49 Red Oaks Drive, Frankton-Queenstown
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.
Wakatipu Playcentre is one of 47 playcentres within the New Zealand Playcentre Federation's newly-formed South Island Southern Region (SISR). It is open five mornings a week. Up to 25 children from birth to school age attend with their parents. The families come from the Queenstown district. The families are from diverse cultural backgrounds and change often due to the seasonal nature of work in the area. Most children attend one or two sessions a week. Many of these children are aged three years and under.
In early 2017, the service was assisted by the Ministry of Education to relocate to a refurbished building on a new site. The sessions are coordinated by a paid educator. There are increasing numbers of parents participating in the Playcentre Adult Education Programme.
In 2017, the playcentre was supported by a centre advisor with occasional visits and frequent communications from the Playcentre Association. In 2018, as a result of the Playcentre Federation restructuring of the association, the playcentre now has regular visits and receives ongoing support from a Centre Support Worker (CSW)
This review was part of a cluster of nine reviews in the South Island Southern Region (SISR) Playcentres.
Parents at Wakatipu Playcentre have clear ideas about what learning is important for their children. The recently redeveloped philosophy statement includes aspirations for children to:
belong to a multi-cultural community
appreciate diversity
be responsible guardians of the natural environment
know they and their family learn together in positive ways.
These aspirations are evident in the programme. Over time the playcentre needs to evaluate how well the philosophy continues to be enacted and how well children are supported in their learning.
The playcentre offers a child-led programme where children freely choose their activities in well-resourced and interesting play areas. They are well supported by the educator and their own and other parents as they play and learn. Young babies and toddlers attend with their parents. The educator ensures that the programme is tailored to the needs and interests of these age groups.
A growing strength in the playcentre is the evident commitment to and growing inclusion of Māori perspectives in the programme and practices. The parents have sought external expertise to know the cultural history for their area. They are creating an environment where all children, and in particular Māori children, can learn about and be proud of New Zealand's bicultural heritage.
The educator, with the guidance of the CSW, has developed useful processes for planning and assessment for individual and groups of children. These processes are in the early stages of being implemented. The next step is to consolidate and embed these processes and encourage all parents to take an active part in planning and implementing the programme with the educator.
The parents have established a strong sense of belonging to the playcentre for the whole family. They have shown commitment and dedication through the relocation of the playcentre to the new site. They work well together as a parent collective. There is a culture of ongoing improvement and reflection. The next step for the parents is to work with the CSW to find ways to make internal-evaluation practices meaningful and manageable for their context.
At the time of this review, the OPA was implementing the New Zealand Playcentre Federation's new operating model, and was amalgamating with Southland and South Canterbury Playcentre Associations to become the South Island Southern Region. While the changes resulted in some disruption to the services provided to individual playcentres in 2017, the OPA is effectively managing the restructure with the resources available to them. Each playcentre now receives regular support from a paid administrator and a centre support worker. There are robust systems in the association for monitoring the progress and performance of individual playcentres, and targeted support is given when needed.
The key next steps for educator and parents with the support of the CSW are to:
ensure that the aspirations and priorities for learning are evaluated over time so they can be assured that all children are well supported in their learning
embed the planning and assessment processes
develop a shared understanding of effective internal evaluation and use internal evaluation as a means to know how well the playcentre is providing for children's learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Wakatipu 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 Wakatipu Playcentre will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
8 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 |
Frankton-Queenstown |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
90030 |
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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 |
25 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
56 |
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Gender composition |
Boys: 30 Girls: 26 |
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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 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2018 |
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Date of this report |
8 June 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
June 2011 |
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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.
Frankton Playcentre is one of 33 play centres within the Otago Playcentre Association (OPA). It is located beside the local school. The playcentre is managed by a parent council. Some parents are involved in playcentre training to improve their understanding of how children learn. The parent council employs a trained educator to lead sessions along with an education team and parent help.
The playcentre provides morning sessions for children from birth to school age and an afternoon session one day a week.
The playcentre has been through a period of major regrowth in 2014. This has included:
The playcentre’s philosophy emphasises children learning through play and having a sense of belonging. It promotes parents learning alongside their children. The parents believe great learning comes from mixed-age sessions.
The 2011 ERO report identified the need to extend self-review practices. This continues to be an area for development.
The centre’s philosophy is evident in practice. Children enjoy a range of interesting learning experiences within a well resourced centre. These experiences include literacy, sensory, dramatic and imaginative play. Over recent months the education team has made increased use of the local environment to build on children’s interests, such as a variety of forms of transportation. Through play children can explore and are exposed to a range of mathematical concepts that include sorting, counting, measuring, problem solving and geometry.
Relationships within the centre are welcoming, warm and supportive of children and their whānau. Parents and children show a strong sense of belonging to the centre. ERO observed positive relationships between adults with children. Children play alongside each other well.
Adults foster children’s self-management skills. Children have easy access to the equipment and resources. They make choices of activities to follow their interests. Educators and parents have an awareness of the children’s interests and support these.
The centre provides a safe environment for infants and toddlers to explore and extend their learning. Safe spaces are provided for children who are not yet mobile.
Educators and parents have focused on building their knowledge and skills in assessing and recording children’s learning. The children’s individual profiles:
The education team meets formally and informally to discuss the playcentre’s programme. Records show intentions of identifying goals for individual children and to gather the aspirations parents have for their children. The centre has a useful procedure for supporting and documenting children’s learning. The educators acknowledge that their next step is to plan children’s learning pathways more deliberately.
Adults interact positively with children in a positive manner to support them to make choices and be independent. Improved planning should help educators and parents focus their interactions with children to make them more purposeful.
The playcentre has a culture of improvement and growth. This is supported by:
The education team has identified the need to focus more on recognising their bi-cultural practice within the curriculum. ERO agrees and sees this as a worthwhile step to base future developments in this area.
The Otago Playcentre Association (OPA) is facing challenges and uncertainty as the Playcentre Federation undergoes a significant period of restructuring. The OPA is waiting for the federation strategic plan to guide next steps in governance and management. In recent times there have been a number of key personnel changes (both paid and unpaid) within the OPA. The parent council has received valuable support and guidance from the OPA as it worked to have its full licence reinstated. At the time of the review a new centre advisor had been appointed to support the playcentre.
The educators and parents need to continue to strengthen the planning processes for individual children and groups of children. In particular, they should more clearly identify learning outcomes in response to parents’ wishes and information gathered in learning stories.
The educators and the parent council need to work with the centre advisor to develop a deeper understanding of self review to ensure that programmes are reviewed. They should use self review to monitor the effectiveness of their curriculum, programmes and practices, including the philosophy and mathematics learning area.
Before the review, the staff and management of Frankton 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.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Frankton Playcentre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer-Southern Southern Region
27 March 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 |
Queenstown |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
90030 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
44 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys: 31 Girls: 13 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Pacific Asian Other |
3 25 3 6 7 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
Must attend with parents |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
December 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
27 March 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
October 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.