Swanson Playcentre

Education institution number:
22011
Service type:
Playcentre
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
28
Telephone:
Address:

5A Christian Road, Henderson, Auckland

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Swanson Playcentre - 30/10/2015

1. Evaluation of Swanson Playcentre

How well placed is Swanson Playcentre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Swanson Playcentre is a family cooperative and is licensed for 30 children, including 15 up to the age of two years. It is a large spacious purpose-built centre in a semi-rural setting. The Playcentre philosophy of whānau and children learning together guides centre practices. Whānau value the way that Playcentre promotes social opportunities for children and families.

The centre is part of Te Akoranga Playcentre Association, which provides Playcentre’s adult education programme, frameworks of policies and procedures, and support personnel. The centre’s representatives at Association level support and guide the centre’s bicultural practices. Currently the national Playcentre organisation is in the process of a comprehensive restructure. This is likely to change the current structure of Te Akoranga Playcentre Association.

The centre offers three-hour, parent led play sessions, four days a week. It hosts a supervised session for children aged 3 years and older. This programme is run by the Association and is open to families from all centres in the Association. The centre is used for adult education sessions attended by trainees from centres in the Te Akoranga Association.

In 2012 ERO recommended that centre members strengthen management practices, policies and self review. Programmes for younger children and responsiveness to children’s interest were also identified as areas where improvements could be made. Good progress has been made in these areas.

This review was part of a cluster of five playcentre reviews in the Te Akoranga Playcentre Association.

The Review Findings

Children are happy, and confidently select from a wide range of choices as they settle quickly into play activities. They are friendly and relate well to each other and the adults in the centre. Tuakana/teina relationships are apparent in older children’s interactions with younger children. Children are expressive and articulate and advocate for themselves with confidence.

Teachers encourage children’s exploration and creativity. Science, literacy, music, cultural understanding and family play are promoted. The centre’s environment and resources support children’s learning. Displays celebrate children’s learning and achievements. The layout of play areas is well designed and purposeful. A large natural outdoor environment provides a good range of physical challenges and an enclosed sheltered area enables children to have access to a range of outdoor activities on rainy days.

Parents/whānau work collaboratively to plan and evaluate children’s learning. They build long lasting friendships and a strong sense of community. There is an active commitment to Playcentre training. Centre members freely access Association support and take on roles in the Association. They understand the purpose of self review and participate regularly in reviewing daily programme and centre practices.

The curriculum is highly responsive to children’s interests, strengths and needs. It aligns with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and with the Kei Tua O te Pae assessment model. Programme planning is displayed and promotes children’s learning. Daily evaluations are well documented and used to inform children’s ongoing individual and group planning.

There is good support for Māori and Pacific values and culture. The Association’s recent hosting of a whānau Pasifika professional development course is providing ideas to expand the centre’s cultural inclusion practices. It has increased the centre’s awareness of providing for Pacific children’s needs through the process of ‘talanoa’ and the importance of ‘va’ relationships. The Mana Whaea professional development attended by members of Kia Puāwai, a rōpū within the Association, is also promoting the value of tikanga and te reo Māori. The skills and experience of adults belonging to both groups are being used to enrich programmes.

Good Association support through its structures, practices and procedures is reflected in the sound operation of this centre. As a result parents take on centre roles that cover a wide range of responsibilities. They prioritise the management and quality of resources and equipment.

Good quality outcomes from the centre’s robust self-review process are well documented and are resulting in improvements. Centre members have established inclusive consultation processes with parents. While the centre does not have a strategic plan to guide development, a highly collaborative decision-making process, and well documented meeting minutes provide guidance for the centre’s future direction. Centre members could now make this process more formal.

Key Next Steps

The Association leaders and centre members agree that key next steps include:

  • continuing to review the role of the adult in supporting children’s play
  • developing a strategic plan that clearly documents long-term priorities and direction and provides guidance for future centre members.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Swanson 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Swanson Playcentre will be in four years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

30 October 2015

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

Location

Henderson, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

22011

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

52

Gender composition

Boys 30

Girls 22

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Cook Island Māori

Taiwanese

Canadian

5

44

1

1

1

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:2

Better than minimum requirements

 

Over 2

1:2

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

August 2015

Date of this report

30 October 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

October 2012

 

Education Review

July 2009

 

Education Review

March 2006

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.

Swanson Playcentre - 11/10/2012

1. Evaluation of the Service

How well placed is the service to promote positive outcomes for children?

Swanson Playcentre is well placed to promote positive outcomes for children.

Context

Swanson Playcentre serves a semi-rural community in West Auckland. It continues to operate successfully as part of Te Akoranga Playcentre Association. The Association provides training programmes for centre members and effective support for members in running sessions. Swanson Playcentre offers four sessions each week, three of which are supported by Association personnel.

A distinctive feature of Swanson Playcentre is the number of men who are actively involved as members and make a positive contribution to children’s learning.

Previous ERO reports have acknowledged the good quality programme provided for children. The 2009 ERO report, while acknowledging that adults’ interactions with children were consistently positive, respectful and caring, commented in particular on the good quality of provision for younger children. Members agreed that, to further improve the programme, they should consider developing systems to respond to the aspirations of Māori parents. They were also keen to provide more challenging programmes for older children.

The Review Findings

Swanson Playcentre operates as a parent collective. There are many opportunities for members to take on well defined roles and responsibilities to ensure the smooth running of the centre. Leaders are elected and mentored into their roles. Longer serving members support newer members and a buddy system is used to make best use of individual strength and skills.

The operation of the centre is closely linked to the philosophy for Playcentre education. In addition, members now plan to develop a mission statement that is specific to Swanson Playcentre.

Centre members make good and regular use of self-review processes to determine how effectively the programme is providing for children. They provide a well resourced, well organised environment to stimulate children’s curiosity and exploration, and to support children’s emerging interests. Children may choose from a wide range of accessible areas of play. Centre members are considering how best to incorporate more science, numeracy and literacy learning into the programme.

Respectful relationships underpin interactions between adults and between children and adults. Conversations with adults stimulate children’s thinking. Children with special learning needs are sensitively supported by Association personnel and centre members.

Budget allocations appropriately reflect spending that is based on the needs of the children. Currently the centre operates under a mix of policies, some of which come from the Association and some that are specific to Swanson Playcentre. Members should ensure that centre specific policies are regularly reviewed.

Members evaluate the effectiveness of their planning for all children who attend. Currently planning is mostly focused on activities and children’s development. Members agree that the next step is to capitalise more on their knowledge of children’s home and centre interests. They could extend children’s learning through more in-depth planning based on these interests.

Members are continuing to develop their awareness of tikanga and te reo Maōri. The Association provides additional support through Kia Puawai, an initiative to support Playcentre members to be more confident in including te Ao Māori in their planning and environment.

Good provision is made for younger children to have access to resources and activities alongside older children. The programme is regularly evaluated to ensure that children's developmental stages are supported. More experienced members are keen to help newer members to reflect on their practice as they continue to develop the quality of their work with children.

2. Legal Requirements

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Swanson 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.

3. Next Review

When is ERO likely to review the early childhood service again?

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Makere Smith

National Manager Review Services

Northern Region (Acting)

Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Swanson

Ministry of Education profile number

22011

Licence type

Playcentre

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children, including up to 16 aged under 2

Service roll

71

Gender composition

Girls 43, Boys 28

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā

Māori

European

Indian

Asian

Cook Island Māori

Other

56

5

5

2

1

1

1

Review team on site

August 2012

Date of this report

11 October 2012

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Accountability Review

July 2009

March 2006

June 2002