51 Hillcrest Avenue, Northcote, Auckland
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.
Onepoto Playcentre is a well-established centre adjacent to a community reserve in Hillcrest, on Auckland’s North Shore. The centre provides an inclusive environment and attracts local families from its multicultural community. It offers five sessions each week and is licensed for 28 children from birth to five years old.
Programmes for children are underpinned by the Playcentre philosophy of parents and children playing and learning together. Parents take on roles and responsibilities that contribute to the running of the centre and offer opportunities for emergent leadership. Sessions are guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The centre is one of 21 in the North Shore Playcentre Association. The Association provides a management and policy framework, and centre support personnel. Playcentre Aotearoa is in the process of a national restructure and the North Shore Association is now part of Playcentre's northern region. A new regional manager has been appointed and support personnel roles and expectations are being confirmed.
Professional development from the Association and support from the field officer have helped centre members to respond to areas for development identified in ERO’s 2014 report. Assessment and evaluation processes have been strengthened, and te reo and tikanga Māori are modelled confidently by several members. Many centre members are currently enrolled in Playcentre adult education programmes.
This review is part of a cluster of six reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association
Children are capable, confident learners and have a strong sense of belonging in the centre. They work with adults who actively support their interests. Children are encouraged to take responsibility, and to build on their existing knowledge. They access the wide range of resources that are available, and confidently make choices about their play. Children engage enthusiastically in creative and imaginative play for long periods.
Parents/whānau value and support child-led play. They have a good knowledge of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Connections to Te Whāriki are evident in planning, wall displays and children's portfolios. Daily evaluations help parents/whānau to recognise children’s interests and offer useful prompts to sustain continuity between sessions.
Centre members work cooperatively to support children's learning and are inclusive of each other’s cultures. Individual strengths and talents are recognised. A genuine feeling of care and community is fostered.
Parents/whānau take opportunities to offer prompts, and to facilitate and extend children’s learning. They are enthusiastic and actively involved with the children. Collaborating with children to determine the next step in their learning, and a greater focus on making learning more visible in planning and assessment would add to current good practices.
Parents/whānau have successfully worked on increasing their bicultural understanding, and their integration of te reo me ōna tikanga Māori. Kotahitanga, ako and tuakana/teina relationships are evident throughout the centre, and manaakitanga is a strength. Centre members offer a supportive environment for new members to develop their skills. Visual prompts complement the resources offered by the Association. Children’s story books are used to build te reo vocabulary for both children and adults.
The Association management team has a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and having a bicultural partnership with whānau Māori. This is evident in Association operations and in support provided to centres in the association.
Centre members are proactive and committed to the ongoing success of the centre. Internal evaluation focuses on improvement. An annual plan guides centre operations and supports sustainability. New parents are welcomed using a well-developed induction process. Centre members continue to offer high levels of training and support. A culture of feedback is ensuring that all members have a voice.
The Association currently has effective governance and management practices. A voluntary executive committee takes responsibility for specific management and centre support tasks. Good systems help them to monitor the quality of programmes, adult education levels, and health and safety requirements. The management team provides professional leadership to help centres respond to changes, particularly as they transition to the new national and regional structure.
Key next steps for centre members are to:
make the extension of the learning more visible in documentation
strengthen internal evaluation by increasing rigour, thinking evaluatively and focusing on outcomes for children
strengthen current processes to transfer knowledge to new members, and to ensure the sustainability of the centre.
Before the review, the staff and management of Onepoto 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.
The next ERO review of Onepoto Playcentre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
17 November 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 |
Hillcrest, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
22047 |
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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 |
28 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
29 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 18 Girls 11 |
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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 staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
September 2017 |
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Date of this report |
17 November 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2013 |
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|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
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Education Review |
August 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.
Onepoto Playcentre is a well-established centre that runs as a parent cooperative. The centre practices are based on playcentre philosophy of families learning and growing together. The centre is open for four sessions per week and caters for children from birth to school age. Since the 2010 ERO report the centre has continued to foster emergent leadership, maintain effective management of the centre and improve the environment and programme for children. The playcentre operates as part of the North Shore Playcentre Association.
The association is the umbrella organisation for twenty one playcentres situated in North Auckland. Many of these centres are semi-rural. The association manages and distributes centres’ funding and provides a training programme for parents/whānau to achieve playcentre qualifications. It also has good systems to support centre members to manage the playcentres and to provide educational programmes for children. The association is currently reviewing many aspects of its operations to help reduce the administrative workload for its members.
This review was part of a cluster of twelve playcentre reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association.
Children engage in a good quality programme that is underpinned by playcentre philosophy and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Centre members value and support child-initiated play and encourage children to make choices about what they do. They provide an interesting and well resourced learning environment that stimulates and sustains children’s engagement in play, learning and creative expression.
Respectful and friendly relationships between adults and children underpin the relaxed and welcoming tone of the centre. Centre members are highly supportive of each other in the parenting and education of their children. They ensure all ages of children can participate in a wide variety of learning experiences. Older children are well supported as they transition to school, and very young children have their individual needs met. Children play cooperatively, engage in group activities and demonstrate an enthusiasm for learning.
Centre members eagerly engage in playcentre adult training programmes. This training contributes to the sustainability of the centre. It supports the development of assessment and planning practices that are child focused and meaningful. Centre members use self review to reflect on and improve the programme and educator practice.
The association management team takes responsibility for specific tasks relating to the function of the association. Team members are committed to and enthusiastic about their involvement in playcentre. They actively foster emergent leadership to help sustain the association. Team members demonstrate the professional leadership necessary to help the association respond to change, make decisions and manage issues as they arise. The North Shore Playcentre Association provides effective support to help this playcentre remain well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.
A bicultural partnership with Māori whānau is evident in association operations. The management team has a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to building both adults’ and children’s familiarity with te reo and tikanga Māori.
The Association management team are aware that aspects of self review could be more robust and better documented.
Centre members agree they could continue to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Onepoto 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 Onepoto Playcentre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
15 November 2013
|
Location |
Northcote, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
22047 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
28 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
43 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 22 Girls 21 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā European Chinese other |
5 26 4 1 7 |
|
|
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 |
August 2013 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 November 2013 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
August 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.