Lees Grove, Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Wainuiomata Playcentre is one of 17 early learning services set up by the Hutt Playcentre Association (the association). It operates for three, three-hour sessions each week and is licensed for 30 children, including 15 aged up to two years. Of the 18 children enrolled, six are Māori and two identify as Pacific.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation (the federation) is undergoing a significant restructure that includes amalgamating associations nationwide into one organisation, Playcentre Aotearoa. Hutt playcentres are now managed as part of a regional hub of the new organisation.
A centre support worker (CSW), currently employed by the federation regularly visits the centre and provides professional advice and feedback to strengthen the programme for children. A centre administrator works with members to support compliance with regulations. Responsibility for dayto-day management is undertaken by centre-elected office holders. Parents share the responsibility for implementing the programme. Paid supervisors lead the group team to run daily sessions.
Playcentre philosophy recognises the importance of parents working together, alongside their children, to support their self-initiated play and promote their learning.
The June 2016 ERO report found significant development was needed to improve outcomes for children. Key next steps included: strengthening members' understanding of Playcentre philosophy and expectations; planning for learning and centre development; and internal evaluation. The association was required to: implement rigorous appraisal; provide professional learning and development opportunities for the CSW and paid supervisors; and support the CSW's capability to provide evaluative feedback to members to improve their practice. Non-compliance was identified in relation to governance and management and curriculum.
Since that time, the teaching team has received targeted support through a Ministry of Education funded programme, Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO). Good progress has been made in developing the quality of practice and operation.
Work has been undertaken to support members’ understanding of Playcentre philosophy and expectations for their involvement in the organisation. Although low roll numbers remain a concern, a core group of highly committed members effectively share management roles, encouraging and supporting each other. Since the previous ERO review, a new centre philosophy has been developed that has promoted a stronger sense of belonging in this learning community. A new induction process is in place to support families to transition into the centre.
A wide variety of high-quality resources and learning materials is freely available for children to access. The outdoor area supports a range of physically active and exploratory play. Children enjoy the learning opportunities provided.
Adults are responsive and respectful in supporting children's play and learning. The diversity of the community is acknowledged in aspects of the programme. This provides a suitable context for promoting children's social learning and should continue to be a focus for development.
Bicultural partnership is actively promoted. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are valued parts of the programme. A bilingual session is offered each week. This is an authentic and meaningful approach to integrating the language and protocols. A relationship is in place with the local marae. Members agree they should continue to extend their understanding of success for Māori children as Māori.
Infants and toddlers are valued and nurtured by all. They are comfortable and happy in the playcentre environment. Tuakana teina (older children supporting younger) is encouraged and evident. A well-resourced play space is available specifically for infants who are not yet mobile.
A positive relationship exists with the primary school that shares the site. Members are keen to develop a relationship with other schools in the area to better support the transition of older children as they move on from playcentre.
Support for members’ participation in a more meaningful and responsive approach to planning and implementing the programme has had a positive impact. Collective discussions about individual children are a regular part of practice with more members now actively contributing. Children display strong ownership of their profile books that record special learning moments. To further strengthen the approach members should ensure:
alignment between displayed child information and that gathered at planning meetings
the focus stays on identifying individual children’s significant learning and interests as a basis for planning their learning
profile books record how children's learning is being progressed
children's learning linked to the bilingual programme is planned and recorded
members’ preparedness to implement the revised early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki is encouraged and supported.
The CSW provides regular and valued feedback to support members to implement a suitable learning programme for children. Regular discussions and reporting promote reflection on practice and the collaborative development of new ideas.
A useful appraisal process is now in place for supervisors that includes feedback from members about their strengths and areas of practice requiring development. Consideration should be given to identifying development goals linked to implementation of the revised Te Whāriki.
An annual plan is now in place that outlines management tasks to be completed over the year. Strategic goals and actions have recently been identified linked to improving outcomes for children.
Review is ongoing and resulting in improvement to aspects of practice and operation. A next step is for members to adopt a more evaluative framework to support decision making about change and development. The federation has established clear expectations for the CSW role, including building effective internal evaluation practice at centre level.
Members agree they should work with the CSW to continue to strengthen:
their approach to planning for children's learning
shared understanding and use of internal evaluation
understanding of success for Māori children as Māori.
