118 Stanford Street, Ashhurst
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
With targeted support from the association and the development of an action plan, Ashhurst Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Ashhurst Playcentre is one of 19 administered by the Central Districts Playcentre Association (the association). The centre is licensed to provide education and care for 30 children, three sessions a week, in a mixed-aged setting. This includes provision for 15 children up to the age of two. At the time of this review there are 28 children enrolled.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation, of which Central Districts Association is part, is undergoing a significant restructure that includes amalgamating associations. Playcentres will become part of a regional hub, supported by a regional manager and others.
The federation philosophy, 'whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together', is to empower parents and children to learn, play and grow together. Alongside this, the centre philosophy fosters an emergent, child-led curriculum.
Whānau and families are valued as the primary educators of their children. Curriculum planning and implementation is a shared responsibility. Each session is supported by a team of parent educators who hold Playcentre training certificates. The centre president is new to the role. During Term 4, 2017, a temporary supervisor and the centre support person provided some guidance to the president and the centre.
Centre support people visit playcentres to provide professional advice and support, and to strengthen practice and promote improvement. Responsibility for day-to-day operation is undertaken by centre-elected office holders.
The February 2015 ERO report of Ashhurst Playcentre identified areas for development for the association and the playcentre. These included: assessment, planning and evaluation practices; including local knowledge and history in the programme; implementing te ao Māori through the curriculum; and effective support from management. Limited progress in addressing these areas is evident.
The review was part of a cluster of 11 reviews in the Central Districts Playcentre Association.
Ashhurst Playcentre's philosophy needs to be reviewed to support a curriculum that is more responsive to the strengths, abilities, and needs of all learners.
Children explore and settle into activities of interest. They engage with other children and adults in the well-resourced environment. Independence is encouraged. Infants and toddlers are appropriately supported. Warm and affirming relationships assist children and families to develop a sense of belonging. Tuakana teina relationships are evident.
Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are visible in the environment and through daily rituals. Members are aware of the need to strengthen te ao Māori practices to better support Māori learners. This is confirmed by ERO's external evaluation.
The environment and children's portfolios are yet to clearly make visible what the centre values for its learners and for learning. Responsiveness to culture, language and identity is an area for further development.
Transition into the centre and on to school is supported through providing useful information about schools and participating in local school events. Reciprocal, well developed relationships are in place with local schools.
The centre is inclusive of children with additional needs. Adults have established links to agencies to provide strategies or support, when required.
Planned internal evaluation is in the early stages of development. Spontaneous review occurs with some positive changes made to improve the environment. A key next step is for the association to provide guidance and support to develop the internal evaluation capability and understanding of leaders and members. This development is needed to inform decision-making, improve the quality of practice and promote positive learning outcomes for all children.
Members recognise that strategic and annual planning needs to be more focused on how adults plan to meet priorities for children's learning and goals towards achieving the playcentre's vision.
The association has a useful appraisal process. This is yet to be suitably implemented for teachers at centre level. As new policies and systems are implemented there is a need to communicate why these are relevant and how they are to be incorporated into practice at centre level. Support and guidance for session facilitators and members needs to be strengthened. The association should improve its monitoring to raise the quality and consistency of support provided to the playcentre.
At playcentre level, priorities are to:
review the centre philosophy to better guide and inform the curriculum
fully implement all aspects of assessment, planning and evaluation, including making visible children's culture, language and identity through documentation
promote bicultural practice and educational success for Māori
further develop understanding and use of effective internal evaluation
implement meaningful appraisal for employees.
At the association/federation level, priorities are to continue to strengthen:
centre support that is consistently effective in identifying and responding to leadership and playcentre needs
understanding and implementation of effective internal evaluation
members' understanding of assessment, planning and evaluation practice.
ERO recommends that the new regional team actively monitor and evaluate the quality of support provided to playcentres.
The service, with association support, will provide ERO with an action plan that shows how the priorities for improvement will be addressed. ERO will request progress updates.
Before the review, the staff and management of Ashhurst 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 Ashhurst Playcentre will be in three years.
Patricia Davey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
24 May 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.
|
Location |
Ashhurst |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
52008 |
||
|
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 |
28 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 14, Boys 14 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
1 |
|
|
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 |
March 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
24 May 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
January 2013 |
||
|
Education Review |
December 2006 |
||
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.
Ashhurst Playcentre is one of 19 administered by the Central Districts Playcentre Association (the association). This review is one of ten undertaken by ERO in the association’s playcentres during Term 4, 2014.
The centre is open for four mornings per week and caters for children from birth to six years of age. Responsibility for day-to-day operations is undertaken by centre-elected office holders. A paid supervisor supports parents and whānau to develop and implement the daily programme. Professional advice and feedback to strengthen members’ practice is provided by a liaison officer employed by the association.
Playcentres' philosophy statement, 'whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together’, encapsulates the value this organisation places on families and whānau working collectively to support children’s learning. A community of learners and strong sense of family is clearly evident. At the time of this review, all parents at this centre are undertaking Playcentre training. This well-established playcentre has a positive reporting history with ERO.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation is currently reviewing the organisational structure of Playcentre across New Zealand. The outcomes of this review may result in changes to operation at centre level.
Spontaneous, child-initiated learning is supported by the high ratio of adults to children. Individuals are encouraged to freely explore areas of play and activities in their own time. Interactions between adults and children are warm, purposeful and responsive. The atmosphere is peaceful and relaxed. Children’s wellbeing is fostered in this safe and secure emotional environment.
Infants and toddlers are well supported to explore, interact, play and have fun with attentive adults and each other.
Useful processes for assessment have been established. Programme planning is informed by children’s interests, parents’ ideas and session evaluations. Assessment, in the form of learning stories, is a current focus of self review. Parents capture the observed interests of their own children and those of others. Continuity of each child’s learning is beginning to be captured in attractive portfolios. Participation in Playcentre-run courses should further build members’ consistent practice in assessment, planning and evaluation of children’s learning.
Te ao Māori is reflected through waiata, signage, murals and consistent use of te reo Māori. Further provision of programmes that relate to the centre’s local environment is a next step for development.
Literacy, numeracy, mathematics and science learning are integrated throughout the curriculum in appropriate ways. Members have developed a close liaison with local schools, supporting families and children’s transition.
Centre members work well as a team. They are highly reflective and aware of their roles and responsibilities. A high level of trust is evident among members. Leadership is collaborative and inclusive.
A process for planned self review has been developed and leads to improvement and change. Centre members have identified that they should evaluate the impact of review to promote positive outcomes for children.
Useful support is provided by the association. This includes written guidelines and systems for managing finance and legislative obligations. Work is being completed to improve employment practices. Regular visits from the liaison officer assist members in their management and teaching roles. A review of the liaison officer role is being undertaken to support an improved approach.
The appraisal process, particularly for those employed as team leaders and liaison officers, needs further development. The provision of ongoing professional, constructive feedback based on observations of practice, and linked to identified needs and goals, should add rigour.
At association level, priorities are the further development of:
At centre level, the priorities are:
Before the review, the staff and management of Ashhurst 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 current practice, the service provider should ensure that police vetting of employees is undertaken prior to their employment and subsequently, every three years.
The next ERO review of Ashhurst Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services Central Region
16 February 2015
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 |
Ashhurst |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
52008 |
||
|
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 |
22 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 13, Girls 9 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other ethnic groups |
1 18 3 |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
November 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
16 February 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
January 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
December 2006 |
||
|
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.