education Review |
July 2013 |
||
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 will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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 |
The service needs support to further develop the quality of the programme and enhance positive outcomes for children. A number of legislative requirements have also been identified.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Playworx Kindy is one of three privately owned early childhood services in Hamilton. It is located in the suburb of Melville and is licensed for 24 children aged over two years. Most families attending the service are from the local area and are Māori. The service opened in 2011 and operates from 8.00am to 3.00pm daily.
The centre philosophy is currently being reviewed. Since the previous ERO review in 2013, two new qualified teachers have been employed.
The current owners/directors have identified the need to improve important aspects of the centre governance, management and leadership. In May 2016, they employed an experienced teacher to assist with these improvements. She works with staff one day per week to provide professional leadership in order to strengthen the implementation and alignment of the centre philosophy, self review, strategic planning and staff appraisal processes.
The new professional leader has established a broad outline to guide the development of these important aspects. She also works in two other Playworx centres in Hamilton and spends one day per week working alongside staff at the Melville centre.
This is the second ERO review of the service. Areas for development identified in the last 2013 ERO report about self review, programme planning and assessment have not been addressed.
The learning programme is planned in response to children’s interests and strengths and provides a wide variety of learning opportunities. Teachers prepare the environment to provide well-resourced and well-maintained areas for children’s play and exploration. These areas are set up to invite children’s curiosity and involvement through open-ended and sustained play. Children’s early literacy experiences are integrated into the programme of play and learning.
Children's individual learning portfolios contain a record of their involvement in the centre programme. These documents are accessible to children and families so they can share and revisit learning. The new professional leader is working with teachers to improve assessment practices, with an increasing focus on the different ways children learn (children's learning dispositions). Centre leadership is focused on improving the way teachers write learning stories that identify the learning taking place, progress that is being made and how teachers are adding complexity to children’s exploration and play.
An important next step for teachers is to ensure decisions about curriculum planning and development are informed by ongoing assessment of children's learning and evaluation of the programme of learning.
Interactions between teachers and children are sensitive and affirming. Children are happily involved in exploring their environment and communicating with their peers and teachers. Teachers welcome parents and families warmly in the centre, and communicate regularly with parents about children’s learning and wellbeing. Children’s sense of belonging is strengthened through positive and caring relationships with teachers.
There are collaborative and respectful working relationships among teachers and other adults at the centre. Teachers are beginning to work collaboratively with colleagues under the guidance of the new professional leader. These relationships are providing a good foundation for ongoing professional learning and development.
As most of the children are Māori, it is important that leaders and teachers:
raise the visibility and presence of te ao Māori practices
strengthen the way Māori children's culture, identity and language are evidenced in teaching interactions, the environment, the learning programme and children's individual assessments.
The following next steps need to be prioritised in the review and development of the centre philosophy, strategic and annual plans.
The development of a curriculum:
that is more explicitly documented to identify curriculum priorities and emphases that are aligned to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
that includes well-defined processes for programme assessment, planning and evaluation that are used more effectively to inform ongoing centre development
that defines the place of tikanga Māori in the curriculum
Before the review, the staff and management of Playworx Kindy 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 self review, strategic planning and curriculum design. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
An agreed process of regular and ongoing self review for all centre operations, focused on identifying strategic priorities for improving outcomes for children, is implemented.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA6].
A process for effective, regular and ongoing staff appraisal is implemented. This needs to be aligned to the Practising Teacher Criteria of the Education Council New Zealand and focused on improving staff capabilities and outcomes for children.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7].
The service's curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, Regulation 43, C2.
ERO recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
The next ERO review of Playworx Kindy will be within two years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato/Bay of Plenty
29 November 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.
|
Location |
Hamilton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
45702 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
24 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
21 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 13 Girls 8 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other |
14 5 2 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+Based on funding rates |
50-79% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
October 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
29 November 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2013 |
|
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.