Tamakahu Street, Nuhaka
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Nuhaka Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Nuhaka Playcentre is located on the grounds of Nuhaka School. The centre provides one session weekly for 18 children, including eight up to the age of two. At the time of this review, there were 14 children enrolled.
The centre is administered by Playcentre Aotearoa, Central North Island Region and is supported by a regional manager. National policies are in the process of being developed and distributed to playcentres for implementation.
The Playcentre Aotearoa philosophy, 'whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together', is to empower parents and children to learn, play and grow together. Alongside this, the centre values promote individuality and well-being.
Whānau and families are valued as the primary educators of their children and share responsibility for the curriculum. Day-to-day operation is undertaken by session support personnel and centre-elected office holders. This playcentre currently does not have access to a centre support worker who regularly visits to provide professional guidance and support, strengthen practice and promote improvement.
This review was part of a cluster of five playcentres in the Tairāwhiti area.
Children lead their own learning within a curriculum that reflects their interests well. A range of resources are freely accessed and there are many opportunities to revisit learning. Infants and toddlers are well cared for by attentive adults. Tuakana teina learning supports these children to develop their knowledge and skills. Children play confidently with and alongside each other.
The bicultural curriculum is developing. Parents use of te reo Māori is strengthening and tikanga Māori evident within routines. Centre members have identified ways to further promote the bicultural programme. This should include seeking ways to promote connections to areas of local significance.
The Playcentre value of 'parents as first and best educators' supports whānau Māori to define what educational success looks like for their children. As the roopu and regional structure rebuilds in the area all parents should seek ways to develop their understanding of kaupapa Māori approaches to teaching and learning to foster this.
Parents work together to grow knowledge amongst members and promote positive outcomes for children. They communicate well with each other to respond to the individual needs of children. Adults give children choices within their play and respect their decisions. Children display independence and a sense of belonging.
Recent involvement in Playcentre education courses has impacted positively on assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning. Group planning promotes responsiveness to children's interests and developmental stages. Most assessment clearly identifies learning, developing skills and some progress over time. A next step is to implement individual planning that responds to clearly identified learning goals, and to build contributions from all centre members to each child's assessment.
Parents are reflective about current practices and identify areas for improvement through regular review. Internal evaluation is building and is increasingly focused on outcomes for children. Centre members should continue to strengthen this process by identifying what high quality practice looks like in relation to the topic and in line with Playcentre philosophy. These indicators can then be used to guide decision making and evaluate how effective changes have been in promoting positive outcomes for children.
Playcentre’s national restructuring process has significantly hindered the support and professional development provided to centre members. Regional personnel are in the early stages of rebuilding collaboration and support networks. National systems and processes are yet to be consistently implemented. There is a recent focus on building relational trust and a responsive parent education system to establish more effective operations. A key next step is for regional managers to ensure that expected levels of support occur for each centre.
The appraisal process is currently based on annual review of successes and challenges. This requires further strengthening to better reflect roles and responsibilities, building of capability and evaluation of performance aligned to outcomes for children.
At playcentre level, priorities are to continue to:
strengthen the bicultural curriculum to make meaningful connections for children
develop individual planning and assessment for learning
grow understanding and use of internal evaluation to promote improvement.
At the governance level (Playcentre Aotearoa) priorities are to:
continue to implement and promote national policies and procedures
ensure ongoing support and education is provided to centre members to grow understanding of quality early childhood education
strengthen the appraisal process for employed staff.
ERO recommends that the regional team actively monitors and evaluates the quality of support provided to playcentres to promote improvement.
Before the review, the staff and management of Nuhaka 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.
