61 Chancellor Street, Shirley, Christchurch
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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.
Shirley Playcentre operates under the guidance of the Canterbury Playcentre Association. The playcentre is a parent cooperative with parents encouraged to be involved in all aspects of the playcentre's programme and management.
Shirley Playcentre is located in the Shirley Community reserve. The playcentre is a part of a collaborative edible community gardens project.
The centre has a full roll and is open five days a week. The community has become increasingly transient and culturally diverse due to the changes in employment in the local area.
Since the 2012 ERO report, the playcentre's main focus has been to upgrade the outdoor environment. Most parents are in the early stages of the association's parent education programme. Parent leaders are still working on ERO's recommendations to improve assessment, planning, the use of internal evaluation and strengthening bicultural practices.
This review was part of a cluster of nine playcentres in the Canterbury Playcentre Association (CPA).
Children and families are well supported in a friendly, welcoming and inclusive culture. The wellbeing of children and their families is sustained by a caring and collaborative team of parents. Children are happy and engaged in their learning.
Children are leading their learning. They have a good range of choices and their ideas are valued and regularly used in the programme.
Children have a strong sense of belonging. They confidently play well in mixed-age groups and their achievements are celebrated and well displayed in the environment.
Children are provided with a wide range of interesting learning activities and experiences. The outdoor area is spacious and has a good range of equipment that extends children's physical skills and supports their creative play.
Parents have made links with the local community to extend children's learning opportunities. Adults make good use of the community gardens and the local stream to support children's learning in natural science. The playcentre works closely with the nearby school. Children take part in school programmes and are regularly visited by groups from the school.
Parents are strongly committed to building bicultural practices in the programme. Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are evident in the environment and resources. Visual prompts in the environment support parents' use of the language and understanding of Māori culture.
Infants and toddlers are well cared for. The adults support each other and provide appropriate resources for babies and young children. Older children play well with younger children.
All parents are actively involved in decision making and feel ownership of the playcentre. They successfully use a range of media to maintain communication, reflect on the programme and make changes to benefit children and parents.
Centre leaders have developed good systems to support new parents to become involved with the operation of the playcentre and the parents' education programme. Parents' knowledge and skills are well used to extend children's interests within the programme.
Parents regularly monitor the playcentre's strategic plan, which is closely linked to the association's strategic goals. The plan outlines the operational goals of the playcentre.
The Canterbury Playcentre Association has made significant progress since the 2014 ERO cluster review. They have implemented a strategic plan that effectively identifies goals, plans and progress. The centre support and education teams have been structured to provide more efficient and timely support and guidance for the centres. The parent education programme has become more accessible to parents. Noticeably more parents are participating in all levels of the training and are making good use of this new knowledge in the centres. The centre support team is successfully facilitating the sharing of useful knowledge and practices across centres.
The association has high expectations for every child to experience high quality education and all parents to be actively involved in parent education and the management of the centres. They have established some very useful systems and practices to ensure the sustainability and improvement of the organisation and the centres. This includes effective evaluation and monitoring of the quality of education for parents and improved outcomes for children.
The key next steps for the association are to:
review how the well individual playcentre philosophies are meeting the changing contexts of centres
implement appraisals for the members of the centre support team to align more closely with centre needs and association expectations.
The association, parents and ERO agree that the key next steps for the playcentre include:
identifying children's learning, progress and next teaching steps in group and individual planning
strengthening and more regularly using internal evaluation to improve outcomes for children
continuing to strengthen bicultural inclusion in the programme, with a particular emphasis on Māori children succeeding as Māori.
Before the review, the staff and management of Shirley 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.
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to appraisal. To meet requirements, the association needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
implement a system of regular appraisal for members of the Education Support Team.
[Regulation 47 (GMA7) Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008]
The next ERO review of Shirley Playcentre will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern/Te Waipounamu
2 March 2017
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 |
Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70118 |
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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 |
20 children, including up to 10 aged under two |
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Service roll |
42 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 26; Girls 16 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā European Asian Cook Island Other ethnicities |
4 25 7 4 1 1 |
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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 |
October 2016 |
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Date of this report |
2 March 2017 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
August 2012 |
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Supplementary Review |
May 2008 |
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Accountability Review |
June 1999 |
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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 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.
Shirley Playcentre is one of 46 centres administered by the Canterbury Playcentre Association. The association’s education and centre support teams provide support for the centre. The parent cooperative is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the playcentre. This playcentre runs five morning sessions for children aged from birth to school age. It also has a well attended and effectively facilitated afternoon session tailored for parents with young babies (Babies Can Play).
This playcentre has been significantly impacted by the recent Canterbury earthquakes. Part of the outdoor area is fenced off due to the condition of an adjacent building. The parent group has responded well to this challenge by ensuring children have access to an appropriate range of outdoor equipment including a temporary sandpit. There have been changes in the parent group. Some families have left the area due to damage to their homes and others have joined the centre temporarily. The playcentre philosophy of supporting families and whānau has been well reflected in their response to the impacts of the earthquakes on children and their families.
