C/- Rata Street School 73 Rata Street, Naenae, Lower Hutt
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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.
Naenae Playcentre is one of 17 centres administered by the Hutt Playcentre Association (the association). The association is made up of elected volunteer representatives from its member centres. It provides governance and management support for the parent committee at Naenae Playcentre. The committee works cooperatively to achieve the smooth day-to-day operation of the service. A kaitautoko, a centre support person is employed by the association, visits and provides guidance.
The centre is licensed to provide mixed-age sessional education and care for 30 children, three days a week. This includes 15 children up to the age of two. Many of the families attending are new to playcentre since the 2013 ERO review. All centre members take advantage of the adult education training programme provided by the association and are actively involved in their children's education.
Curriculum planning and implementation are shared responsibilities. Each session is supported by a team of parent educators who hold playcentre training certificates. The centre employs a supervisor on Mondays with the level of training that meets legislative requirements for group supervision.
This review was part of a cluster of eight in the Hutt Playcentre Association.
Children’s active exploration through play and learning are well supported by attentive actively involved parent educators. A positive tone and inclusive practice prevail in the centre. All children’s social skills development and confidence are nurtured. Respectful relationships positively contribute to their sense of belonging and wellbeing.
The service’s philosophy, reviewed in March 2016, is an expression of what children do and what families want for their children. It appropriately reflects the playcentre philosophy of parent led education, learning through play and the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. A strong culture of care, respect and shared responsibility for leading children's play and learning is evident.
Assessment, curriculum planning and evaluation practices provide adults with useful information to help them plan programmes responsive to children’s interests, strengths and, if required, identified needs. Newer members are well-supported by the more experienced as they develop their understandings of playcentre philosophy and assessment practice. Individual learning profile books celebrate children's progress, their developing skills, knowledge and attributes.
Children play amicably alongside their peers. They enthusiastically interact with a variety of accessible, well-planned activities and experiences. The youngest children are embraced and nurtured within a culture of care. Their active exploration and participation in the programme are well supported by adults who know them and their preferences well.
Literacy, mathematics, and science activities and concept learning are integrals part of children’s playcentre experience. There are many opportunities for children to be creative and expressive.
The incorporation of te ao Māori within the programme continues to develop. Useful prompts for parent educators and resources encourage the incorporation of te reo Māori in meaningful ways. Plans are in place to fill the role of centre bicultural officer to further enhance this aspect of the programme.
Centre members recognise the inclusion of Pacific and all children's cultures languages and identities in the curriculum as a next step for development. ERO's evaluation confirms this.
At Naenae Playcentre the parent-led committee and 'supervision groups' are made up of a diverse group of enthusiastic parents and whānau who bring valuable skills, knowledge and experiences to their roles. The high levels of involvement of the centre's community and a collective sense of responsibility for children, provide a positive platform for learning.
The association is an improvement focused organisation committed to providing timely and relevant support for its member centres. The June 2013 ERO reviews found the support provided at the centre level by kaitautoko was appreciated and supportive. ERO also recognised that formalising this arrangement to promote a more effective approach for responding to the needs of individual centres was a next step for development. An evaluation of the effectiveness of changes to kaitautoko practice in improving outcomes for centre members and children is planned.
The previous ERO report identified that members should further develop their understanding and use of evaluative self review and use the association self-review resources. The centre's strategic and annual planning prioritises areas for development and includes useful strategies to build capacity in assessment, planning and evaluation. Much work has been undertaken to put processes in place for systematic review of centre practices. These should be used to carry out effective internal evaluation of the curriculum and centre operations.
The dual purposes of self review for accountability and improvement are understood and increasingly guide ongoing decision making to improve outcomes for children.
The association should assist playcentre members to:
build their confidence in incorporating te ao Māori and provide curriculum responsive to the diverse cultures of the children and families attending.
The association:
must implement rigorous annual appraisal for the kaitautoko and identify professional development to support them in their leadership roles
should build kaitautoko knowledge and capability to undertake effective internal evaluation. This should include a focus on providing centre members with evaluative feedback that assists them to further develop aspects of the curriculum and centre practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of Naenae 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.
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to governance and management practices. To meet requirements the association needs to improve its performance in the following area:
fully implementing a system of regular appraisal.[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7]
The next ERO review of Naenae Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
21 June 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.
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Location |
Lower Hutt |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60019 |
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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 |
30 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 17, Boys 13 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Niuean Cook Island Fijian Latin American |
3 19 3 2 2 1 |
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Reported ratios of adults 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 |
May 2016 |
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Date of this report |
21 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2013 |
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Education Review |
September 2009 |
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Education Review |
June 2006 |
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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 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.
Naenae Playcentre is developing its capacity to improve and sustain positive outcomes for children. The high level of commitment of core members, along with focused support from the Hutt Playcentre Association (the association), should enable it to reach this objective.
