Rhodes Street, Hinds
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Hinds Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Hinds Playcentre operates as a parent cooperative under the governance and management of Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa - Playcentre Aotearoa. The service employs a session supervisor. A centre support worker and administrator regularly visit to support the parents and the supervisor.
The service is licensed for 25 children, including 10 children aged up to two years. It is open two mornings a week. Parents are rostered to help at each session. Infants and toddlers are the direct responsibility of their parents or caregivers in the programme.
The playcentre's philosophy emphasises the importance of diversity, inclusion and strong relationships. It promotes a child-directed programme that supports tamariki to gain leadership skills and independence.
Since the September 2016 ERO review there has been a significant change in the support structure for Mid-Canterbury playcentres. They are now supported by Playcentre Aotearoa. In the last two years, there have been significant community changes that have impacted on the centre and the roll numbers. The playcentre has had several new families start and is now rebuilding its roll. There is a newly-appointed Playcentre President.
The centre has made some progress towards meeting the 2016 ERO recommendations. The philosophy has been reviewed, the centre has undertaken new strategic planning, assessment and planning practices have been improved, and progress has been made with strengthening the bicultural programme.
This review was part of a cluster of five playcentre reviews in the Upper South Island Region of Playcentre Aotearoa.
Children experience a broad range of activities. Their learning is further extended by adults, through the thoughtful planning from previous sessions. Parents could be more involved in documenting the learning stories. Children are encouraged to choose from a wide range of resources and equipment to promote their independence and self-management skills.
Children are confident learners who freely explore the playcentre environment. The spacious, natural outdoor area provides good opportunities for exploration and physical challenge.
Families and whānau experience an inclusive environment. Adults are respectful of tikanga Māori and use te reo Māori in the programme. There is a focus on building strong relationships to ensure a sense of wellbeing and belonging for all adults and children at the centre.
Infants and toddlers are viewed as capable learners and are included in all aspects of the programme. They are well supported by all adults and have easy access to appropriate resources and learning experiences, including sensory play. There is a specifically-designed space available for babies to play and explore freely.
Strategic planning is now in place. Goals have been identified by parents and should support a more meaningful approach to developing the local curriculum and improved outcomes for children. Parents have identified that they now need to effectively implement, monitor and evaluate this plan.
Aspects of internal evaluation are being developed with continued assistance from the centre support worker.
Playcentre Aotearoa has a well-established philosophy that acknowledges and values parents as the first educators of their children. It provides a broad range of support for playcentres, including nation-wide training courses and personnel who liaise with and assist centres. The effective implementation of a recently-reviewed policy and procedure framework will help parents and whānau to ensure that children have safe and healthy learning environments while at playcentre.
The parent group, centre support worker and ERO agree that the key next steps to improve outcomes for children include:
developing all adults' understanding and use of internal evaluation
continuing to develop strategic planning so that goals identified are planned for, monitored and evaluated
ensuring assessment, planning and evaluation are understood and documented by parents as part of their role as kaiako at playcentre
continuing to strengthen bicultural practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of Hinds 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
4 March 2020
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 |
Hinds |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70070 |
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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 10 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
14 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 10, Boys 4 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
November 2019 |
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Date of this report |
4 March 2020 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
September 2016 |
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Education Review |
June 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:
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.
Hinds Playcentre is a small, rural playcentre located on the grounds of the local school. The playcentre provides two morning sessions a week for up to 20 children. The playcentre roll fluctuates with the seasonal demands of farming. The centre is experiencing a time of regrowth with new families joining the sessions.
The sessions are led by an experienced, paid supervisor with the help of playcentre members. Playcentre parents are gaining playcentre qualifications by being involved in the adult-education training programme provided by the Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association.
Hinds Playcentre is one of seven playcentres in the Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association. The association is made up of a group of dedicated, paid and elected members. The association provides a framework for centre management and operations, as well as parent-education programmes and personnel to support centre members in their work with children.
The Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association is experiencing a time of change as all playcentre associations throughout New Zealand merge with the New Zealand Playcentre Federation to reduce duplication and make cost savings. This restructure will mean significant changes at the local association level.
