28 A Signal Hill Road, Opoho, Dunedin
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Opoho Playcentre is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Opoho Playcentre is open for five mornings a week for children from birth-to-school age. Most parents attend with their child. Since the November 2014 ERO review, the roll has become much more multi-cultural. This is a long-established playcentre with a good ERO reporting history. Opoho Playcentre is one of 47 in the recently formed South Island Southern Region (SISR) hub under the New Zealand Playcentre Federation (NZPF).
A parent council oversees the day-to-day running of the centre and each member has specific responsibilities. A centre support worker (CSW) from the SISR visits regularly to provide support. Two experienced facilitators share the role of working with parents in providing education and care for the children.
This review was one of four in SISR playcentres. The playcentre organisation is nearing the end of an extensive restructure and review. From 2019, all playcentres will be part of a national group known as Playcentre Aotearoa.
Children benefit from positive, collaborative relationships they have with each other and the many adults who attend. Parents effectively support the learning and development of all children, along with their own. This contributes to a sense of whanaungatanga, where families and children have a strong sense of belonging.
The high number of parents in the daily programme gives children many opportunities for one-to-one interactions with an adult. Parents work cooperatively to ensure children:
Children up to age two are very well cared for and supported in their learning and development. Parents share responsibility for this. There are quiet places for infants to sleep and play separately, if required.
Parents have a strong commitment to integrating Māori perspectives and valuing Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the programme and centre practices. Several parents regularly use te reo Māori with children. This means that children are becoming familiar with aspects of Māori culture and hearing te reo Māori being spoken.
Children benefit from a broad curriculum, with many opportunities for early literacy, science exploration, nature studies and the development of physical skills and confidence. They have easy access to a wide range of resources, activities and experiences that attract and hold their interest and support their learning.
A useful system for planning and assessing individual children's learning is in place. This is complemented by specific group planning. Adults begin and finish each session with meaningful discussions about how to best support children's learning. A next step is to clarify the valued learning for this playcentre and be more specific about strategies adults use to support children's learning.
Parents are very focused on improvement. They proactively seek ways to progress their own and their children's learning. Recent evaluations of mathematics and early literacy have produced useful guidelines that parents can refer to and use during the session. The parent council are highly engaged with all aspects of the playcentre operation.
NZPF have developed and are implementing, a clear national and regional management structure. Some of the new roles have had a very positive impact at centre level, with parent council members valuing the increased support they receive.
Of particular significance are:
the centre administrator role which provides sound monitoring of health, safety and compliance
the centre support worker who visits regularly to share best practice and monitor the quality of learning and teaching
the role of a facilitator, available at every session to role model good practice and empower parents to implement effective early childhood education for their children.
ERO's evaluation confirms what parents have identified as next steps for the playcentre's development. These include:
The next steps for the SISR are to:
refine and embed the new NZPF structure, systems and processes, including monitoring and lines of reporting
continue to develop and strengthen the NZPF and individual playcentre internal-evaluation processes and practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Opoho 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.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
4 April 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 |
Dunedin |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
81027 |
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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 |
21 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 14, Girls 7 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā |
11 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
Facilitator and parent led programme (with range of playcentre qualifications) |
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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 |
February 2019 |
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Date of this report |
4 April 2019 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
November 2014 |
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Education Review |
May 2011 |
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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.
Opoho Playcentre is one of 35 playcentres within the Otago Playcentre Association (OPA). It is a long established playcentre and is in the hill suburb of Opoho. The centre provides for up to 25 children from birth-to-school age. There are close links with the local school. The children enjoy many interesting outings into the community.
Two experienced educators lead the sessions on different days. They are assisted by parents who are working through their playcentre training. The playcentre has developed its own philosophy that is consistent with the overall playcentre philosophy and this was very evident in practice.
The playcentre has a focus on:
The centre has a positive reporting history from ERO and has made good progress on the recommendations from the May 2011 report. In particular, it has improved the quality and usefulness of self review.
This review was part of a cluster of 12 playcentre reviews in the Otago Playcentre Association.
Key strengths in this playcentre are the very strong focus on planning for learning, support for children’s play and meaningful interactions.
Children and their families benefit from the strong community spirit within the centre. This is evident in the way:
At the beginning of each term a meeting is held where families and educators gather to discuss each child’s goal for the term, including parents’ wishes for their children’s learning. The education team then identifies common threads to develop into a group focus related to children’s interests. The intended learning is identified and strategies and experiences are planned to support these. At the start of each session a purposeful discussion is held about the intended learning and activities are set up for children attending. Daily activities include intentional planning for the age and range of children attending, for example, infants and older children.
Children’s profile books are full and attractive records of children’s progress and learning. These are highly valued by parents and are a resource for the children.
The spacious playcentre has many separate spaces for children to play in and a separate space for infants if required. Children make choices about what they want to do and where they want to play. Their learning is enhanced by the wide range of experiences provided, including well-planned early-literacy experiences. The adults listen carefully and are responsive to children and follow their lead. There is deliberate support for children’s language and social development. Parents support children to play together and role model appropriate expectations. The experienced and skilled educators share their knowledge with children and parents.
As part of this review, ERO investigated how well the centre supported children’s early mathematical learning. ERO found that there had been some deliberate planning for mathematics in the group planning. For example, planning showed there were opportunities to develop mathematic concepts through baking. Some stories show mathematical learning. Some wall displays showed the mathematics learning that occurs through play and includes languages of the families who attend.
Self review is effectively used for making improvements and informing developments in the centre including resourcing of property and curriculum areas.
The playcentre has diligently worked to improve the bicultural dimension. They now have a bicultural strategy that includes explicit aims and a useful action plan. This is regularly reviewed and monitored.
The playcentre recognises the commitment of the educators and is strongly supportive of the parents who are undertaking playcentre training. The parents work well together to effectively run the day-to-day operations of the playcentre.
The educators and parents agreed that the key next steps are to:
The Otago Playcentre Association is facing challenges and uncertainty as the Playcentre Federation and the training it provides undergoes a period of restructuring. During this time, the association has made it a priority to focus on the daily operations of the playcentres. This includes:
ERO found that the association needs to:
Each playcentre has the ongoing support of a centre advisor. This includes:
Centre advisors should find ways to make best practice common practice across the association, for example, through effective self review and planning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Opoho 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 Opoho Playcentre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services
Southern Region
13 November 2014
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 |
Dunedin |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
81027 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 10 aged under two |
||
|
Service roll |
41 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 23 Boys 18 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Asian Iranian |
8 29 2 2 |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
Must attend with parent |
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Over 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
August 2014 |
||
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Date of this report |
13 November 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
May 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
April 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.