The playcentre is one of 18 administered by the association. Bicultural partnership is integral to the way the association operates. An executive committee provides guidance and support for centre members. This includes leadership for strategic planning, financial management and policy development and for decisions related to the education programme, property and equipment. A kaitautoko, a centre support person, employed by the association, visits and provides professional advice, feedback and role modelling to strengthen practice and promote improvement. The recently commenced review of the association’s structure, supported by an external consultant, is aimed at improving operation and ensuring the sustainability of playcentres.
The centre runs one SPACE(Supporting Parents Alongside Children’s Education) session for infants and their parents per week, four mixed-age sessions and one for children aged over three and a half. Many children stay at the centre until they reach school age.
A large proportion of families are new to this service and are learning about playcentre philosophy and operation. A core group of long-serving members takes responsibility for most aspects of management and programme development. Supervisors lead duty teams. An ongoing challenge is promoting interest in adult education and maintaining training levels.
The centre serves a culturally diverse community. The philosophy emphasises the importance of inclusive practice, working together, and supporting children's learning through play. Providing better support for Māori and Pacific families continues to be a development priority.
The playcentre was recently relicensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. Major refurbishment of the building was required to enable this to happen.
The centre has a positive reporting history with ERO.
This review was conducted as part of a cluster approach to reviews in eight early childhood education services within the Hutt Playcentre Association.
The playcentre environment effectively supports children's independence and confidence as learners. There is a wide variety of good quality resources and materials for them to freely access. The outdoor play area supports physically active and creative play. High levels of energy and a sense of fun define the tone of sessions. Children display strong ownership of the playcentre environment which supports their sustained interest in activities.
The programme is responsive to children's developing ideas and emerging interests. Their voices are heard and they have choices about their participation in adult-led activities. Most are confident communicators who relate well to adults and play cooperatively with their peers.
A particular strength of the programme is the emphasis on supporting children's creative expression and language. Adults’ enthusiasm for singing and dancing is effectively shared with the children, most of whom choose to join in the energetic group music sessions. Many children are confident to perform in front of others. Language and literacy are valued and well integrated through play. Members are aware of the need to ensure that children have ongoing access to writing tools and a range of meaningful opportunities to become familiar with print.
Adults are caring and responsive towards children and each other. They provide purposeful support for play and are working on developing consistent ways of managing children’s behaviour. Care of infants and toddlers is often shared. Now that more very young children are attending sessions, members agree that planning for their learning needs to be given higher priority.
Members are friendly and welcoming. The language and customs of many cultures are celebrated. There is a strong bicultural focus developing. Commitment to supporting children with special learning needs and their families is evident. Work is being undertaken to strengthen the induction process to maximise support for new families. To further support development of this inclusive approach, members should use the association’s reflective questions about bicultural practice.
In 2012, some review and development was undertaken by core members to improve their approach to noticing, recognising and responding to children’s learning. Professional support was accessed to develop a shared understanding of early learning. Information about children’s interests is now regularly shared and used for ongoing planning. Members agree that they need to work on embedding the new ideas around learning and also securing the interest and involvement of more parents in adult education and planning the programme.
A core group of members, highly committed to playcentre philosophy, gives careful consideration to decisions about ongoing operation and the future of the centre. They support each other in various management roles and collaborate in decision making. Those more experienced support the less experienced, to take on responsibilities. Appropriate priorities for development have been collaboratively identified. More systematic organisation of documentation and administrative records needs to be a priority to support emergent leadership and efficient centre operation.
The association has a proactive approach to governance and aims to promote independence in management at centre level. Self review is valued as part of this process and good frameworks are in place to support members’ practice which is at an early stage in this service.
The kaitautoko provides regular and valued feedback to support members in their roles. A more formalised approach focused on developing particular skills and knowledge should strengthen reflection on practice over time.
While the core group ably manage day-to-day operation they recognise there is an urgent need to interest more people in the education programme, training and taking responsibility for management.
Other key priorities are agreed as:
Before the review, the staff and management of Naenae 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.
During the review ERO identified an area of non compliance.
The service is not meeting the Equity Funding reporting requirements.
In order to address this, the service provider must:
Reporting must include:
The report must be included in the service’s annual report for presentation at its annual general meeting.
[Early Childhood Funding Handbook, Chapter 10, Equity Funding]
In order to improve current practice members should ensure that all association health and safety checklists and actions are completed and signed off as required.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services Central Region (Acting)
17 June 2013
|
Location |
Lower Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60019 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
38 |
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|
Gender composition |
23 Boys, 15 Girls |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European / Pākehā Samoan Niuean Latin American |
15 16 3 2 2 |
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Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1 : 1 |
Exceeds minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1 : 5 |
Exceeds minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2013 |
||
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Date of this report |
17 June 2013 |
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|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
September 2009 June 2006 October 2003 |
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that reviews schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
ERO's education reviews in early childhood services focus on the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. ERO evaluates how well placed the service is to make and sustain improvements for the benefit of all children at the service. To reach these findings ERO considers:
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 self review and partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service 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 the service.