Play And Learn (King Street)

Education institution number:
10024
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
46
Telephone:
Address:

4 King Street, Papatoetoe, Auckland

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Play and Learn (King Street)

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence. 

ERO’s judgements for Play and Learn (King Street) are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whakaū Embedding

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 
Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions
Whakaū Embedding
Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service

Play and Learn (King Street) is one of four early childhood services under the same governing organisation. The centre advocates for children to be innovative learners through positive relationships. The roll is ethnically diverse, and half of the children are Māori or have Pacific heritages. The centre is supported by a professional services manager.

3 Summary of findings

Children’s learning is supported through responsive and reciprocal learning-focused partnerships with parents and whānau. The child-led programme contributes to children’s agency, independence and decision making. Children have choice in where and who they want to play with.

Children are viewed as capable and competent. They are supported to develop their working theories through a wide range of learning experiences. The indoor and outdoor environments challenge children to explore and to take risks.

Infants, toddlers, and children up to the age of three years are responded to within a holistic approach to teaching and learning. Their intellectual, social, cultural, physical, emotional, and spiritual learning is interwoven across all their experiences. 

Children benefit from a curriculum that promotes culture, language, and identity. Te reo Māori and tikanga rituals are woven into daily practices. Tamariki Māori, children of Pacific heritages and culturally diverse learners see and hear their cultures valued and celebrated. 

Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to build their professional knowledge and expertise. Children’s learning outcomes are enhanced through strategic internal evaluation. Continuing to refine evaluation reasoning will help identify impacts of practice on outcomes for learners and further support quality improvement planning. 

There is collective responsibility for children’s wellbeing and learning at leadership and governance level. Children and whānau benefit from the shared leadership approach from the experienced teaching team. The team is working alongside their parents, whānau and the wider learning community to negotiate and define local priorities and local curriculum to further inform strategic goals and curriculum planning.

4 Improvement actions

Play and Learn (King Street) will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Alongside parents, whānau, children and the community, clearly define the service’s priorities for children’s learning in relation to the outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early learning curriculum, to refine the localised curriculum.
  • Strengthen internal evaluation by:
    • using an evaluative question to guide the inquiry process
    • evaluating the effectiveness of improvement actions to achieve equitable outcomes for all children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Play and Learn (King Street) completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

7 December 2023

6 About the Early Childhood Service 

Early Childhood Service NamePlay and Learn (King Street)
Profile Number: 10024
Location: Papatoetoe, Auckland
Service typeEducation and care service
Number licensed for 45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2
Percentage of qualified teachers 80-99%
Service roll49
Review team on siteSeptember 2023
Date of this report7 December 2023
Most recent ERO report(s)Education Review, April 2019; Education Review, October 2014

Play And Learn (King Street) - 11/04/2019

1 Evaluation of Play and Learn (King Street)

How well placed is Play and Learn (King Street) to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Play and Learn (King Street) is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Play and Learn (King Street) is a well-established centre in Papatoetoe. The centre is one of three Play and Learn centres owned by the licensee. The centre provides sessional and full-day programmes for up to 45 children, including up to 15 under two years of age.

The centre's philosophy and vision underpin teaching practices and centre developments. They emphasise exploration and learning through play, particularly in the outdoors as part of the Play and Learn 'nature kindergarten' programme. This programme supports children to learn about themselves and the environment, take manageable risks, establish relationships with others and develop a sense of place and community. The longstanding teaching team is committed to supporting children to become independent, resilient, capable and confident learners. Programmes are based on the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

The 2014 ERO evaluation recognised that very good practices across centre operations had been sustained. It recommended refinements in assessment and teachers' planning. Teachers have since strengthened assessment records and introduced new initiatives to help parents participate in and understand the programme for children.

The Review Findings

Children and parents are warmly welcomed into the centre. An inclusive and respectful culture is evident. Children benefit socially from extended periods of mixed-age group play, and opportunities for tuakana/teina learning. They play well with and alongside each other.

The programme supports children's individual preferences and strengths. Children freely access play equipment and activities and settle quickly into self-directed play. They have opportunities to plan their play and lead their learning. Children can move freely between indoor and outdoor learning spaces. Teachers are responsive to the individual needs and preferences of children aged under two years. These younger children experience respectful, nurturing care from teachers.

Teachers' detailed programme planning responds very well to children's interests and parents' aspirations. Literacy, numeracy and aspects of science are authentically integrated into play throughout the day. Programmes focus strongly on children's language development, thinking and problem solving skills.

Teachers involve children in the planning of the numerous regular excursions they make outside the centre. These programmes are a special feature of centre programmes and assist children to take increasing responsibility for themselves in the wider environment.

Children's languages and cultures are recognised and celebrated in the centre's routines and curriculum. Te reo Māori is woven through the programme. Māori values and concepts are a key aspect of the 'nature kindergarten' programme. Leaders and teachers continue to build on current good practices and to strengthen their cultural competence.

