12 Muhunoa East Road, Ohau
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Ohau Playcentre is not well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Ohau Playcentre is licensed to provide mixed-age sessional education and care for 30 children one day a week. This includes 20 children up to the age of two years. At the time of this review, there are six children enrolled.
The Playcentre Aotearoa philosophy, ‘whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together’, is to empower parents and children to learn, play and grow together.
Since the August 2016 ERO report, the New Zealand Playcentre Federation has restructured by amalgamating all associations to form Playcentre Aotearoa. Ohau Playcentre is part of the Lower North Island Region and is supported by a regional manager and support persons.
Whānau and families share responsibility for the curriculum. Centre operation is undertaken by session support personnel and centre-elected office holders. A centre support worker and centre administrator regularly visit playcentres to provide professional support, strengthen practice and promote improvement.
The centre has a good reporting history with ERO. However, since the previous report a number of factors have compromised the effective functioning of the centre. The employed session facilitator resigned in Term 3, 2018 and is yet to be replaced. All centre members have joined Playcentre within the past two years and have been unable to progress Playcentre education. Sessions only meet qualification requirements when regional and external volunteer support is in place.
This review was part of a cluster of 11 playcentres in the Lower North Island Region.
The philosophy is evident in practice. Relationships and interactions reflect te ao Māori concepts integral to playcentre. Children lead their own learning and their choices are respected. They confidently communicate with peers and adults, displaying a sense of ownership, belonging and trust. Infants and toddlers experience warm, respectful caregiving from all adults.
Children play within a well-resourced environment that offers opportunities for physical and creative development and challenge. Their interests are reflected in what is offered during session and they are engaged for sustained periods of time. Literacy, mathematics and connections to the natural world are promoted.
A dedicated group of parents is building their knowledge and understanding of Playcentre and early childhood education. Regional personnel provide increased guidance and support to progress this. The revised parent education programme is becoming more accessible to centre members. They are committed to undertaking initial training in the near future. Further opportunities to observe high quality teaching and learning practices should be sought.
Significant strengthening of the bicultural curriculum is required. Adults should intentionally integrate opportunities for children to experience te ao Māori throughout the session.
Parents are at the early stages of developing their understanding of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and its implementation. Newly introduced assessment requires deepening to effectively inform planning of a responsive local curriculum. In particular parents should be further supported to identify and progress individual children's learning.
Self review is not currently undertaken. Development of a useful self-review process and building parent understanding of review and evaluation is required. This should enhance decision making that is focused on improving outcomes for children.
Appraisal processes for session support staff have recently been strengthened to better evaluate performance in relation to specific roles and responsibilities, identify professional learning and development needs and focus on achievement of goals.
The national restructuring process continues to require significant attention and support to implement an extensive range of systems and processes. Regular communication from Playcentre Aotearoa seeks to keep parents informed of progress, changes and upcoming requirements.
Systems and procedures that promote children's health and safety are not effectively implemented. Safe sleeping practices outlined in the Playcentre Aotearoa policy are not reliably adhered to and records of checks made on sleeping children show inconsistent monitoring. The recording of accidents involving children has not taken place over time. Hazard identification and management is ineffective in promoting a safe outdoor environment.
National policies and procedures have recently been introduced and parents are in the process of aligning practices to these. Ongoing support is required to enable parents to understand and implement these procedures to meet licensing requirements.
Before the review, the staff and management of Ohau 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 found significant areas of non-compliance in the service related to:
Since the onsite phase of the review ERO has received evidence of how sleep monitoring, earthquake drills and playground safety have been improved (HS8, HS9, HS13).
ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence of Ohau Playcentre. ERO will not undertake a further education review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets licensing requirements.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
12 November 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 |
Ohau |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
52024 |
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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 20 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
6 |
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Gender composition |
Male 4, Female 2 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā |
6 |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
October 2019 |
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Date of this report |
12 November 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2016 |
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|
Education Review |
August 2013 |
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|
Education Review |
May 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.
Ohau Playcentre is one of 19 administered by the Central Districts Playcentre Association (the association). This review is one of seven undertaken by ERO in the association’s playcentres during Term 2, 2016.
The centre is licensed for up to 30 children including 20 children up to the age of two years. It opens for mixed-age sessions four mornings a week. There are two afternoon SPACE (Supporting Parents Alongside Children's Education) programmes for children under the age of two. The centre philosophy acknowledges each child as a unique learner. Whānau/families are viewed as the primary educators of their children.
The day-to-day operations are the responsibility of centre-elected office holders. Two centre facilitators guide learning and teaching. A liaison officer and two facilitators are employed by the playcentre to provide professional advice and feedback to strengthen members’ practice. Parent education programmes to guide and build adults' capability in teaching and learning are ongoing. In‑depth playcentre experience and expertise provide a firm foundation for members.
Playcentres' philosophy statement, 'whānau tupu ngātahi – ‘families growing together’, reflects the value this organisation places on families and whānau working collectively to support children’s learning.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation is currently reviewing the organisational structure of Playcentre across New Zealand. The outcomes of this review may result in changes to operation at centre level.
An internal restructure of the association leadership has created new team roles and responsibilities at executive level. Changes includes the service provider contact, president, and new executive members. Information sharing now include digital media to enhance ease of communication and foster increased support between playcentre teams.
Ohau Playcentre has a positive ERO reporting history.
Children engage enthusiastically in a curriculum grounded in Playcentre philosophy and Te Whāriki. There is a sense of belonging and positive relationships between families and other children. Learning experiences purposefully foster independence, exploration, persistence and self-challenge. Children are valued, celebrated and affirmed.
There are opportunities for children to lead their own learning. Their strengths and interests inform the programme. Children are seen as confident, capable communicators. Adults know children and their families well.
The curriculum is underpinned by knowledge and understandings of literacy, mathematics and science. Te ao Māori implementation is being progressed and is integral to learning experiences offered at the centre. Te reo Māori weaves through the environment. Signposts include kupu Māori, natural resources and te ao Māori concepts. Creative arts capture and sustain children's interests. Social competencies are nurtured as children share ideas. Adult's collective responsibility and engagement supports younger children with their learning and progress. Local community contexts influence children's learning experiences.
Planning practices include weekly documentation. There is a clear process for evaluating sessions. Parents contribute to the daily records for each child. Their aspirations are sought and add to planned learning experiences for children. Facilitating session self‑evaluation would further inform parents understanding of children's learning.
Children's profile books are attractively presented. They include regular stories depicting children's learning, along with their artwork. Threads of interest are followed and documented over time. Learning outcomes are noted. A range of individual and group stories celebrate children's learning, affirm their uniqueness and make important links from home to the centre. Adults should continue to capture, through the profiles, how children's culture, language and identity is promoted.
A well-considered transition process with the local school, is in place. A positive collaborative relationship supports the children's interactive experiences.
As the association develops new policies in line with recent legislation there is a need to communicate why these are relevant and how they are to be incorporated into practice at centre level.
Systems for internal evaluation need developing. Spontaneous self review is ongoing. The current internal evaluation of children's profiles includes the use of surveys. This approach is being progressed. Members are aware of the need to improve processes.
At centre level, the priorities are:
The association should further develop:
ERO recommends that the association actively participate in and monitor the quality of support provided throughout the playcentre restructure to ensure implementation of requirements that promote sustainability.
Before the review, the staff and management of Ohau 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 Ohau Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
9 August 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 |
Ohau |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
52024 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
49 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 25, Boys 24 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
14 |
|
|
Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
May 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
9 August 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
May 2010 |
||
|
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.