Fendalton Playcentre

Education institution number:
70052
Service type:
Playcentre
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
37
Telephone:
Address:

170 A Clyde Road, Fendalton, Christchurch

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Fendalton Playcentre - 16/08/2019

1 Evaluation of Fendalton Playcentre

How well placed is Fendalton Playcentre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Fendalton Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Fendalton Playcentre operates as a parent cooperative under the governance and management of the Playcentre Federation, Upper South Island Region. It is licensed for 25 children, including 10 aged under two. The playcentre is open four mornings a week and holds one afternoon Babies Can Play session.

The playcentre employs a coordinator. Parents are rostered to help at each session. The Upper South Island Region employs a centre support person and an administrator who regularly visit the playcentre to support the parents and coordinator.

The playcentre's philosophy emphasises the importance of parents and children learning together through play. Enabling children to choose and follow their interests is a key focus. Fostering a learning community where adults and children play, work and learn together is valued.

Parents have made good progress towards meeting the recommendations of the 2014 ERO report.

This review was part of a cluster of eight Playcentre reviews in the Playcentre Federation, Upper South Island Region.

The Review Findings

Children are confident and fully engaged in their learning. They have access to a rich curriculum which is based on their interests and links to home and centre learning. The playcentre is well resourced and organised. Parents' expertise is drawn on for designing an interesting curriculum and extending options for children's learning. Children work, play and learn comfortably alongside other children of all ages and adults. Younger children are supported by adults and older children in a safe and responsive environment. Children easily access and select resources and activities that interest them.

Children have a strong sense of identity and belonging. Their cultures are recognised, valued and included in the programme. Children with additional needs, and those from diverse cultures benefit from caring relationships between parents and children. The high ratio of adults to children helps to ensure children's learning and wellbeing are well provided for. The centre is caring, welcoming and inclusive. Children are happy and settled.

Young children's transition into and within the centre is effectively managed. Many parents participate in 'babies can play' as a transition into the playcentre sessions. They bring the wide range of skills they have learnt in this programme to daily sessions. Parents need to continue to develop the transition to school programme for older children.

Parents work effectively as a cooperative in building each other's capacity and in accessing support from the Upper South Island Region. They collaboratively work together in sharing the responsibilities involved in operating the centre, including developing the curriculum. The centre builds the capacity of new parents well, so they can engage in centre processes.

There is a useful process in place for assessment and planning. Parents have an in-depth understanding of the process and capture learning well because of support from the coordinator and more experienced parents, as well as parent education training. The centre now needs to identify and document clearer links between parents' aspirations for children's learning, learning that takes place and subsequent outcomes. Te reo and tikanga Māori and Pacific language and culture also need to be made more visible.

Internal evaluation is used well to identify and improve what is important for children's learning. The centre is effective in including parent and children's voice in internal evaluation. It is continuing to build wider parent involvement in the internal evaluation process. The centre is also making good use of strategic planning. Adults now need to extend strategic planning by monitoring progress towards goals and documenting the impact of change made, including outcomes for children.

There continues to be significant change occurring with the playcentre's governance and management at regional and federation levels.

Key Next Steps

The Upper South Island Region, the playcentre and ERO agree that the key next steps are to:

  • strengthen strategic planning by monitoring progress towards goals and documenting the impact of change, including outcomes for children
  • improve assessment and planning by documenting clearer links between parent aspirations, learning that takes place and subsequent outcomes
  • make te reo and tikanga Māori and Pacific language and culture more visible in assessment and planning
  • continue to develop its programme for supporting older children's transition to school.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Fendalton 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:

  • curriculum
  • premises and facilities
  • health and safety practices
  • governance, management and administration.

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.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

16 August 2019

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Christchurch

Ministry of Education profile number

70052

Licence type

Playcentre

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

25 children, including up to 10 aged under 2

Service roll

40

Gender composition

Boys 21; Girls 19

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Pacific
Other ethnicities

2
31
3
4

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

June 2019

Date of this report

16 August 2019

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review

November 2014

Education Review

February 2012

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement

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.

