241 New Brighton Road, Burwood, Christchurch
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Burwood Playcentre is well placed to promote positive outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Burwood Playcentre is one of the Playcentre Association services within the Upper South Island Region. It is licensed for 25 children with up to 12 aged under two years. The centre is open five mornings a week. A coordinator has overall responsibility for the daily programme. The centre assigns other roles and responsibilities to parents who work together with the coordinator to provide education and care for the children attending. A centre support worker provides regular guidance to the coordinator and parents.
The Playcentre philosophy is based around parent/child partnerships. The underlying belief is that children learn through play and are provided with a range of experiences to choose from that promote learning.
Playcentre parents have made some progress addressing the recommendations of the last ERO report. Recommendations included making children's learning and progress more visible, with better use of learning information about children to inform the centre programme.
Children benefit from the positive relationships they have with each other and with the adults at the centre. The positive interactions between children and adults encourage cooperation and create a pleasant environment for play and learning. Children make good use of the equipment and the wide range of good quality resources available to them both indoors and outside. Parents respect children's choices and learning preferences. Strong, responsive and respectful relationships are formed with each family, supporting children's sense of belonging. Children have some opportunities to venture out of the centre on excursions to strengthen their connection with the local community.
The coordinator uses a range of ways to communicate with parents and keep everyone informed. She is leading the implementation of a useful assessment and planning system that is helping parents provide a programme that supports and extends children's interests and learning. Session members reflect together on each session, recording what they have noticed about children's play to plan subsequent sessions. Information and guidelines are also displayed around the centre to help parents know what to do and what the expectations are. Assessment portfolios provide ongoing opportunities for the observation of children's experiences regarding playcentre activities.
Māori children have opportunities to see and learn about Māori culture. Waiata and karakia are used in the sessions in meaningful contexts. Parents value bicultural development. They have begun to work on ways to build bicultural practice into learning programmes. They also need to consider including bicultural practice and their commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in the centre philosophy.
Parents are invited to take the lead with internal evaluation. Reviews have led to improvements in parents' knowledge and this in turn has helped parents provide better learning opportunities for children. A recent review on sustainability has had a significant impact on parents and children by building awareness and deepening their appreciation of the natural world.
The centre's parent group and ERO's evaluation have confirmed that the key next steps are to continue to develop:
the centre philosophy to better show the service's key learning priorities
a plan to implement bicultural practices and include Māori perspectives in the programme
understandings of children's learning and how this is captured in assessment, programme planning and evaluation
internal evaluation processes.
There continues to be significant change occurring with the playcentre governance and management at association and federation levels. Previous ERO reports in playcentre reviews in this region have recommended more effective and sustained governance support for playcentres with regard to:
During this review it was noted that there is the need for a review of some of the centre policies.
Before the review, the staff and management of Burwood 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.
Findings:
ERO discussed the need to continue the review of policies and ensure that centre practices align with these.
ERO recommended that risk management plans for excursions be strengthened to reflect best practice.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
5 March 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.
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Location |
Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70030 |
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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 12 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
35 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 15 ; Girls 20 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
0-49% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
December 2019 |
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Date of this report |
5 March 2019 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
August 2012 |
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Education Review |
April 2009 |
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Education Review |
October 2005 |
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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 will depend on how well the service promotes 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.
Burwood Playcentre is one of 46 centres administered by the Canterbury Playcentre Association. The association’s education and centre support teams provide support for the centre. The parent cooperative is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the playcentre. This playcentre operates five morning sessions for children aged from birth to school age.
This playcentre has been significantly affected by the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. Although the playcentre building suffered minimal damage, the surrounding areas have been severely affected with many residents facing demolition of their homes. As a result of families having to leave the area, the number of children attending the centre initially reduced, but is now increasing. Some of these centre members and coordinators were experienced playcentre parents and their departure has resulted in some loss of knowledge about the centre. Despite these challenges, the remaining parents are positive about, and committed to, rebuilding their playcentre community. They are operating as a successful parent cooperative and welcome new families.
Positive features of this playcentre include:
The parent group has re-established useful systems to help parents reflect on the programme and plan for improvements. They are making good use of this process to increase the bicultural aspects of the programme.
The next steps are for the coordinators and parent group to make children’s learning and progress more visible in programme planning, evaluation and assessment records. This will provide them with more useful information on the effectiveness of their programme.
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the centre again in three years.
Before the review, the management of Burwood Playcentre was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by the centre to contribute to the scope of the review.
The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the management and staff. This discussion focused on existing information held by the centre (including self-review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to positive outcomes for children atBurwood Playcentre.
All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:
ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below.
The playcentre philosophy highlights the belief that children reach their full potential when parents understand their development and take part in the learning process. Parents believe that children learn best through leading their own play. They place value on promoting respectful relationships and whānau involvement. ERO found the playcentre’s philosophy to be well reflected in practice.