ERO identified areas of non-compliance in relation to health and safety. Centre members must ensure that:
the written emergency plan is reviewed at least annually
when children leave the premises on an excursion an assessment and management of risk is undertaken and the required documentation is completed.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS7, HS17]
To improve current practice Playcentre Aotearoa must ensure a regular cycle of policy review is undertaken. The organisation has stated that the implementation of national policies will take place at the beginning of August 2019.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
13 August 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 |
Nuhaka |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
55026 |
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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 |
18 children, including up to eight aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
14 |
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Gender composition |
Male 7, Female 7 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
June 2019 |
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Date of this report |
13 August 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2016 |
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|
Education Review |
February 2014 |
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Education Review |
October 2010 |
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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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Nuhaka Playcentre is one of eight early childhood centres administered by Tairawhiti Playcentre Association, (the association) which oversees governance operations. A board of governors provides guidance and support for members.
The playcentre is located on the grounds of Nuhaka School. It operates mixed-age sessions one morning a week for a maximum of 18 children, including eight children up to two years of age. Of the 10 children enrolled, one child identifies as Māori. Parents cooperatively provide the programme and are assisted by an employed centre support person.
The February 2014 ERO report identified that significant improvement was needed, particularly in the following: assessment; planning and evaluation; the bicultural curriculum; the consistency of effective teaching practice; and internal evaluation. Key next steps were identified for the association which focused on ensuring the centre was effectively governed and managed.
Playcentre members and the board of governors at the association received targeted support through a Ministry of Education funded programme, Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO). The Playcentre Federation has also provided ongoing professional development related to the key next steps.
This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the Tairawhiti Playcentre Association.
Since the February 2014 ERO report, the association has built their internal capacity to provide clear direction and targeted support for centres.
Playcentre members have made good progress in improving the consistency and quality of their teaching practice. They have participated in ongoing professional learning and development to further their understanding of effective teaching strategies, self review, the bicultural curriculum and assessment, planning and evaluation.
The philosophy promotes child-initiated play, expresses a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and encourages parents to share in the responsibility for the education of their children. This approach is evident in practice.
Children’s play and learning are extended by adults working alongside them in a play-based programme. Adults are attuned and responsive to emerging interests and supplement the environment further by providing additional resources. Children engage in sustained play. Where appropriate, excursions into the community are used to provide an extension to the learning programme.
Toddlers play and learn alongside their peers, actively participating in the programme provided. Members have made good progress in consistently using effective strategies to support and extend children’s play and learning. Routines are well established and through these children’s independence skills are fostered. Adults effectively support children’s social and emotional competence. Literacy is valued and promoted within the programme.
There is a commitment by members to provide a bicultural curriculum. The use of te reo Māori is integrated into the interactions with children, and aspects of tikanga Māori are practised. The association plans to provide greater strategic guidance for playcentres in promoting success for Māori as Māori. ERO's evaluation affirms this planned development.
Playcentre members have been responsive to the need to build their understanding of assessment for learning. This process is collaborative, with adults contributing to the portfolios of children other than their own. Narratives highlight children’s interests and are used to inform ongoing planning. While progress is evident, adults should continue to strengthen their understanding of analysis of learning. This should assist them to identify significant learning occurring for the child and plan accordingly.
A robust process for self review and internal evaluation is used to guide improvements. Throughout this approach children remain central when reflecting on and evaluating the changes made. Members should continue to strengthen this practice by collating the range of evidence required to support the evaluative judgements made.
Adults have an understanding of the implications of the changes required to meet the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014. The Playcentre Association has provided initial guidance in this area.
The board of governors demonstrates leadership in supporting playcentres in their understanding of legislative requirements. Monitoring of these in the playcentres has been supported through the appointment of a liaison officer. In addition, the association has developed:
The association has identified a next step is to develop an internet safety policy. ERO agrees that social networking and appointment policies should also be developed.
The association should assist members to address the key next steps to:
The association should:
Before the review, the staff and management of Nuhaka 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 Nuhaka Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
3 February 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 |
Gisborne |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
55026 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
18 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
10 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 7, Boys 3 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā |
1 9 |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
November 2015 |
||
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Date of this report |
3 February 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
October 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 2007 |
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.