396 Manchester Street, Christchurch
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Active Explorers Central City is part of the Evolve Education Group (EEG). It provides full-day education and care for up to 67 children, including 22 under two year olds. Children play and learn in three areas, according to their age and readiness for the next area.
Since ERO's 2015 review, the service has been purchased by the EEG and a new centre manager appointed in mid 2017. The centre manager oversees the day to day running of the service and is supported by a leadership team and a team of teachers. Most of the staff are qualified early childhood teachers.
The Evolve Education Group area manager and curriculum leaders provide ongoing support and have oversight of the service.
Leaders, teachers and whānau have developed a guiding vision and philosophy for the service that is consistent with the Evolve Education Group's values and vision and the Active Explorers brand. They aim to 'excel in providing equitable learning experiences and opportunities for each child and family'.
Good progress has been made in addressing the recommendations in the 2015 ERO report. This includes having a greater focus on learning and child-centred practices in the service.
This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the Evolve Education Group.
Children's learning and wellbeing are consistently promoted through leaders' and teachers' high expectations and ongoing commitment to improving the quality of programmes and practices.
Children's learning is well supported through programmes where they:
learn about their community and the wider world
are able to be independent and make choices about their learning
learn the skills of friendship and cooperation
know teachers value their diverse cultures
are well prepared when they transition to school.
Leaders take deliberate actions to reduce barriers to participation. They know their families well and respond sensitively to their needs. They seek and make good use of external expertise to ensure that children with additional needs are well supported in their learning.
Collaborative and respectful leadership recognises and uses the strengths of teachers, parents and whānau to bring about improvements. This includes the following:
teachers effectively use new knowledge from professional learning to improve aspects of the curriculum, for example; infants and toddlers benefit from a primary-caregiving approach that is more responsive to their individual requirements and needs
parents and whānau are regularly asked for their views about important matters relating to the service's programmes and practices
leaders and teachers have worked together to develop and implement useful systems for guiding the direction and daily operations of the service, including improved systems for planning and assessment, and internal evaluation
leaders and teachers are growing their knowledge, and seeking and responding to the contributions of whānau of Māori children in order to develop a more bicultural curriculum and better support Māori children to succeed as Māori.
Active Explorers Central City is well supported by the area manager and leaders of the EEG. The EEG have developed a more coherent structure and strategic direction for the company. A strategic focus is to lift the quality of teaching and learning. Many new initiatives have been introduced to improve the effectiveness and monitor the quality of the services within the company.
that the company vision, values, philosophy, goals and systems reflect and enact the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and are underpinned by te ao Māori perspectives
reporting and monitoring at all levels is evaluative and shows how outcomes for all children have been improved, especially in relation to the organisation’s vision, philosophy and valued outcomes
ongoing monitoring of the new initiatives and roles and responsibilities of personnel in positions of leadership.
ERO's evaluation has identified, and centre leaders agree, that the key next steps are to:
continue to develop all teachers' knowledge and understanding of Te Whariki (2017), the early childhood curriculum, to design a rich, local bicultural curriculum aligned to their priorities for children's learning and the company's Active Explorers' philosophy.
embed and sustain the many positive initiatives underway that are contributing to improved outcomes for children, including further developing all teachers' confidence and capability in using internal evaluation processes
ensure that reporting at all levels of the service is evaluative and focuses on how well the service is promoting and improving outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Active Explorers Central City 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 Active Explorers Central City will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review & Improvement Services Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
19 November 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 |
Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45158 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
67 children, including up to 22 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
90 |
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Gender composition |
Girls: 54 Boys: 36 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
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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 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
August 2018 |
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Date of this report |
19 November 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2015 |
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Education Review |
March 2012 |
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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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
The centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
The Playroom is a privately owned centre for the full-time education and care of children from three months to five years of age. Three separate programmes are provided to meet the wellbeing and learning needs of children at different age levels. The centre is licensed for 67 children at any one time with up to 22 under two year olds.
The licensee is the centre manager and supervisor and is assisted by two other centre leaders. Staffing has remained stable since the centre opened in 2009. An ongoing focus on collaborative relationships and support has continued to develop.
Children from an increasingly diverse range of cultures attend the centre from across Christchurch. They are provided with nutritious meals each day. The centre is involved in a local education cluster that is focused on improving learning outcomes for children.
Te Whāriki, the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, is integrated into the centre’s philosophy and learning programmes. The centre has responded well to some aspects of the previous ERO review in 2012. Centre leaders are aware that further development is needed in other areas identified for improvement in that report, such as appraisal and self review.
The centre’s philosophy focuses on providing a wide range of opportunities for children to learn and grow in different ways through play, discovery and exploration. ERO observed good examples of this philosophy in action.
Leaders and teachers have reviewed the curriculum since the previous ERO review. This has led to ongoing improvements in the way individual children’s learning and interests are being identified, extended and recorded in their profile books.
Children under two years of age receive very good-quality care and education. ERO observed interactions that provided nurturing, calm and sensitive support for these younger children. Children in this programme also benefit from resources, activities and teaching approaches that stimulate and encourage them to become curious and active participants in the world around them.
Key features of other centre programmes observed by ERO include:
Transition processes into, within and out of the centre, contributes to children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging. Centre leaders and teachers use a variety of approaches to build positive relationships and provide consultation opportunities for parents and whānau.
Since the previous ERO review, leaders have expanded some aspects of self review. The centre manager has identified, and ERO agrees, that further development and improvement is needed.
The centre is at an early stage of extending bicultural practices into programmes, practices and planning. A new appraisal system and a review of the outdoor areas have recently begun.
ERO and centre leaders agree that the main next steps for ongoing improvement include:
In addition to this, ERO identified the need to:
Before the review, the staff and management of The Playroom Centre 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 The Playroom Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
1 April 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 |
Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
45158 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
67 children, including up to 22 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
101 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 50 Boys 51 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Asian Other Ethnicity |
4 77 10 10 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers Based on funding rates |
80% |
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|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
1 April 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2012 |
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.