Leaders and teachers are building partnerships with parents and whānau based around children's learning. Two recent innovations include:

  • the 'stay and play' programme that supports new children and families to transition into the centre
  • a '5 plus programme' that supports children who could benefit from more time in early childhood learning before entering school.

The centre is well managed. A meaningful planning cycle is based on a useful strategic plan, internal evaluation, staff reflections and parent input.

Leadership of the centre has recently been reviewed and adapted to strengthen the shared leadership approach. The director, two team leaders and the highly collaborative team of teachers are strongly committed to the centre's philosophy and strategic goals. Teachers' professional learning and inquiry, a robust appraisal process, internal evaluation and coaching are used well to support continuous improvement.

Key Next Steps

The teaching team's development focus is guided by its planning and evaluation cycle and identifies appropriate next steps that include:

  • continuing to deepen partnerships with parents with an increasing focus on children's learning
  • documenting recently refined appraisal procedures
  • undertaking an in-depth evaluation of, and regularly reviewing, the rigour of risk analysis and management practices and documentation.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Play and Learn (King Street) 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

11 April 2019

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

LocationPapatoetoe, Auckland
Ministry of Education profile number10024
Licence typeEducation & Care Service
Licensed underEducation (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008
Number licensed for45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2
Service roll40
Gender compositionBoys 23 Girls 17
Ethnic compositionMāori 
Pākehā
Indian 
Cook Island Māori
Samoan 
other ethnic groups
14

11 
4

1
Percentage of qualified teachers80% +
Reported ratios of staff to childrenUnder 21:5Meets minimum requirements
Over 21:8Better than minimum requirements
Review team on siteJanuary 2019
Date of this report11 April 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education ReviewOctober 2014
Education ReviewApril 2011
Education ReviewMay 2008

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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.

Review Coverage

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.

Play And Learn (King Street) - 17/10/2014

1 Evaluation of Play And Learn (King Street)

How well placed is Play And Learn (King Street) to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placedRequires further developmentWell placedVery well placed

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Play And Learn (King Street) serves a multicultural community in Papatoetoe. The centre provides care and education for babies up to school age. Younger children have their own separate space.

This centre is one of three Play and Learn Centres owned and operated by the same licensee. Long serving teaching staff share the management of daily centre operations. A new office manager oversees the centre’s administration and provides support for teachers.

Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, guides the learning programme. The centre makes good use of the natural environment and local community in children’s learning programmes.

The centre has a positive history of ERO reporting. The 2011 ERO report identified many positive features of the centre that continue to be evident. These features include provision of high quality programmes, sound management systems, effective leadership, and positive relationships with children and families.

The Review Findings

Play And Learn (King Street) is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

Children are respected as competent learners and they know that teachers will support them. Teachers provide thought-provoking activities to extend children’s thinking. They support older children to make decisions about their learning and to contribute to programme planning.

Teachers are attentive and responsive to infants’ and toddlers’ interests. They value mixed age groupings where children have opportunities to establish tuakana-teina relationships. Older children show patience with younger children who learn from the role modelling of their older peers. These positive features are reflected in the way that children play happily and confidently.

Children have many opportunities to develop an awareness of natural, social, physical and material aspects of the world they live in. Curriculum programmes offer children rich learning experiences of literacy, mathematics and science concepts in everyday life. These programmes include frequent trips and nature-based education. The curriculum also fosters children’s creativity and imagination.

Teachers demonstrate a strong commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi. They acknowledge and value the use of whakapapa, and te reo and tikanga Māori, to promote Māori children’s identity and culture. These aspects are well reflected in the programme and environment. Pacific children’s cultures are also valued and celebrated.

Teachers have positive partnerships with families in the centre. They demonstrate a sound understanding of working with families from diverse cultures. Teachers also represent different ethnicities and some speak with children and write learning stories in their home languages. These good practices support children’s sense of belonging.

The owner is improvement focused and leads by example. Teachers are highly reflective and collegial. They use self review to continually improve the learning programme and their professional practice. Teachers have a clear vision and a commitment to promote high quality early childhood education for all children. This focus is clearly evident in the centre’s strategic plan and direction.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders and ERO agree that further refinement to practices could include:

  • strengthening assessment records to more clearly show children’s learning over time
  • recording teachers’ planning in ways that would help parents to understand the programme.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Play And Learn (King Street) 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Play And Learn (King Street) will be in four years.

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services Northern Region

17 October 2014

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

LocationPapatoetoe, Auckland  
Ministry of Education profile number10024  
Licence typeEducation & Care Service  
Licensed underEducation (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008  
Number licensed for45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2  
Service roll37  
Gender composition

Boys 24

Girls 13

  
Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Samoan

Cook Island Māori

Niue

Fijian

Other

17

5

6

2

2

1

3

 

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%

Based on funding rates

80%  
Reported ratios of staff to childrenUnder 21:3Better than minimum requirements
 Over 21:7Better than minimum requirements
Review team on siteAugust 2014  
Date of this report17 October 2014  

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education ReviewApril 2011 
 Education ReviewMay 2008 
 Education ReviewJune 2005 

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.