Kelburn Playcentre

Education institution number:
60037
Service type:
Playcentre
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
68
Telephone:
Address:

17 Kowhai Road, Kelburn, Wellington

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Kelburn Playcentre - 24/07/2017

1 Evaluation of Kelburn Playcentre

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

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Kelburn Playcentre is one of 19 parent-led early childhood centres governed and administered by the Wellington Playcentre Association (the association). It is licensed to provide mixed-age sessional education and care for 30 children, five mornings a week. This includes provision for 18 children up to the age of two at any one time.

A council, of elected volunteer representatives from each of the association's member centres oversees operation of the association at the governance level. Their work is assisted by an operations manager and general manager. An executive committee administers the adult education programme and tutors provide timely guidance and support for members. Responsibility for daytoday operations is undertaken by centre-elected office holders.

A centre support worker is employed to visit the centre and provide professional advice and feedback to strengthen practice and promote improvement. The support worker's more formalised role was developed after the 2014 ERO review identified the need for a more effective response to the needs of individual centres.

The association philosophy, 'Whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together', underpins practice and is articulated as empowering parents and children to learn, grow and play together. This guides the service's provision and practice for their learning community.

Curriculum planning and implementation at Kelburn Playcentre is a shared responsibility. Each session is supported by a duty team of parent educators who hold playcentre training certificates. All centre members participate in the adult education programme provided by the association. The centre has sustained this high level of professional learning over time, enabling parents to be actively involved in their child's education.

Kelburn Playcentre responded proactively to the areas identified for improvement in the May 2014 ERO review. The report identified that centre leaders would benefit from association support to further develop a more bicultural perspective, assessment, planning and self-review practices. Since this review, the centre’s bicultural journey has been planned and deliberate.

The New Zealand Playcentre Federation, of which the Wellington Association is part, is planning a significant restructure for 2017. Playcentres will be grouped in regional hubs, supported by a regional manager and support persons.

The review was part of a cluster of ten in the Wellington Playcentre Association.

The Review Findings

Children’s holistic development is enhanced through their engagement in child-initiated, play-based learning. Te Whāriki and playcentre philosophy underpin centre practice. Assessment, curriculum planning and evaluation practices provide adults with timely and useful information that help them plan meaningful learning experiences, responsive to children’s interests. Members are aware of the importance of maintaining continuity across all sessions to ensure that all children’s learning needs are recognised and met.

The centre is developing systems that inform planning, assessment and communicate observations about children’s developing interests and skills. Individual learning portfolios celebrate children's progress, showing their developing skills, knowledge and attributes. A next step is to strengthen evaluation of the learning.

Well-chosen age-appropriate equipment and effective session planning enables and supports centre children of all ages to play and learn together. Adults are responsive to and provide well for up to two year olds and for all children and their learning needs.

The centre support person and duty teams provide strong, effective leadership that contributes positively to children’s early learning experience. Helpful strategies are in place to support newer members to document and record children's learning and progress.

A sense of collective responsibility for children and high levels of community involvement are evident. Members are a diverse group of enthusiastic parents and whānau who bring valuable skills and knowledge to their roles. Well-developed systems support the smooth day-to- day running of the playcentre. Children have a positive platform for learning.

Well-considered transition processes for children and parents new to the centre, enable them to become part of the learning community. Parents are mentored by more experienced members who model an open, collaborative approach. Successful transition to school is enabled through reciprocal information sharing between the centre and local schools.

The inclusion of te ao Māori as an integral part of children's daily experience has strengthened through ongoing internal evaluation. A comprehensive internal evaluation was undertaken, during 2014, to discover how well the association and centres included te reo me ngā tikanga Māori as part of a culturally rich, responsive curriculum.

When Kelburn Playcentre reviewed its bicultural practices again in 2016, increased use of te reo Māori by tamariki and members was evident. The centre is aware of the importance of continually upskilling members in te reo me ngā tikanga Māori to build sustainability in bicultural knowledge and practices.

The dual purpose of self review for accountability and improvement is a strength of the centre and guides ongoing decision making. Self-review practices are well considered and have a positive impact on children’s social development and learning. In 2016 an in-depth review resulted in a changed culture and expectations for the playgroup which catered for up to two and a half year olds. Renamed Pikopiko, this group's practices are now aligned with the mixed age sessions at the centre.

Key Next Steps

Association and centre leaders should continue to improve outcomes for children and families by using internal evaluation effectively to ensure the good practice occurring is sustained and prioritised developments are achieved.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Kelburn 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 Kelburn Playcentre will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

24 July 2017 

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

Wellington

Ministry of Education profile number

60037

Licence type

Playcentre

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children, including up to 18 aged under 2

Service roll

46

Gender composition

26 Girls, 20 Boys

Ethnic composition

Pākehā
Pacific
Other ethnic groups

20
2
24

Reported ratios of adults to children

Under 2

1:1

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

May 2007

Date of this report

24 July 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

May 2014

Education Review

September 2010

Education Review

January 2008

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.

Kelburn Playcentre - 14/05/2014

1 Evaluation of Kelburn Playcentre

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

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Kelburn Playcentre is one of 20 parent-led early childhood centres administered by the Wellington Playcentre Association (the association). A council oversees operation at governance level and an executive committee provides the adult education programme, guidance and support for members. Two centre supporters are employed by the executive association to visit playcentres and provide professional advice and feedback to strengthen practice and promote improvement. Responsibility for day-to-day operation is undertaken by centre-elected office holders. Parents share the duties associated with implementing the programme.