Positive features of this playcentre include:
The parent group works well together to effectively manage the playcentre. Parents regularly undertake training and make good use of parent strengths.
The next steps are for the association to support more parents to:
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the centre again in three years.
Before the review, the management of Shirley Playcentre was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by the centre to contribute to the scope of the review.
The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the management and staff. This discussion focused on existing information held by the centre (including self-review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to positive outcomes for children atShirley Playcentre.
All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:
ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below.
Playcentre philosophy highlights the belief that children reach their full potential when parents understand their development and take part in the learning process. At this playcentre the parent group aim to provide a safe, stimulating, supportive and encouraging environment for children and their families. This philosophy was clearly visible in the centre’s practices and operation.
Positive and affirming relationships are evident in the playcentre. Children interact confidently with all adults. Adults use praise and encouragement when they talk with children. ERO observed adults supporting each other by giving useful advice and the confidence to contribute to the programme.
Adults effectively follow children’s leads and ideas within the programme. They make good use of children’s interests to plan activities and group learning experiences. Adults also recognise and effectively link children’s home lives into the programme.
Adults successfully support children to develop social skills. They help children with group and cooperative play. Children have many opportunities to play with others independent from adults.
ERO observed some adults who provided good modelling in supporting and extending children’s learning. These adults:
Particular programme strengths were evident in science, and numeracy. Adults also focus on increasing children’s knowledge and vocabulary on a variety of topics of interest. Displays which reflect children’s involvement in these topics are prominent in the indoor environment.
The parent group successfully share roles and responsibilities for the management of the playcentre. They work well together to discuss and make improvements to support children’s learning. The use of parent strengths is very evident in the programme and environment.
Adults make good use of the education opportunities provided by the playcentre association. They also seek additional support and education from the wider community.
An additional session focused on babies and their parents (Babies Can Play) is providing good opportunities for these parents to:
The indoor environment is spacious, well resourced and attractively presented. Children benefit from easy access to a wide range of activities and resources.
The centre has been significantly impacted by the recent Canterbury earthquakes. As well as limiting their access to the outdoor environment this has resulted in changes to the parent group. The next steps for the playcentre association are to support parents in:
The parent group has also identified that they need to increase the number of parents involved in the process of self review to improve their understanding of evaluation.
Before the review, the staff of Shirley 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 documentation, including policies, procedures and records of recent use of procedures. ERO also checked elements of the following areas that have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:
In order to improve current practice the managers should support the parent group to:
become more familiar with association formats for recording medication, documenting excursions and communicating hazards to centre visitors.
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the centre again in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services
Southern Region
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Type |
Sessional 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 two |
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Roll number |
60 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 31 Boys 29 |
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Ethnic composition |
New Zealand European/Pākehā 48; Māori 6; Asian 2; Other Ethnicities 4 |
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Review team on site |
May 2012 |
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Date of this report |
7 August 2012 |
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Previous three ERO reports
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Education Review May 2008 Accountability Review August 1999 Assurance Audit June 1994 |
These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Shirley Playcentre.
Shirley Playcentre is one of 46 centres administered by the Canterbury Playcentre Association. The association’s education and centre support teams provide support for the centre. The parent cooperative is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the playcentre. This playcentre runs five morning sessions for children aged from birth to school age. It also has a well attended and effectively facilitated afternoon session tailored for parents with young babies (Babies Can Play).
This playcentre has been significantly impacted by the recent Canterbury earthquakes. Part of the outdoor area is fenced off due to the condition of an adjacent building. The parent group has responded well to this challenge by ensuring children have access to an appropriate range of outdoor equipment including a temporary sandpit. There have been changes in the parent group. Some families have left the area due to damage to their homes and others have joined the centre temporarily. The playcentre philosophy of supporting families and whānau has been well reflected in their response to the impacts of the earthquakes on children and their families.
Positive features of this playcentre include:
The parent group works well together to effectively manage the playcentre. Parents regularly undertake training and make good use of parent strengths.
The next steps are for the association to support more parents to:
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the centre again in three years.
When ERO has reviewed an early childhood centre we encourage management to inform their community of any follow up action they plan to take. You should talk to the management or contact person if you have any questions about this evaluation, the full ERO report or their future intentions.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the centre or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services
Southern Region
ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews. The purpose of each review is to:
Reviews are intended to focus on outcomes for children and build on each centre’s self review.
ERO’s framework for reviewing and reporting is based on four review strands.
Quality of Education – including the quality of the programme provided for children, the quality of the learning environment and the quality of the interactions between staff and children and how these impact on outcomes for children.
Additional Review Priorities – other aspects of the operation of a centre, may be included in the review. ERO will not include this strand in all reviews.
Compliance with Legal Requirements – assurance that this centre has taken all reasonable steps to meet legal requirements.
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of centre performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to this centre.
Most ERO reports include recommendations for improvement. A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily mean that a centre is performing poorly in relation to that issue. There is no direct link between the number of recommendations in this report and the overall performance of this centre.