ERO's 2012 report noted areas for review and development. These included strategic and annual planning, assessment practices, and a programme responsive to Māori culture. ERO found there had been good progress made in these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of seven playcentre reviews in the Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association.
Children at Hinds Playcentre have fun in their learning. They and their families show a sense of belonging to the playcentre and the local community. Children and families are welcomed and supported.
Children are settled in their play and play well together. They have clear ideas about what they want to do and confidently make choices from a wide range of interesting and well-presented resources. Infants and toddlers are the immediate responsibility of their caregiver when attending playcentre. There is an area provided with suitable resources for this age group. In addition, very young children freely explore all areas of the playcentre and join in the activities.
Adults have positive, nurturing relationships with children. They are responsive to children's ideas and follow their lead as they play. They listen to children's ideas and extend children's thinking through extended conversations.
Children benefit from an interesting and varied programme. This includes opportunities for:
learning about sustainability and science
meaningful early literacy and mathematics experiences, such as baking
imaginative play
developing their physical and social skills
interesting outings to help grow a sense of belonging within the community.
The supervision team and parents are building their capability in helping children to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This includes celebrating significant events such as Mātariki, using simple te reo Māori with the children and including Māori perspectives meaningfully in play activities. They should continue to build their confidence in this area.
The supervisor is skilled and experienced, and is a good role model for parents. She is effectively implementing and refining new systems for planning arising from the association's improvements in this area.
The supervision team has a purposeful discussion before each session begins to set the direction for the day. After sessions they discuss what the children were interested in and what activities should be continued in the next session. These discussions and the written notes that are kept need a greater focus on learning. The next step is for the team to find ways to develop planning for individual children and share this with all parents.
The playcentre has identified that the centre philosophy has not been reviewed for some time. It is now timely to redevelop the playcentre philosophy to reflect the current parents' shared values and beliefs, commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and desired outcomes for children.
The playcentre supervisors and parents are improvement focused. They have used self review to make some positive changes. The process would be further improved by using evaluative questions and developing and using indicators (criteria showing what good practice looks like) at all the stages of a review. The supervision team and parents need to develop a schedule to ensure they review key aspects of the playcentre's programmes and practices over time.
There is relevant and purposeful strategic and annual planning that clearly shows the key priorities guiding the playcentre's direction. These plans should be regularly monitored.
The parents meet regularly to oversee the smooth running of the playcentre. All parents are encouraged to complete the adult-education programmes so there are enough qualified adults to run the sessions. This is an ongoing priority for the playcentre.
The Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association responded well to the issues and trends emerging from the 2012 ERO reports for its playcentres. The board is very supportive of the playcentres and provides additional support in response to their needs. It should ensure it receives evaluative reports on key aspects relating to centre support and supervisor support roles.
The board has a strategic plan with purposeful actions to help guide the association's work. This should be more formally monitored. Board members meet regularly to discuss key aspects of the smooth running of the association. They are working proactively to assist the smooth transition through the New Zealand Playcentre Federation changes. The board has an expectation that each playcentre will have its own annual plan, though these are not always in place. The association's appraisal system for the supervisors has been reinstated and needs to continue to be embedded.
Key next steps for the association are to:
monitor the board's annual plan and support all playcentres to prepare annual plans
ensure it receives evaluative reports on key aspects of playcentres' operations.
The playcentre supervisors and parents at Hinds Playcentre, with the support of the Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association, need to:
review the playcentre philosophy to include their desired outcomes for children
further develop self review
continue to refine assessment, planning and evaluation practices
continue to build the bicultural programme.
Before the review, the staff and management of Hinds 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.
In order to improve current practice the risk-management systems for outings need strengthening. The playcentre association needs to ensure that the building is heated to meet the recommended temperatures, in particular during winter.
The next ERO review of Hinds Playcentre will be in three years.
Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
27 September 2016
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 |
Hinds |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
70070 |
||
|
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 |
14 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls: 8 Boys: 6 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Malaysian |
1 12 1 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
Parent Led |
||
|
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 |
August 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
27 September 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
June 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2005 |
||
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 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.