79 Argyle Street, Mosgiel
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.
Mosgiel Playcentre is one of 47 playcentres within the New Zealand Playcentre Federation's newly-formed South Island Southern Region (SISR). It is open five mornings a week. Up to 25 children from birth-to-school age attend, mostly with their parents. The playcentre has close links with the adjacent primary school.
The daily sessions are led by a qualified educator and parents. Some families have been involved in the playcentre for a long time and some have educational backgrounds. A parent committee oversees the operation of the playcentre. Some members are very experienced in their roles.
In 2017, the playcentre was supported by a centre advisor, with occasional visits and frequent communication from the Otago Playcentre Association (OPA). In 2018, the New Zealand Playcentre Federation restructured the association. The playcentre now has regular visits and ongoing support from a centre support worker and a paid administrator. Playcentre representatives meet regularly with a cluster of other local playcentres to share and improve practices.
Mosgiel Playcentre's philosophy emphasises that the centre is a family-like community where parents learn and grow alongside their children. It states that children learn best in a mixed-age, safe, fun place, with a high adult-to-child ratio. It emphasises the importance of child-led, uninterrupted play and celebrating people's uniqueness. This philosophy was very evident in the playcentre practices, programme and interactions during the onsite stage of the review.
This review was part of a cluster of nine reviews in the SISR playcentres.
Children show a strong sense of belonging to their playcentre. They confidently choose and direct their play and learning. They play well alongside and with each other and show sustained interest in what they are doing.
Children are very well supported by affirming and caring relationships. Adults know the children very well as individuals and as learners and know their families. This means that adults are very responsive to children's interests and make links between centre and home life in their play. Adults use incidental opportunities well, to challenge and extend children's language and learning.
The playcentre is very well resourced. Resources are well organised, readily accessible to children and invitingly presented. Adults have ensured that there are safe areas and resources appropriate for infants and toddlers, as well as resources to challenge and extend older children.
The quality of individual and group planning has improved since the last ERO review. Individual goals often focus on recognising and developing positive dispositions. Learning stories often link back to children's goals and increasingly describe the relevant learning. The present group plan, about caring for one's self, others and the environment, has been extended to increase the depth of learning. Linked to group plans, children enjoy a wide range of interesting experiences and activities. This includes regular trips, with a learning focus, into the local and wider community.
Consistent with the philosophy, the playcentre provides important support and learning for the adults. Parents assist each other in their role as children's first teacher, and provide extra support for families at times of need.
The playcentre is well managed and governed. Committee members have clear roles and responsibilities and follow sound governance practices. Adults are very reflective and show a strong commitment to providing the best for their children. Regular self review informs ongoing improvements.
At the time of this review, the Otago Playcentre Association had transitioned to the New Zealand Playcentre Federation's new operating model. It has amalgamated with Southland and South Canterbury Playcentre Associations to become the South Island Southern Region. While the changes led to some disruption of the services provided to individual playcentres, the OPA effectively managed the restructure with the resources available to it. Each playcentre now receives regular support from a paid administrator and a centre support worker. There are robust systems in the association for monitoring the progress and performance of individual playcentres, and targeted support is given when needed.
Mosgiel Playcentre and ERO have identified that the key next steps are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Mosgiel 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 Mosgiel Playcentre will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
18 January 2019
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 |
Mosgiel |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
81024 |
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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 |
25 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
31 |
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Gender composition |
Girls: 13 Boys: 18 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā |
25 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
0-49% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
October 2018 |
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Date of this report |
18 January 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
July 2011 |
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Education Review |
February 2008 |
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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.
Mosgiel Playcentre is situated in Mosgiel, opposite a school. The playcentre is open five mornings a week and provides programmes for up to 25 children aged from birth-to-six years. It is a parent cooperative and is one of 35 playcentres within the Otago Playcentre Association (OPA).
A feature at this playcentre is the educators who have worked together for many years. They bring a wealth of experience and support to the playcentre. Parents work alongside them as helpers in the sessions. The parents are exploring ways to encourage new families to join the playcentre as many of the existing families will move on as their last child starts school. Children and their families are well supported as children move on to school.
Mosgiel Playcentre has a positive reporting history with ERO. This review builds on those previous positive findings.
This review was part of a cluster of 12 playcentre reviews in the Otago Playcentre Association.
Children benefit from a wide range of interesting experiences, including visitors to the centre. They have interesting outings within the community, such as to the local library and the Outram Glen, the park and the local school. These experiences help children establish a strong sense of belonging to their local community.
Children are learning about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles, including physical activity and caring for a playcentre garden. They are well supported to develop early literacy skills, including age appropriate attempts to write.
As part of a national review, ERO also investigated how well the centre supported children’s early mathematical learning. ERO found that adults are aware of mathematics learning through play and when children show an interest or strength in mathematics they find ways to support mathematical learning.
ERO observed nurturing, trusting relationships between adults and children in the playcentre.
This is evident in the way adults:
ERO observed a calm and unhurried pace that allowed children to be focused in their play. Children make choices about what they want to do and where they want to play. Play equipment is attractively arranged for children to be independent and spark their interest.
Children’s learning is well documented in profile books. These are a comprehensive and up-to-date record of children’s experiences and learning and show that educators effectively recognise and respond to children’s learning.
Self-review processes are well established and the parent council and education team use the findings effectively to make improvements that result in positive outcomes for children. A recent example is the well-planned self review which has led to the development of useful guidelines and support for children as they move to school.
The parent cooperative, who share the running of the centre, have useful systems that lead to the efficient operation of the centre.
The educator and parents have identified their key next steps are to:
The Otago Playcentre Association is facing challenges and uncertainty as the Playcentre Federation and the training it provides undergoes a period of restructuring. During this time, the association has made it a priority to focus on the daily operations of the playcentres. This includes:
ERO found that the association needs to:
Each playcentre has the ongoing support of a centre advisor. This includes:
Centre advisors should find ways to make best practice common practice across the association, for example, through effective self review and planning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Mosgiel 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 Mosgiel Playcentre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services Southern Region
22 October 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 |
Mosgiel |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
81024 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 10 aged under two |
||
|
Service roll |
27 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls: 15 Boys: 12 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Asian Other ethnicities |
1 22 1 3 |
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|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
Must attend with parent |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
August 2014 |
||
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Date of this report |
22 October 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
July 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
November 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.