40 Te Kawa Street, Otorohanga
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Otorohanga Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Otorohanga Playcentre is licensed to provide mixed-age sessional education and care for 30 children three times a week. This includes 15 children up to the age of two years. Older children can attend a 'Big Kids' session on Friday mornings. At the time of this review, there were 18 children enrolled and five who identify as Māori.
The Playcentre Aotearoa philosophy, ‘whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together’, is to empower parents and children to learn, play and grow together.
Since the June 2016 ERO report, the New Zealand Playcentre Federation has restructured by amalgamating all associations to form Playcentre Aotearoa. Otorohanga Playcentre is part of the Central North Island Region and is supported by a regional manager and support persons.
Whānau and families share responsibility for the curriculum. Day-to-day 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.
This review was part of a cluster of eight reviews in the Playcentre Aotearoa Central North Island Region.
The playcentre's programme is inclusive and responsive to the needs of children. Children are provided with resources and equipment that encourages spontaneous play and the practising of skills, both individually and in small groups. Comfortable quiet spaces and opportunities for rest or sleep are provided, with flexibility around routines. Children with additional needs are well supported and included in the centre's programme. Strong relationships with the local school support children’s sense of belonging as they transition onto their next stage of learning. Children experience a programme that enables them to be confident and competent learners.
Children benefit from positive, sensitive and responsive relationships with adults. Parent aspirations and what children learn at the centre are well documented providing members with knowledge to plan further learning opportunities. Oral language, literacy, mathematics, science and sensory experiences are well promoted and integrated into play. Maori children's culture and identity is highly recognised at the centre. There is a continued focus on building capability of member's use of te reo Māori during the session. Members are yet to incorporate the visibility of other cultures in the programme.
Leadership shows a strong commitment to the philosophy, vision and goals. A high level of relational trust is evident among all who are involved in the running of the playcentre. Well-developed induction procedures support new parents into playcentre. Shared leadership opportunities are encouraged amongst members.
The revised parent education programme is becoming more accessible to centre members. 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. 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.
The next steps for Otorohanga Playcentre are to:
build capability and implement a robust self-review framework
continue to develop the use of te reo Māori
reflect the languages cultures and identities of other children.
Playcentre Aotearoa should continue to build knowledge and understanding of policies and procedures to ensure licensing requirements are upheld.
Before the review, the staff and management of Otorohanga 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 relating to health and safety. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
securing items on shelves that could fall on children
the display of a current Fire Evacuations Scheme by the New Zealand Fire Service.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood and care Centres 2008, HS6, HS4.
Since the on-site phase of the review, members have provided ERO with evidence of action taken in relation to:
Darcy Te Hau
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
14 April 2020
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 |
Otorohanga |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
31004 |
|
|
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 |
19 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Male 5 Female 14 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
5 |
|
Review team on site |
December 2019 |
|
|
Date of this report |
14 April 2020 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2016 |
|
Education Review |
November 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2010 |
|
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.
Otorohanga Playcentre is a parent-led centre located in the north King Country town of Otorohanga. It operates under the umbrella of the King Country Playcentre Association to provide education and care for children from birth to school age. The roll has increased since the 2012 ERO review. At the time of this review, the roll of 40 children included 15 who identify as Māori.
The playcentre operates sessions for all ages on Monday and Wednesday mornings. A 'Big Kids' session is run by an experienced supervisor on Friday mornings. The centre follows the playcentre philosophy, which gives parents shared responsibility for centre management and leadership and places priority on helping parents to further develop their ability to nurture and extend children's self-initiated play and learning. Adults maintain a strong belief in parents as first teachers.
Previous ERO reports found that children benefitted from learning and play in a high quality learning environment that catered for their diverse interests and abilities. The playcentre was well led and effectively managed by a dedicated group of parents/caregivers. This 2016 ERO review finds that these positive features continue to be evident.
This review was part of a cluster of four playcentre reviews in the King Country Playcentre Association.
Children are highly engaged in learning and play activities which cater for a wide range of identified interests and ages. Interactions between adults and children are supportive, positive, and affirming. Feedback from adults regularly affirms children's learning, thinking and problem solving. Oral language and vocabulary are continually developed and extended.
Younger children benefit from mixed-age sessions where older children are role models for safe, inclusive play and provide encouragement for them to try new things. Children, parents and families benefit from the centre's positive, supportive and family-like atmosphere. Children know each other well and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging at the playcentre.
Strong parent partnerships ensure that home interests are well known by parents and the team. Parents also recognise that interests identified at playcentre can be immediately extended at home. The child-led programme is based on noticing, recognising and responding to these interests. Activities during each session are effectively co-constructed between children and adults.
Collaborative team planning by playcentre members gives effective direction for programme activities throughout the term. Daily evaluations determine programme adaptations and activities for the following session. Regular planning and evaluation include specified activities for children up to the age of two. While there are examples of effective assessment in individual children's portfolios, this is an area of continuing development.
Children happily sustain their engagement in a variety of physical challenges, creative activities, messy play and opportunities for exploration and investigation. Equipment and resources are readily accessible to enhance their play and learning. Early mathematics, science and literacy skills are fostered through authentic play contexts. Books are prominently displayed and read interactively with children. The 'Big Kids' programme provides opportunities for further development of these learning areas. Smooth transition to school is facilitated by regular visits to a nearby primary school.
Learning environments continue to be exciting and welcoming for children. The stimulating indoor and outdoor play areas include bilingual displays and well-considered resources and equipment. The play areas are changed and refreshed each term after reflection and discussion among playcentre members.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation and the King Country Playcentre Association continue to provide good quality governance and management for this centre. The association provides comprehensive policies and guidelines, and employs a centre support person who assists families to operate the service in the best interests of children and their parents and whānau. The benefits of this support would be made more evident if a process was introduced to provide formal reports on the quality of centre programmes.
Members maintain a collaborative approach to leadership. They have developed a strategic plan to guide ongoing development and improvement. Regular playcentre meetings include reflective discussions that lead to improvements for children's play and learning. There is a positive approach to succession planning to fill office-holder positions, including the role of president.
Many parents are involved in playcentre training courses that aim to improve children's education and care. Professional development currently provided by the Association is likely to assist in developing centre-wide, strategic self review and the further implementation of bi-cultural practices. Centre members value support from the association's centre support person when needed.
The playcentre and ERO have agreed that next steps for the service are to:
develop and implement a planned, strategic approach to self review. These reviews should identify actions needed for improvement, an implementation plan, and a process for monitoring progress to ensure changes have been effective in improving outcomes for children
continue the emphasis on reviewing and developing bicultural perspectives and continue to increase the use of te reo Māori in conversations with children
review children’s portfolio records to consider how well assessments demonstrate learning and progress over time, and how well early literacy (including oral language) and mathematics skills are assessed and developed within the playcentre programme.
Before the review, the staff and management of Otorohanga 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.
The next ERO review of Otorohanga Playcentre will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
9 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.
|
Location |
Otorohanga |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
31004 |
|
|
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 |
40 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Boys 24 Girls 16 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā |
15 25 |
|
Review team on site |
April 2016 |
|
|
Date of this report |
9 June 2016 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2012 |
|
Education Review |
February 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.