Review Coverage

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.

Fendalton Playcentre - 07/11/2014

1 Evaluation of Fendalton Playcentre

How well placed is Fendalton Playcentre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Fendalton Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

This playcentre operates under the guidance of the Canterbury Playcentre Association. The playcentre is a parent cooperative. Parents are encouraged to be involved in all aspects of the programme and centre operation.

Fendalton Playcentre has four morning sessions a week. The centre operates a ‘Babies Can Play’ (BCP) programme for babies and infants on Wednesday afternoons. This is facilitated by the centre coordinator in conjunction with another BCP coordinator.

Since the February 2012 ERO review, the centre has improved the ways parents and the coordinator discuss and record what children are learning and identify what they will do to extend children’s learning. Self review is developing and the team approach has contributed to parents’ increased understanding of the process.

This review was part of a cluster of 11 playcentre reviews in the Canterbury Playcentre Association.

The Review Findings

This is a long-established centre that has a comfortable, supportive and welcoming learning environment for children and families. It is well resourced with a wide variety of learning activities and equipment that is accessible for children’s play.

Children make decisions about where and how they will play. Parents respond positively to requests from children to support them in their play.

The coordinator and parents have a shared responsibility and involvement in:

  • observing children at play and recognising the emerging learning
  • sharing the information at the beginning and end of sessions to identify ways to build on the interests of children
  • selecting appropriate directions for learning to extend children’s interests and developing skills.

A core group of parents is responsible for the well-written learning stories. These learning stories provide new parents with useful strategies for writing learning stories for their own and other children. The parent management team is encouraging parents to participate in training which will better support them in contributing to children’s assessments.

Children with learning needs and from diverse cultures are well supported by the caring relationships between parents and children.

The process of self review is well organised. However, only a small group of parents is making purposeful use of self review to make improvements in the centre.

Key Next Steps

The association, centre parents and ERO agree that the next steps for the centre include:

  • using information about children to make closer links between home cultures and experiences and those of the centre
  • building parents’ capacity to respond to children’s learning
  • strengthening the self-review process to involve more parents
  • continuing to build the confidence of leaders to share their skills and knowledge during sessions.

Canterbury Playcentre Association

This is the third cluster review of a number of playcentres that ERO has undertaken in collaboration with the association. Each of the previous cluster reviews have identified emerging strengths from all the playcentres reviewed. This process has resulted in key next steps for the association to further support playcentres to improve learning outcomes for children.

The association has made some good progress in addressing the recommendations from the previous two cluster reviews. This includes:

  • supporting children’s transitions to school
  • re-establishing the centre managers’ appraisal system
  • improving feedback from the centre support team to parent groups about the quality of teaching and learning.

Further work is required to develop a stronger understanding of the government’s focus on priority learners so that the association can better support parent groups to respond to these children.

There continues to be significant change occurring in the structure of governance and management at association and federation levels. This has had a major impact on the association’s positive response to ERO’s recommendation from the previous cluster review, to document future planning.

Key Next Steps for the Canterbury Playcentre Association

During this cluster review the association has identified, and ERO agrees, that the next steps for the association include:

  • helping parent groups more effectively sustain the developments in bicultural practices and strengthening the focus on Māori achieving success as Māori
  • reviewing assessment and planning processes to help adults identify children’s learning and the ways that adults can help children with their learning
  • developing a clear understanding of the process of strategic planning at association level and sharing this with parent groups
  • continuing to support and grow emergent leaders in playcentres.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Fendalton 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:

  • curriculum
  • premises and facilities
  • health and safety practices
  • governance, management and administration.

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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Fendalton Playcentre will be in three years.

Graham Randell

National Manager Review Services

Southern Region

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Christchurch

Ministry of Education profile number

70052

Licence type

Playcentre

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

25 children, including up to 10 aged under two

Service roll

42

Gender composition

Boys 31; Girls 11

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Taiwanese

Chinese

American

2

32

2

1

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

July 2014

Date of this report

7 November 2014

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review

February 2012

 

Education Review

June 2008

 

Education Review

June 2004

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.