Vogel Street, Cambridge
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Cambridge Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Cambridge Playcentre is a parent-led education and care service located in Cambridge. It caters for children from birth to school age and operates three mixed-age morning sessions and two Tamariki Nui sessions for children aged three to six per week. The playcentre is licensed for 30 children including up to 15 under the age of two years. The current roll of 50 children includes eight who identify as Māori.
During 2018, the New Zealand Playcentre Federation transitioned from operating with 32 regional associations to become one national body with six regional offices. In the central North Island six associations have merged into a regional hub renamed Playcentre Aotearoa Central North Island Region that now includes 95 playcentres over a large geographic area. At Cambridge Playcentre the co-presidents are supported by a vice president and a committee of parent members who take on team leadership roles. A centre administrator and support worker are provided by the Federation to assist with session operation.
Through their national philosophy, the playcentre places emphasis on whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together. They empower adults and children to play, work and grow together and value and affirm parents as first and best educators of their children.
Cambridge Playcentre has a positive reporting history with ERO. Since the 2015 ERO review there has been increased engagement in workshops and completion of qualifications by members. The playcentre has undertaken internal evaluation focused on bicultural practice.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 playcentre reviews in the Playcentre Aotearoa Central North Island Region.
The centre's curriculum is responsive to children’s needs and emerging interests. The environment is well maintained and resourced to provide a wide range of play and learning across curriculum areas. Children engage in appropriate age-related activities and have opportunities to revisit and extend their learning. Children with additional needs are supported to participate fully in centre activities. The centre's transition-to-school programme encourages a growing sense of older children’s independence. Children benefit from a curriculum that is focused on developing their sense of belonging.
Relationships within the centre are warm and respectful. Parents work alongside children, engaging in positive, reciprocal interactions. Members are responsive to children’s needs and empower them to make their own choices and follow their interests. Children are supported to engage in sustained play and the environment reflects their learning and provides a sense of belonging. Infants under two years of age play and learn alongside older children in a settled family atmosphere. Children experience learning in a nurturing and welcoming environment.
Centre leadership promotes a collaborative culture. There is a shared approach to roles and responsibilities. Leaders are focused on building the capability of members to contribute meaningfully to centre operations and to ensure the sustainability of the service. Systems and processes are reviewed to increase shared knowledge and understanding of operational practices. The centre support worker and the centre administrator provide detailed reports that are leading to improved awareness of quality practice, and building capability through appropriate feedback and feedforward.
The Playcentre Federation’s overarching strategic and individual annual plans guide playcentre direction. Parent education programmes have a focus on building knowledge and understanding of children’s learning and development. Communication and support between the federation and regions throughout the restructure has supported ongoing operations. Current policies and systems are in place until new systems implemented by Federation are rolled out nationally. The Playcentre philosophy and vision and documented strategic goals have been set. There is now the need to measure the impact of actions taken on outcomes for children.
Centre leaders and members should continue to improve aspects of planning and assessment, including:
increasing the bicultural dimension in the centre's curriculum and children's learning stories
the consistent use of the early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki to recognise and respond to children's learning.
Centre leadership should strengthen internal evaluation to monitor and evaluate the impact of changes to centre organisation and practice and clearly identify improved outcomes for children.
In order to improve practice the Playcentre Aotearoa Central North Island regional leaders should continue to:
develop and implement strategic and annual regional plans
monitor and strengthen each playcentre’s understanding of internal evaluation to inform ongoing improvement
support individual playcentre personnel to robustly report on the progress towards their appropriate strategic goals
strengthen appraisal processes to support centre support and administrators to grow their practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of Cambridge 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
19 June 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 |
Cambridge |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
33001 |
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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 |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
50 |
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Gender composition |
Male 25 Female 25 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
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Review team on site |
April 2019 |
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Date of this report |
19 June 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2015 |
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Education Review |
November 2012 |
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Education Review |
October 2009 |
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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:
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.
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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.
Cambridge Playcentre is located in Cambridge and caters for children from birth to school age. It is licensed to provide education and care for 30 children, including up to 17 children under two years of age at any one time. At the time of this ERO review, the roll of 34, included two children of Māori descent. The centre currently operates three general sessions a week that children attend with their parents, and two supervised sessions that older children may attend without their parents. The centre also hosts an initiative to support mothers and babies, Supporting Parents Alongside Children’s Education (SPACE), for four afternoon sessions a week.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation and the Waikato Playcentre Association (WPA) continue to provide effective governance and strategic direction for the centre. Members also benefit from the ongoing guidance and support of centre support workers, and adult education courses. This support and training is underpinned by the association’s philosophy ‘Whānau tupu ngātahi - families growing together’. The association’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi is evident in its bicultural leadership model, support for Māori whānau, and funding to support members to include te reo and tikanga Māori in learning programmes.
As recommended in the 2012 ERO report, members have reviewed the centre philosophy and introduced monitoring of self review. They have also streamlined systems for documenting, sharing and planning for individual children’s learning and interests. Since 2012 members have also upgraded centre facilities and doubled the number of sessions held at the centre for babies and older children.
All centre members are actively involved in playcentre training and course work. Many members have completed advanced levels of playcentre training, and many others have teaching qualifications. The centre employs three experienced playcentre persons. One provides focused support at the general session that ERO observed. The other two each supervise one of the two sessions for older children.
The centre’s philosophy is ‘Families and children creating a community, while learning together through play in a safe, positive, supportive and stimulating environment’. Members aim to foster children’s sense of belonging through fostering strong relationships, supporting child-led play, and encouraging kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of centre resources.
This review was part of a cluster of six playcentre reviews in the Waikato Playcentre Association.
Children are capable and confident learners. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and enjoy trusting relationships with a variety of adults. Children initiate play, independently access equipment of their choice, and play well with and alongside one another. Older children support and involve younger children in their play. Children are also developing an appreciation of te reo and tikanga Māori.
Centre members provide high quality support for learning. They work closely with children to extend thinking and oral language skills, and to sustain their engagement in play. Members make good use of questions to stimulate investigation, problem solve and promote co-operative play. Members interactions with very young children are particularly gentle and caring. They skilfully interpret toddlers’ language, cues and gestures and respond appropriately to their needs.
The curriculum is highly responsive to children’s emerging interests and ideas, and parents’ aspirations for their children. Adults skilfully support children to explore their own ideas through imaginative play and incorporate literacy, mathematical and science concepts in meaningful ways. Children have frequent opportunities to explore textures and to express themselves creatively through music and art. Families enjoy regular excursions to explore and learn about the local community and environment.
Sound planning, assessment and evaluation practices include:
Centre leaders have worked collaboratively and effectively to address the areas identified in the 2012 ERO report. There is a strong emphasis on identifying emerging leaders and building membership capability. Members have established a family-like culture of pastoral care, professional discussion, and a commitment to positive outcomes for children. They use ongoing reflections and self review to establish and maintain high quality teaching and learning practices. Members value ongoing parent education and support provided by the WPA.
ERO and centre representatives agree that next steps for centre members are to:
further enhance the use of displays and areas of play to support literacy learning.
In addition, at WPA level there is a need to review and strengthen:
Before the review, the staff and management of Cambridge 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.
The next ERO review of Cambridge Playcentre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
8 October 2015
|
Location |
Cambridge |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
33001 |
|
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
|
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
|
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 17 aged under 2 |
|
|
Service roll |
34 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Boys 20 Girls 14 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other European Other |
2 29 2 1 |
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Review team on site |
August 2015 |
|
|
Date of this report |
8 October 2015 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2012 |
|
Education Review |
October 2009 |
|
|
Education Review |
October 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.