1B Church Street, Onerahi, Whangarei
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.
Onerahi Playcentre operates as a parent co-operative. It offers two sessions each week for children from birth to school age from the surrounding semi-rural community. Parents/whānau who enrol their children are committed to the Playcentre philosophy, which is based on child initiated learning in a mixed-age setting. Parents/whānau are valued as the first and best educators of their children.
All centre members take on roles and responsibilities that contribute to the running of the centre. This structure offers opportunities for emergent leadership.
Since the 2012 ERO review there has been a significant change in centre membership and leadership. A qualified early childhood teacher has taken on the role of supervisor for this year. Parents/whānau who are new to the centre are completing Courses 1 and 2 and are moving onto Course 3 in the Playcentre adult education programme. They have willingly taken on leadership roles.
The centre is part of the Northland Playcentre Association, which provides governance and management support for 31 Playcentres in Northland. The Association provides systems and adult education programmes to help members manage centres and support their children's learning. A centre support worker (CSW) regularly visits each centre. The Association also provides education support for five Playcentres in the Far North.
Playcentre Aotearoa is in the process of a national restructure. It is expected that a new regional manager and centre support personnel will be appointed towards the end of 2017.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 Playcentre reviews in the Northland Playcentre Association.
Children respond positively to opportunities to learn alongside trusted adults. They explore their interests in a safe and nurturing environment. Children sustain their creative play and have fun with the support of parents/whānau.
Parents/whānau respect each child’s uniqueness and individuality. They engage with all children to build on their interests and develop relationships with other families. Oral language is modelled well by parents/whānau who use te reo Māori incidentally in their instructions and conversations with children.
The learning environment is attractive and well resourced. Members have a variety of complementary strengths and skills. They provide a range of interesting activities to link with the natural world. Children have access to indoor and outdoor play, and experience a full range of learning opportunities.
More experienced centre members provide support for newer parents/whānau to continually develop their roles as parents and educators, and to learn about their own and other children. They are committed to the Playcentre adult training programme and are keen to develop centre members' collective capabilities.
With the capable leadership of the supervisor, centre members work as a team to ensure that sessions are well organised and managed. Programme planning is increasingly evident in the day-book and is visible on the walls for parents and children to revisit. Children's individual portfolios showing each child's learning journey are in the early stages of development.
The centre support worker (CSW) is aware of the strengths and needs of the centre. Her support helps members to foster positive learning outcomes for children. The CSW provides good leadership to sustain improvement and growth. Centre members appreciate that the CSW is available to answer their questions and share information that adds to their collective knowledge.
The Association continues to provide a sound management framework to assist members in managing their centres. Centre members' leadership and increased participation in adult education courses help to sustain the Association and centre viability. The governance board works collaboratively to share information with centre members as they respond to changes, including the national restructure.
Next steps for centre members are to continue to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Onerahi 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:
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 Onerahi Playcentre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
6 October 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 |
Onerahi, Whangarei |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
16572 |
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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 16 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
13 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 7 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
4 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
Parent led |
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Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
August 2017 |
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Date of this report |
6 October 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
May 2010 |
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|
Education Review |
May 2007 |
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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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Onerahi Playcentre is situated on the outskirts of Whangarei and operates as a parent cooperative. Centre practices are based on the Playcentre philosophy of families learning and growing together. Families from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds attend the playcentre. It is licensed for thirty children from birth to school age and offers three sessions per week, with up to twenty-three children attending one or more of these sessions.
Two out of the three sessions are run independently by centre course holders. However the future of the Wednesday session is uncertain. Session numbers are low and the Association support worker often attends sessions to provide the necessary course level qualifications to meet licensing requirements. Higher rates of attendance and levels of training would permit members to run a funded session each Wednesday.
The 2010 ERO report recommended that members should strengthen the use of self review to help inform ongoing improvements to centre operations, including programme assessment and planning practices. Centre members continue to be supported by the Northland Playcentre Association to undertake planned self review. The playcentre has been relicensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 since the 2010 ERO review.
The centre operates as part of the Northland Playcentre Association. The Association is the umbrella organisation for twenty-three playcentres. Many of these centres are rural or semi-rural with a high turnover of membership. The association manages and distributes centre funding and provides a training programme for parents/whānau to achieve playcentre qualifications. An association Centre Support Worker assists centre members where necessary. The Association has reviewed ways to make courses more manageable and accessible for rural members and has implemented a ‘course two in a term’ initiative.
This review was part of a cluster of four playcentre reviews in the Northland Playcentre Association.
Onerahi Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children. Playcentre membership is made up of volunteer parents. There has been a major turnover of office holders, with many of the positions currently being left vacant. A small core of members share leadership roles and manage the playcentre at a very basic level. Consideration is being given by centre members as to how they might share the vacant president's role between two members.
Generally children are settled in the programme. They engage in activities alongside their parents/caregivers. However, most families attend one of three sessions and are relatively unknown to each other. The quality of the programme could now be raised by members getting to know each other better and working collaboratively together. Opportunities should also be provided for children to develop relationships with other adults and friendships with other children. Interactions between adults and children should be focused on extending children’s strengths and interests.
The programme caters mostly for children under 3 years of age. Many older children leave to attend kindergarten as a way of preparing for their transition to school. It would be useful for members to continue to review the programme with a view to providing more stimulating sessions that challenge older children’s learning. This might also help to retain older children at the playcentre.
The programme is mainly based around the provision of activities. Parents take responsibility for their own children’s involvement in the programme and for recording their experiences in individual profiles. Ongoing support from the association should help members to learn how to plan for and assess children’s learning.
Commitment to promoting a bicultural partnership with Māori whānau is evident in the Northland Playcentre Association policies and procedures. The association has developed Te Roopu Whakaaro Kotahi as a forum to support whānau Maori in Playcentres. However, bicultural practices now need to be further strengthened. The New Zealand Playcentre Association’s Te Tiriti O Waitangi Framework could be used to promote ongoing development if Association support is to impact authentically on bicultural practices in Northland Association Playcentres.
In order to better provide positive learning outcomes for children, centre members should work with the association to:
strengthen strategic and annual plans to guide the playcentre’s short and long-term direction.
ERO recommends that the Northland Playcentre Association continues to work closely with Onerahi Playcentre members to support existing members and attract and retain new members.
Before the review, the staff and management of Onerahi 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:
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 Onerahi Playcentre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey National Manager Review Services Northern Region
14 March 2014
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 |
Onerahi, Whangarei |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
16572 |
||
|
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 |
23 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 16 Boys 7 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Australian British Tibetan |
5 11 3 2 2 |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
December 2013 |
||
|
Date of this report |
14 March 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
May 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 2004 |
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.