Mackie Street, Rakaia
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Rakaia Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
Rakaia Playcentre operates as a parent-led cooperative under the governance and management of Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa - Playcentre Aotearoa. The playcentre employs a lead coordinator who facilitates the sessions. Playcentre Aotearoa employs a centre support worker and an administrator who regularly visit the playcentre to support the parents and coordinators.
Playcentre Aotearoa has a well-established philosophy that acknowledges and values parents as the first educators of their children. It provides a broad range of support to playcentres including nation-wide training courses and personnel who liaise with and assist the centre. The effective implementation of a recently reviewed policy and procedure framework will help parents and whānau to ensure that children have safe and healthy learning environments while at playcentre.
The playcentre operates three morning sessions a week. It is licensed for 25 children including 10 children up to two years.
Since the 2016 ERO review, the coordinator and parents have made good progress towards meeting the key next steps in the report. The philosophy has been reviewed in consultation with parents and clearly states the desired outcomes for children. Internal evaluation is now well understood and used to improve outcomes for children.
This review was part of a cluster of six playcentre reviews in the Northern South Island Regional Hub of Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa.
Children are settled and work well alongside and with each other. They are well supported by adults who know each child as an individual. Adults successfully use a range of effective strategies to nurture children's wellbeing and sense of belonging.
Children are confident and engaged in meaningful learning that extends their interests, skills and capabilities. The wide range of well-presented resources and activities are easy for children to access, and use in a variety of ways in the indoor and outdoor areas. Adults skilfully help children to extend their learning through problem solving and discussion.
Children and adults enjoy a welcoming and inclusive environment. Te reo and tikanga Māori is valued and visible in the programme. Māori whānau are actively encouraged to lead this learning and its natural integration into all aspects of child and adult learning. Children's home cultures and the skills that parents bring are recognised and readily included to further enhance learning.
Children aged under two years are well supported in the programme. A special music session for babies and their parents is a feature of the programme. It is competently led by members of the parent group. The under two area is large, well-resourced and regularly used by whānau with very young children.
Transition to school is very well organised and supportive of children and families. Internal evaluation was effectively used to identify what was going well and where further improvements could be made. The playcentre maintains close relationships with the neighbouring school. This is ensuring transition is individualised and appropriate for each child.
Assessment and programme planning are effective, well understood and used to improve learning outcomes for all children. All parents are involved and well supported to understand and use the assessment and programme planning processes. Children's home and centre learning are clearly documented. Learning goals are regularly identified and progress carefully monitored. The coordinators and parents now need to ensure the end of session programme evaluations include evaluation of the quality of the programme and learning outcomes for children.
Centre management systems and practices are strongly focused on ongoing improvement of learning and wellbeing for children and their whānau. Internal evaluation is well established, understood and used to improve the quality of the service. To improve the process further, the adults should evaluate the impact or outcomes on children's learning. Strategic planning has recently been introduced. A full cycle has yet to be completed and the outcomes evaluated. The parent education programme is successfully supporting parents in their role and its usefulness within the centre and at home is valued by parents.
Key next steps for the playcentre include:
further refining internal evaluation and assessment and programme planning to include more emphasis on outcomes for children
completing the strategic plan cycle with an emphasis on evaluating the quality, impact and outcomes for children and adults.
Before the review, the staff and management of Rakaia 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Te Tai Tini)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
28 January 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.
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Location |
Rakaia |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70439 |
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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 |
22 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 13, Boys 9 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Other ethnicities |
1 18 3 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
Parent led service |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
November 2019 |
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Date of this report |
28 January 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2016 |
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|
Education Review |
June 2012 |
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Education Review |
March 2009 |
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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.
Children at Rakaia Playcentre play and learn in a modern building located on the grounds of the local school. The centre is open three mornings a week. It can provide for up to 26 children from birth-to-school age. Roll numbers fluctuate, reflecting the seasonal demands of the local farming industry. Children come from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The sessions are led by two long-serving paid supervisors and playcentre members. All playcentre parents are gaining playcentre qualifications through an adult-education training programme provided by the Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association.
Rakaia Playcentre is one of seven playcentres in the Mid Canterbury playcentre association. The association is made up of a group of dedicated paid and elected members. The association provides a framework for centre management and operations, as well as parent-education programmes and personnel to support centre members in their work with children.
The Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association is experiencing a time of change as all playcentre associations throughout New Zealand merge with the New Zealand Playcentre Federation to reduce duplication and make cost savings. This restructure will mean significant changes at the local association level.
ERO's 2012 report noted a number of areas for review and development. These included strategic and annual planning, assessment practices, and a programme responsive to Māori and Tongan cultures. ERO found there had been good progress made in these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of seven playcentre reviews in the Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association.
Children and their whānau have a strong sense of belonging and whanaungatanga at Rakaia Playcentre. Children are well supported to be confident in their own culture and to understand and respect other cultures.
The supervisors and parents help children to develop knowledge and an understanding of New Zealand's bicultural heritage. They:
celebrate significant events such as Mātariki
model and help children learn te reo Māori, their mihi and waiata
help one another to become more confident in using te reo Māori
purposefully include Māori perspectives in play activities.
Māori values that are important for this playcentre have been identified and are displayed for all parents to see. These should be included in the playcentre's philosophy.
Parents are actively involved with their own and other children. They listen carefully to children. They allow them time to think and help them express their ideas. They help children to become confident and capable learners.
There is a separate area for infants and toddlers. However, children of these ages are naturally integrated into the session and have access to a wide range of suitable resources and experiences.
The supervisor and parent helpers for the day have a pre-session conversation that has a deliberate focus on how they will support children's learning and respond to their interests. Children at the centre:
settle quickly and confidently make choices about what they want to do
show enjoyment as they play with and alongside each other
fully involve themselves in the interesting experiences and resources available to them.
Children benefit from rich and interesting programmes. They have many opportunities to learn early literacy and mathematics. They have regular, purposeful trips and outings to the school, local community and Christchurch. These trips extend and build on learning that takes place within the playcentre.
Experienced and skilled supervisors are role models for the parents as they work with children. The supervisors and parents have an effective system for planning and assessment. Supervisors and parents have termly meetings to work on children's profiles together, support each other and help new parents learn how to plan for their children.
Rakaia Playcentre has a philosophy that reflects the shared values and beliefs of the parents. Centre documentation and the conversations ERO had with parents showed that they have clear ideas about what the desired learning outcomes are for their children. When the philosophy is next reviewed, these desired learning outcomes should be included, and linked to aspects of planning and self review.
The process for self review has been used well to make improvements to aspects of the playcentre programme and practices. The process would be further improved by using evaluative questions and further refining and using indicators (criteria showing what good practice looks like) at all the stages of the review.
Parents meet regularly to oversee the smooth running of the playcentre. They have an annual plan to guide their work. This needs to be better monitored to show progress. All parents are encouraged to complete the adult-education programmes so there are enough qualified adults to run the sessions. This is an ongoing priority for the playcentre.
The Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association responded well to the issues and trends emerging from the 2012 ERO reports for each playcentre. The board is very supportive of the playcentres and provides additional support for each playcentre in response to its needs. It should ensure it receives evaluative reporting on key aspects relating to centre support and supervisor support roles.
The board has a strategic plan with purposeful actions to help guide its work. This should be more formally monitored. Board members meet regularly to discuss key aspects of the smooth running of the association. They are working proactively to assist the smooth transition through the New Zealand Playcentre Federation changes. The board has an expectation that each playcentre will have its own annual plan, however these are not always in place. The association's appraisal system for the supervisors has been reinstated and needs to continue to be embedded.
Key next steps for the association are to:
monitor the board's annual plan and support all playcentres to prepare annual plans
ensure it receives evaluative reporting on key aspects of playcentre operations.
Rakaia Playcentre supervisors and parents, with the support of the Mid Canterbury Playcentre Association, need to:
review the playcentre philosophy to include their desired outcomes for children
refine aspects of self review.
Before the review, the staff and management of Rakaia 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.
The next ERO review of Rakaia Playcentre will be in three years.
Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
27 September 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 |
Rakaia |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
70439 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
26 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
21 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys: 15 Girls: 6 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Pacific Other |
4 12 2 3 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
Parent Led |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
August 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
27 September 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
September 2008 |
||
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.