At federation level, priorities are to continue to strengthen:
the new centre support process through effective evaluation
CSW appraisal and targeted professional development opportunities
CSW understanding of effective internal evaluation.
Before the review, the staff and management of Wainuiomata 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.
To improve current practice, the service provider should:
ensure that policy guidelines are collated and kept up-to-date in the policy file.
The next ERO review of Wainuiomata Playcentre will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review & Improvement Services
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
21 September 2018
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 |
Lower Hutt |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60026 |
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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 |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
18 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 11, Girls 7 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
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Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
August 2018 |
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Date of this report |
21 September 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2016 |
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Education Review |
September 2013 |
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Education Review |
August 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:
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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Wainuiomata Playcentre requires significant and targeted support from the association to enable self-management and development of the required areas of practice to meet agreed accountabilities.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Wainuiomata Playcentre is one of 17 centres administered by the Hutt Playcentre Association (the association). The association is made up of elected volunteer representatives from its member centres. It provides governance and management support to the parent committee at Wainuiomata Playcentre. A kaitautoko, a centre support person is employed by the association to provide guidance.
The playcentre is licensed to operate twice weekly for a maximum of 30 children, including 15 aged up to two years. Of the 10 children enrolled, six identify as Māori.
Curriculum planning and implementation is a shared responsibility. Each session is supported by a paid supervisor with the level of training that meets legislative requirements for group supervision.
The playcentre has experienced a significant drop in membership since the September 2013 ERO report. Most families attending have been members for a short time.
This review was part of a cluster of eight in the Hutt Playcentre Association.
The Playcentre philosophy of parent-led education, learning through play and the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum provide expectations for centre practice. The findings of the September 2013 ERO report identified a need for extra association support to help families understand the playcentre philosophy and expectations for practice. This remains a priority for development. To improve performance support is required for:
strengthening members' understanding of legislative requirements
planning a responsive curriculum by helping members to understand and value the learning that is taking place, and enhancing opportunities for children's contributions to the day-to-day programme
developing an annual plan that guides the playcentre's operations. This should identify key tasks to be undertaken each year and clearly show how priority areas for improvement are planned for and achieved
understanding and implementing self review
regularly appraising the paid supervisors.
Respectful relationships positively contribute to children's strong sense of belonging. Team members support each other during the sessions and are caring towards children. Children have opportunities to participate in a varied range of activities which are celebrated in the profile books.
Members integrate the use of te reo Māori into their interactions with children. This is an area for ongoing development and members have plans to work with an external facilitator.
The environment is well resourced and provides opportunities for children to use a variety of equipment. The outdoor area has a range of movable equipment that encourages physical movement and challenge.
The 2013 ERO reviews found the support provided at the centre level by kaitautoko was appreciated and supportive. ERO also recognised that formalising this arrangement to promote a more effective approach to responding to the needs of individual centres was a next step for development. This remains a priority for this playcentre.
An evaluation of the effectiveness of changes to kaitautoko practice in improving outcomes for centre members and children is planned for.
The association should assist playcentre members to:
understand the Playcentre philosophy and expectations for providing a responsive curriculum
use assessment, planning and evaluation processes to determine the day to day curriculum to promote learning
write an annual plan that guides the playcentre's operation and plans to address priority areas for improvement
foster a shared understanding of review and evaluation to improve decisions about centre practice and operation.
The association:
must implement rigorous annual appraisal for the kaitautoko and the paid session supervisors of this centre to identify professional development to support them in their leadership roles
should build kaitautoko knowledge and capability to undertake effective internal evaluation. This should include a focus on providing centre members with evaluative feedback that assists them to further develop aspects of the curriculum and centre practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Wainuiomata 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
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to governance and management practices and curriculum. To meet requirements the association needs to improve its performance in the following area:
ensure the service curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children's learning, their interests, whānau and life interests
fully implement a system of regular appraisal
develop an annual plan which clearly addresses priorities for improvement
build an understanding of review and evaluation as a basis for improving practice.
(Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, C2, GMA7, GMA8, GMA6)
ERO recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
The next ERO review of Wainuiomata Playcentre will be within two years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
24 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.
|
Location |
Wainuiomata |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60026 |
||
|
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 |
10 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 6, Girls 4 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pacific Other ethnic groups |
6 2 2 |
|
|
Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
May 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
24 June 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
September 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
August 2009 |
||
|
Supplementary Review |
November 2007 |
||
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:
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.