38 La Rosa Street, Green Bay, Auckland
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama- indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Playhouse Early Childhood Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakatō Emerging |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakatō Emerging |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whāngai Establishing |
Playhouse Early Childhood Centre is one of three privately owned services. It offers full-day sessions for children from six months to five years of age. The centre is licensed for 49 children with up to 14 under two years of age. A full-time cook provides meals for children.
Children are independent and actively engage in regular activities and routines. They build positive relationships with the teachers they see every day. The purposefully landscaped outdoor environment supports children to engage in all types of outdoor play.
Children under the age of two experience a nurturing programme based on respect. They are well supported by professional, capable teachers. Teachers have a sound knowledge of each child as an individual, and their unique routines and rhythms. Teachers actively respond to children’s cues and individual learning and developmental needs. Their independence is promoted.
Infants and toddlers experience authentic opportunities to hear and see te reo Māori. Children confidently use key words in te reo. Teachers provide regular opportunities for younger and older children to play together. Tuakana/teina relationships are evident through sibling interactions which are thriving. Service leaders acknowledge the need to strengthen authentic experiences of te reo and tikanga Māori across all areas of the service.
Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to develop relationships with parents and whānau. Teachers promote whānau partnerships through events and informal interactions during routines and transition times. Leaders are working to strengthen learning-focused partnerships with parents and whānau.
Teachers demonstrate professional knowledge and understanding of good practice. Leaders continue to focus on the recruitment of qualified staff and need to ensure regular staff are well supported by relief staff. This is essential in providing a learning environment which offers complexity, creativity and curiosity, particularly in the play of children over the age of two years.
Leaders have established a shared vision and philosophy of practice among the permanent teaching team. They foster collaboration, an openness to change, whanaungatanga and a willingness to provide the conditions that promote continuous improvement. The governing body needs to focus on building the leadership and professional capabilities of the newly appointed curriculum leaders.
Playhouse Early Childhood Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Playhouse Early Childhood Centre 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.
Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
24 September 2021
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Playhouse Early Childhood Centre |
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Profile Number |
20527 |
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Location |
Green Bay, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
49 children, including up to 14 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
60 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 3, NZ European/Pākehā 50, other European 4, |
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Review team on site |
June 2021 |
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Date of this report |
24 September 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 2018; Education Review, April 2014 |
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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.
Playhouse Early Childhood Centre is one of three privately owned services. It offers full-day or school-hour sessions for children from six months to five years of age. The centre is licensed for 49 children with up to 14 under two years of age. A full time cook provides meals for children.
Respect is at the core of the centre's philosophy, underpinning the centre's values of responsive, nurturing relationships and a sense of belonging. The philosophy acknowledges children as competent and capable learners, and values partnership with parents/whānau. Staff are committed to building a close knit community through regular visits to the local park and gardens, and an ongoing relationship with local schools and the two sister centres.
Flooding in 2017 has impacted on the centre's property and community. Staff relocated to two different temporary premises for seven months, and returned to a renovated and refurbished centre. The converted two-storied house is divided into two areas. Children under two (Pipi) are downstairs, and older children (Paua) are upstairs. The multipurpose outdoor 'garden room' and the infants' separate covered deck, overlook the shared outdoor environment.
The owner works closely with centre leaders on the strategic direction. This is monitored through the strategic and annual planning process. The centre manager is responsible for centre operations and administration. She works closely with the head teacher who leads the curriculum. The centre has low staff turnover and ongoing professional support with its sister centres, who share a pool of experienced relieving teachers and professional mentors.
ERO's 2014 report identified the need to develop bicultural practice and internal evaluation for ongoing improvement. Leaders and teachers have responded very well to these areas along with rebuilding strategic priorities.
The philosophy is very well enacted in the centre. Children confidently enjoy their learning environment, accept challenges and risks, and form friendships. Children are inquisitive about the world around them, and express themselves respectfully in conversations. They are independent and initiate their own learning.
The centre's curriculum is highly responsive to children's interests, and promotes their right to make their own choices and decisions. Learning experiences are adapted to suit children's different stages of learning. Literacy and numeracy are integrated in meaningful ways. Leaders are looking at different ways to strengthen curriculum documentation to more clearly reflect how teachers cater for children's interests and developmental needs.
There is very good provision for infants. Quality primary care and sensitive oral language development enable children under two to form secure attachments, and learn about care towards each other. Teachers provide a calm, nurturing environment that respects children's space and time to explore the environment.
The centre's commitment to the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand is evident in increasing efforts to use te reo, waiata, and tikanga Māori. Pacific children benefit from positive relationships and the promotion of their home languages. Children participate in and enjoy cultural celebrations.
Teachers allow children to develop uninterrupted play, and routines are unobtrusive. They are confident in their knowledge about early learning and child development. Assessments of children's successes and achievements are documented meaningfully in children's individual portfolios. Well managed transitions into, through and out of the centre are documented in children's individualised transition plans.
The centre is well led and managed. Very good leadership through rebuilding the centre has promoted resilience in children, staff and parents. It has also strengthened partnerships with parents/whānau. The performance management system is focused on building teachers' practice and ongoing professional learning. The influence of quality professional learning is evident in teachers' practice. Teachers value and use internal evaluation processes to make relevant centre improvements. There are very good systems and processes for monitoring health and safety practices.
Leaders plan to strengthen curriculum planning to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Playhouse Early Childhood Centre 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.
The next ERO review of Playhouse Early Childhood Centre will be in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
28 March 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 |
Green Bay, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20527 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
49 children, including up to 14 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
62 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 31 Girls 31 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
February 2018 |
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Date of this report |
28 March 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
December 2007 |
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|
Education Review |
March 2004 |
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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.