34 Heath St, St Andrews-Hamilton, Hamilton
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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.
St Andrews Playcentre provides parents and their babies with the programme, Supporting Parents Alongside their Children’s Education (SPACE). This programme is delivered under the umbrella of the Waikato Playcentre Association (WPA) in accordance with a memorandum of understanding with SPACE NZ Trust who initiated and own the programme.
The SPACE programme aims to improve the wellbeing of babies/toddlers, enhance support for parents, and contribute to the building of stronger communities. Sessions are led by trained, competent, facilitators who benefit from regular professional development and support from leaders and the Association. They follow a comprehensive and well-structured curriculum provided by SPACE NZ Trust.
Parents participate in one morning or afternoon session per week for a period of 40 weeks. There are 10 morning and afternoon sessions each week. Parents and children come from a wide geographical area in and around Hamilton. The centre is licensed to cater for 20 children from birth to two years of age and at the time of this ERO review there were 160 children on the roll, 21 of whom are identified as Māori.
The centre is run in conjunction with Nawton Playcentre, and the same staff oversee the management, systems, documentation and processes. The playcentre operates as a parent cooperative, and commits to children learning through play with family involvement. Parents/whānau and their children experience warm, welcoming relationships and high quality programmes.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation and the Waikato Playcentre Association (WPA) provides effective governance, strategic direction, management support and adult education programmes for the centre. This support and training is underpinned by the WPA philosophy 'Whānau tupu ngātahi - families growing together'.
The association’s strategic commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi is evident in its bicultural leadership model. High value is placed on productive partnerships with Māori whānau, and funding is made available for related professional development. The association’s commitment to Ka Hikitia has resulted in clear expectations for continuing to build members’ understanding, confidence and competence in te Ao Māori.
This review was part of a cluster of 8 reviews in the Waikato Playcentre Association.
Parents and babies are warmly welcomed to the centre sessions and enjoy positive relationships with facilitators and each other. They quickly establish a strong sense of belonging in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment. Age-appropriate equipment and resources, with a focus on the natural world and sensory experiences, promote babies' exploration and physical activity both indoors and in the outside environment.
The SPACE curriculum is underpinned by key learning outcomes for babies and their parents in the SPACE NZ Trust guidelines. There are strong links to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
High ratios of adults to babies helps provide opportunities for high quality learning and play outcomes. Facilitators ensure that each session is carefully planned for and reflected on. They skilfully encourage parents to learn, discuss, and share ideas and knowledge about parenting and child development. Parents are respected and valued as their child's first educator. They are encouraged to increase their contribution to session content and build their capability in their own parenting.
The programme is administered and further developed by a committed, dedicated and knowledgeable team of office holders. Clear roles and responsibilities, high expectations and well-considered guidelines support the programme delivery. Leaders have thoughtfully developed an effective recruitment training and development programme for facilitators.
Facilitators are well supported in their role. Detailed job descriptions and other documentation outline clear expectations. A robust appraisal process and regular formal opportunities for evaluation and reflection support ongoing improvement to the programme. Facilitators participate in regular and focused training and professional development.
Leaders use a range of effective communication strategies with each other, facilitators, parents, and the wider community. They communicate their enthusiasm and commitment to excellence, the Playcentre philosophy, and the value of the SPACE programme, and effectively resolve relationship challenges. There are close, effective working relationships between the SPACE team and the Waikato Playcentre executive.
Leaders use a range of spontaneous and longer term self-review to bring about improvement. They are increasing their understanding of self review and how they can align this more closely with their strategic goals.
Leaders have adopted a consultative approach to developing useful and meaningful strategic goals. It is now timely for them to develop new strategic goals which more accurately reflect current issues and future direction.
Leaders have responded positively to the recommendation in the 2013 ERO review in relation to increasing Maori perspectives in the programme. They now need to continue to increase the inclusion of a Māori world-view in the programme and portfolios.
Before the review, the staff and management of St Andrews 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 St Andrews Playcentre will be in four years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
10 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.
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Location |
Hamilton |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45324 |
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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 20 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
160 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 79 Girls 81 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Asian Other |
21 112 11 16 |
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Review team on site |
March 2016 |
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Date of this report |
10 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2012 |
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.
St Andrews Playcentre is located in Hamilton and is licensed to cater for children from birth to two years of age. It operates under the umbrella of the Waikato Playcentre Association. The playcentre provides a specialised programme for mainly first-time parents with new-born babies, through the Supporting Parents Alongside Their Children’s Education (SPACE) programme. The programme was developed by the Hutt Playcentre Association in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Victory University.
The playcentre operates as a parent co-operative, and commits to children learning through play, with family involvement. St Andrews Playcentre began implementing its SPACE programme in 2008. It has a full roll, and provides morning and afternoon sessions five days per week.
The Waikato Association supports the service by providing effective leadership and management. Experienced and knowledgeable SPACE coordinators and facilitators ensure the quality of programme delivery. The programme at St Andrews playcentre provides extensive support, and successfully empowers parents in their role as first educators of their babies. A strength is the opportunity for parents to network with other families and community groups to share knowledge and experiences about parenting. Through education programmes, parents are able to further enhance their understanding about how children learn and develop. The playcentre coordinators and facilitators have identified, and ERO agrees, that there is a need to increase the Māori dimension within the programme.