Playcentre philosophy recognises parents as the best first teachers of their children and emphasises the importance of child-initiated play in mixed-age sessions. Acknowledging Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an integral part of this philosophy.

Kelburn Playcentre is a long-established service and one of a number of early childhood centres in the local area. A high proportion of members are new to playcentre, having joined in the past 12 months. Most enrolled children are aged under four years. Three mixed age sessions, three SPACE (Supporting Children Alongside Children’s Education) sessions for infants and their parents and one playgroup for children aged under 30 months, are held each week.

Members place high value on warm reciprocal relationships, maintaining a family focus, provision of a stimulating environment and child-led play. The development of the outdoor play space continues to be a focus. There is an ongoing drive to keeping membership and training levels such that parents are able to collaboratively lead session themselves.

Since the September 2010 ERO report, this service has been relicensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. It has a positive reporting history with ERO.

This review was part of a cluster of 20 reviews of centres in the Wellington Playcentre Association.

The Review Findings

A real sense of family and community is evident. There is an ongoing focus on building and maintaining positive and enduring relationships in the centre and beyond. Members are friendly and welcoming. Children are settled and happy learners. Continuing to strengthen inclusive practice should support an enriched programme which meets a diverse range of learning needs.

Members maintain good levels of purposeful engagement with children. They are responsive, allowing children to take the lead and supporting them explore and extend their ideas. Literacy and numeracy are well integrated into the programme in meaningful, playbased ways. Children’s language development is fostered through discussion and conversation. High ratios of adults to children promote opportunities for one-to one interaction. Good levels of sustained and independent play are evident. Members should continue to work on promoting child-initiated play and experiences that support children to persevere in their choice of activity.

Children have free access to an extensive range of learning materials. These are well organised to promote children’s interest and participation. Spacious indoor play areas promote opportunities for children to investigate materials. The outdoor play space provides a range of physical and sensory play experiences. This environment is supporting children’s interest and independence as learners.

Parents are establishing a more bicultural perspective in the programme. The newly appointed bicultural officer has put in place a plan for enhancing use of te reo Māori in daily sessions. Members show commitment to integrating te reo me ngā tikanga Maori in their work with children.

Long-established links with the adjacent primary school are valued and actively maintained. These provide good support for families making the transition from playcentre to school. Poroporoaki are used for children leaving the centre and this strengthens the liaison between the two services. Developing members' thinking about appropriate experiences to support this older group of children, and parents’ understanding of transition, are next steps.

There is good provision for infants and toddlers. They are well supported and encouraged to explore the play spaces and full range of learning materials. A suitably resourced area is specifically designated for those children who are not yet mobile. Playgroup and SPACE provide opportunities for parents of very young children to develop their understanding of playcentre and early learning. Members agree that planning for the learning of children in this group needs to be strengthened.

Since the previous ERO review, the programme has become increasingly child led. Professional development has been undertaken to enhance members’ approach to planning for learning. There is a stronger emphasis on identifying children's significant learning linked to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Session planning meetings enable parents to share their aspirations for, and the developing interests and strengths of, their children.

Comprehensive guidelines are in place to inform parents about the centre’s expectations around the programme and support their participation in the process. A visual approach to recording children’s goals and daily sessions supports continuity over time. Evaluation of sessions should be improved by increasing the focus on planning to meet the learning needs of individuals. Refining assessment records so children’s progress in learning is more of a focus is a further next step. With the large proportion of new members at the centre, it is timely for a collaborative review of the centre philosophy. This should strengthen decision-making about programme development.

Adults take pride in being part of a learning community alongside their children. They are determined to secure a sustainable future for the centre. Newcomers are encouraged and supported to undertake training and to take an active role in running the sessions. A strategy to attract and retain members is needed to support successful cooperative management and leadership.

A core group of members together provide leadership and undertake management roles as required by the association. They are at the early stages of using formal self review and are keen to develop their understanding to better support decisions about improvement and priorities for development.

The association provides a range of support and training for members. The centre supporter provides regular and valued face-to-face feedback and aid as needed. A more structured and evaluative approach based on centre and association-identified priorities, and growing members’ practice, should better promote and sustain improvement over time. Comprehensive and up-to-date written policies and procedures guide office holders in their management roles, and members in planning and implementing an appropriate programme. The association is both improvement and future focused. The systematic review of, and plan to, restructure governance and management are being carefully worked through to support a new and more sustainable future for the organisation and individual centres.

Key Next Steps

Members should:

  • review the philosophy underpinning the programme
  • continue to strengthen the bicultural perspective in the learning programme
  • strengthen their approach to assessment, planning and evaluation
  • seek ways, in consultation with the association, to attract and retain new members and to foster cooperative management and emergent leadership.

The association should:

  • continue to develop centre support processes based on identified needs and priorities
  • support members to develop their understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership
  • provide leadership to members to help them define their understanding of success for Māori as Māori
  • support members to strengthen their understanding and use of self review to promote improvement
  • redevelop the appraisal process to ensure the development needs of centre-based employees working with children are met.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Kelburn 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 Kelburn Playcentre will be in three years.

Joyce Gebbie

National Manager Review Services Central Region (Acting)

14 May 2014

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Wellington city

Ministry of Education profile number

60037

Licence type

Playcentre

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children, including 18 aged up to 2

Service roll

39

Gender composition

Boys 22,

Girls 17

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Other Ethnic Groups

1

34

4

Reported ratios of adults to children

Under 2

1:1

Better than minimum requirements

 

Over 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

March 2014

Date of this report

14 May 2014

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

September 2010

 

Education Review

January 2008

 

Education Review

January 2005

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.