Positive and affirming relationships are a feature of the playcentre. Parents promote a whānau approach. ERO observed welcoming and supportive interactions between adults. Parents are working as a successful cooperative in managing the playcentre’s operations.
Parents work well with all children and have good knowledge of individual children’s preferences. ERO observed many enjoyable and enthusiastic interactions between children and adults. Children’s sense of well-being and belonging is being nurtured.
Children experience a programme that is:
Adults effectively notice and respond to children’s interests. They can talk in depth about individual children’s interests and how the programme supports these interests. ERO observed parents sharing useful information about what their children like at the playcentre and their involvement in the activities. There are informative wall displays that show children’s involvement in the programme and invite parents to contribute their ideas.
Children’s learning is enhanced through good-quality interactions with adults. ERO observed adults:
Parents are undertaking useful self review which is focused on increasing the bicultural aspects of the programme. They can talk knowledgeably about the bicultural values that guide the programme and the playcentre philosophy. ERO heard many examples of te reo Māori being incorporated by adults in the programme. These adults were also positive models for the children in being learners of te reo Māori.
Children learn in well-resourced and attractive play spaces. This includes:
Parents are making good use of association support to re-establish formal self-review practices that had lapsed in 2011 due to other priorities after the earthquakes. They are following a useful process that ensures all parents can have input into reflections on the programme and can contribute to plans for improvement.
Programme planning, evaluation and assessment records could be more focused on making children’s learning and progress more visible. Coordinators and parents said they have regular discussions about children’s learning. However, ERO noticed that what was recorded was more about the activities they provide for children rather than identifying what learning they are planning to support and extend. A greater focus on identifying the learning opportunities will provide more useful information for them to reflect on in their daily session evaluations.
The coordinators and parents have identified that there is variation in the quality of learning stories. They have begun to develop plans to give more support to parents in contributing to their child’s assessment. Coordinators also need to give further consideration to how they use the information in children’s profile books to develop the programme.
Before the review, the staff of Burwood Playcentre completed an ERO CentreAssurance Statement andSelf-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 documentation, including policies, procedures and records of recent use of procedures. ERO also checked elements of the following areas that have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the centre again in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services
Southern Region
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Type |
Sessional 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 10 aged under two |
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Roll number |
31 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 15 Boys 16 |
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Ethnic composition |
New Zealand European/Pākehā 29 Māori 1 Asian 1 |
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Review team on site |
May 2012 |
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Date of this report |
7 August 2012 |
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Previous three ERO reports
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Education Review April 2009 Education Review October 2005 Accountability Review October 2002 |
These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Burwood Playcentre.
Burwood Playcentre is one of 46 centres administered by the Canterbury Playcentre Association. The association’s education and centre support teams provide support for the centre. The parent cooperative is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the playcentre. This playcentre operates five morning sessions for children aged from birth to school age.
This playcentre has been significantly affected by the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. Although the playcentre building suffered minimal damage, the surrounding areas have been severely affected with many residents facing demolition of their homes. As a result of families having to leave the area, the number of children attending the centre initially reduced, but is now increasing. Some of these centre members and coordinators were experienced playcentre parents and their departure has resulted in some loss of knowledge about the centre. Despite these challenges, the remaining parents are positive about, and committed to, rebuilding their playcentre community. They are operating as a successful parent cooperative and welcome new families.
Positive features of this playcentre include:
The parent group has re-established useful systems to help parents reflect on the programme and plan for improvements. They are making good use of this process to increase the bicultural aspects of the programme.
The next steps are for the coordinators and parent group to make children’s learning and progress more visible in programme planning, evaluation and assessment records. This will provide them with more useful information on the effectiveness of their programme.
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the centre again in three years.
When ERO has reviewed an early childhood centre we encourage management to inform their community of any follow up action they plan to take. You should talk to the management or contact person if you have any questions about this evaluation, the full ERO report or their future intentions.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the centre or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services
Southern Region
ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews. The purpose of each review is to:
Reviews are intended to focus on outcomes for children and build on each centre’s self review.
ERO’s framework for reviewing and reporting is based on four review strands.
Quality of Education – including the quality of the programme provided for children, the quality of the learning environment and the quality of the interactions between staff and children and how these impact on outcomes for children.
Additional Review Priorities – other aspects of the operation of a centre, may be included in the review. ERO will not include this strand in all reviews.
Compliance with Legal Requirements – assurance that this centre has taken all reasonable steps to meet legal requirements.
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of centre performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to this centre.
Most ERO reports include recommendations for improvement. A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily mean that a centre is performing poorly in relation to that issue. There is no direct link between the number of recommendations in this report and the overall performance of this centre.