Parents and babies are welcomed into a well-prepared learning environment and programme that caters for the diverse ages and stages of babies. A notable feature of the programme is that babies are exposed to rich language and literacy experiences. Trusting and mutually respectful relationships and interactions are evident at all levels, and babies benefit from the social interactions they experience with other adults and their peers. Parents have the opportunity to develop friendships, and have meaningful conversations that are focused on the best possible outcomes for children.
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the service again within three years.
Before the review, the management of St Andrews 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 atSt Andrews 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.
The purpose of the SPACE programme is to improve the well-being of children and enhance their holistic development. Emphasis is placed on supporting parents, through group parenting sessions, that provide opportunities for them to connect with other families and community groups. The programme is run by experienced facilitators and coordinators.
The programmes are designed to strengthen families/whānau, through the provision of quality parenting support and early childhood experiences for infants. The aim is to support families and communities so that every child has the opportunity to thrive, with an emphasis on family being central to a community’s well-being.
Support for parents: The SPACE programme provides extensive support and empowers parents in their role as first educators of their babies. A strength is the opportunities for parents to network with other families and community groups and share their own knowledge and experiences about parenting. Parent education provided by community professionals and the facilitators also increases parents’ understanding about how children learn and develop. Parents, with the support of facilitators, have developed child portfolios that provide a rich record of the learning and development of their baby.
Programme and environment: Parents and babies are welcomed into a well-prepared learning environment with a planned programme specifically catering for the diverse ages and stages of babies. Parents are empowered in their understanding about how children learn and develop through play. A notable feature of the programme is babies being exposed to rich language and literacy experiences. The playcentre coordinators and facilitators have identified, and ERO agrees, that there is a need to increase the Māori dimension within the programme.
Interactions: Trusting and mutually respectful relationships and interactions are evident at all levels. Parents have the opportunity to develop friendships and have meaningful conversations about parenting and the usefulness of the knowledge they have gained from the programme. Babies benefit from the social interactions they experience with other adults and their peers.
Association support: The Waikato Association provides effective leadership and management for the playcentre. Experienced and knowledgeable SPACE coordinators and facilitators ensure the quality of programme delivery. There is a good range of self-review processes in place to monitor the effectiveness of the programme, and adapt and improve delivery. Facilitators and coordinators successfully empower parents in their parental roles and knowledge about babies’ learning and development. A recent initiative that has been introduced is trialling an After SPACE programme to support parents’ transition to mainstream playcentre. The coordinators are in the process of reviewing the effectiveness and necessity of this programme. ERO agrees it would be useful to evaluate its success and plan for the future.
Before the review, the staff of St Andrews Playcentre completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they have 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:
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the service again within three years.
Makere Smith
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region (Acting)
|
Type |
Playcentre |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
20 Children, aged under 2 |
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Roll number |
145 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 75 Boys 70 |
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Ethnic composition |
New Zealand European/Pākehā 106 New Zealand Māori 17 Other European 5 Chinese 4 Samoan 1 Fijian 1 Indian 1 South East Asian 1 Other 9 |
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Review team on site |
March 2012 |
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Date of this report |
3 May 2012 |
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Previous ERO reports |
This is the first review for this centre |
These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on St Andrews Playcentre.
St Andrews Playcentre is located in Hamilton and is licensed to cater for children from birth to two years of age. It operates under the umbrella of the Waikato Playcentre Association. The playcentre provides a specialised programme for mainly first-time parents with new-born babies, through the Supporting Parents Alongside Their Children’s Education (SPACE) programme. The programme was developed by the Hutt Playcentre Association in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Victory University.
The playcentre operates as a parent co-operative, and commits to children learning through play, with family involvement. St Andrews Playcentre began implementing its SPACE programme in 2008. It has a full roll, and provides morning and afternoon sessions five days per week.
The Waikato Association supports the service by providing effective leadership and management. Experienced and knowledgeable SPACE coordinators and facilitators ensure the quality of programme delivery. The programme at St Andrews playcentre provides extensive support, and successfully empowers parents in their role as first educators of their babies. A strength is the opportunity for parents to network with other families and community groups to share knowledge and experiences about parenting. Through education programmes, parents are able to further enhance their understanding about how children learn and develop. The playcentre coordinators and facilitators have identified, and ERO agrees, that there is a need to increase the Māori dimension within the programme.
Parents and babies are welcomed into a well-prepared learning environment and programme that caters for the diverse ages and stages of babies. A notable feature of the programme is that babies are exposed to rich language and literacy experiences. Trusting and mutually respectful relationships and interactions are evident at all levels, and babies benefit from the social interactions they experience with other adults and their peers. Parents have the opportunity to develop friendships, and have meaningful conversations that are focused on the best possible outcomes for children.
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the service again within 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.
Makere Smith
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region (Acting)
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.
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.