Roxburgh Playcentre

1. The Education Review Office (ERO) Evaluation

The Roxburgh Playcentre operates under the umbrella of the Otago Playcentre Association. It is one of 38 playcentres overseen by the association. The association president is the licensee of this centre. There has been a change of parents, parent council and supervision team since the last ERO report in 2004. Seven children attended the session observed by ERO but more children attend on other days. Some children attend on an irregular basis and others only once per week.

The focus of this review is the quality of education. As part of this, ERO reviews the quality of the learning environment, the programme, and the interactions between adults and children. Some aspects relating to children’s safety were also reviewed, as was assessment in early childhood education.

The last ERO review in 2004 found that children had many opportunities to learn and to express their creativity and oral language skills. Children worked well together and with adults. The programme was based on a group focus that gave direction for playcentre activities. ERO recommended that the children receive a more challenging and creative programme, especially the older children. The programme needed to be evaluated to identify what aspects of the programme were extending children’s learning and what might be improved. Adults needed to modify the child abuse policy, to make sure emergency exits were kept clear, and to keep the cylinder cupboard secure and safe for children.

Since the 2004 ERO report, the new supervision team and parent council have made good progress in managing the playcentre and improving programme planning, assessment, and some self-review and administrative practices. From mid-2007, the supervisors’ records and children’s portfolios have focused on children’s learning and how that may be extended.

Children enjoy playing and learning in an environment that is attractive and well managed. Adults work alongside the children and support their play. Adults have recently extended and improved the outside play area, including the sandpit.

Relationships at the playcentre are positive, friendly and respectful. Parents said that they and their children feel welcomed and valued and that the supervisors provide them with high levels of support.

Some adults are skilled at working alongside the children and at extending their knowledge and skills. They ask open-ended questions about what the children are doing and discuss what they have been doing outside of the playcentre. In the best examples, the adults built on the children’s prior knowledge. They encourage them to be curious and to investigate further. The supervisors have identified that more adults could extend children’s learning through more focused interactions.

The supervisors extend the children’s literacy and numeracy skills. Records indicate that they sometimes work with the older children to increase their understanding and use of written words. Children have their oral language skills extended when adults engage them in meaningful conversations.

Some children demonstrate that they are becoming confident and competent independent learners. Adults regularly encourage children to select from the good range of resources. Records indicate that some children have made considerable progress in becoming more independent and at being able to take turns and share resources with others. Supervisors and parents should now explore further ways to extend all children’s ability to investigate and explore independently.

Adults acknowledge that they need to do more to help children learn about and value New Zealand’s rich bicultural heritage and te reo Mäori. Adults used some te reo Mäori but there is little evidence that children experience programmes that include a significant Mäori dimension. The supervisors know this and, with the support of the association, are considering ways of increasing their use of te reo Mäori.

The supervisors and some parents have begun to keep and use good assessment records to support children’s learning. Since mid-2007, they have kept good records of children’s activities, analysed the learning, and have identified possible next learning steps. In the best examples, the supervisors have revisited the identified next learning steps to assess and monitor children’s progress. Some parents are putting very good learning stories of their own into their children’s portfolios. More consistent parent input and analysis of a range of children’s portfolios may assist the supervisors in reviewing the effectiveness of the playcentre in helping children to learn.

The association provides policies and procedures for health and safety in each of its playcentres. It completes a safety inspection of the playcentre annually. The parents and supervision team work cooperatively to identify and eliminate any possible hazards and to maintain a safe environment. Adults in this centre manage the environment well to ensure that it is generally safe for children and adults. ERO identified only minor examples of non compliance. The adults addressed these immediately.

Future Action 

ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interests of the children. Therefore ERO will review the service again as part of the regular review cycle.

2. Review Priorities

The Focus of the Review

Before the review, the management of Roxburgh Playcentre was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by the centre to contribute to the scope of the review.

The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the management and staff. This discussion focused on existing information held by the centre (including self-review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to positive outcomes for children at Roxburgh Playcentre.

All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:

• the programme provided for children;
• the learning environment; and
• the interactions between children and adults.

ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below. [Add headings (style Heading 2- use initial caps) relating to each of these focus areas]

The Quality of Education

Background

The playcentre philosophy states that the centre will provide a caring, sharing and supportive atmosphere for all. The focus is on providing opportunities for all parents, guardians and whänau to learn alongside their children. The playcentre is at a new phase of its development with a relatively new group of parents now bringing their children to sessions. Most children currently attending the centre are under the age of 4 years.

Areas of good performance

Supportive relationships. Warm, friendly and respectful relationships are a feature of the centre. Adults show a genuine interest and concern for each other and the children. Children and their caregivers are made very welcome on arrival. Children settle quickly into the centre programme and routines. Many adults are available to provide them with support and encouragement. Children and adults enjoy the calm, happy and supportive atmosphere of the centre. Parents enjoy attending the sessions and say their contributions and views are valued and respected. Parents say that the supervisors are very helpful to them, for example, when their children are transitioning to school.

Use of environment. Children and adults make good use of indoor and outdoor areas. Adults have reorganised internal spaces to improve the flow of play. Children now make better use of some areas and resources as a result of increased accessibility. Ongoing redevelopment of the outside area means that children enjoy their time outdoors playing and exploring.

Interactions for learning. Children were observed to be most effectively engaged in their learning when:

• adults used open-ended questions to sustain conversations with children;
• adults responded promptly to children’s non-verbal communication of their needs and preferences;
• children had the opportunity to learn and practise new concepts through play; and
• adults used positive management strategies to reinforce desired behaviours and encourage cooperative play.

Children’s engagement in their learning should continue to improve as adults learn how to recognise and respond more effectively to emerging learning opportunities.

Developing literacy and numeracy skills. Children benefit from the supervision team’s efforts to promote literacy and numeracy concepts through the daily programme. The supervisors make good use of purposeful learning activities such as group baking to reinforce numbers and measurement terms. Children from a young age are encouraged to identify letters and recognise their names. Adults make good use of opportunities to read and discuss books with children.

Fostering independence. The supervisors model some useful strategies to assist children in becoming independent learners. They achieve a good balance between providing support and encouraging children to make their own decisions. Children have the opportunity to express their preferences. Adults respect their choices. Children are becoming more aware of what they can do well by themselves and what they can do with assistance.

Areas for improvement

Interactions between adults and children. Children would benefit from interactions with adults that more consistently build on their learning. This improvement has been identified by the supervisors and some parents. Some adults are skilled at making use of the learning opportunity that occurs when they are working closely with children. Some others could engage children more effectively in discussions, for example, to encourage them to think more deeply. They should consider further ways of promoting the children’s interest in learning or extending what they already know. [Recommendation 6.1]

Biculturalism. Children do not benefit from programmes that sufficiently focus on enhancing their understanding of New Zealand’s rich bicultural heritage. The supervisors and association acknowledge that this is an area for improvement. They said that they will develop an action plan to guide them towards increasing the Mäori dimension in the programme. This should help all children and their whänau to feel a sense of belonging in a more bicultural setting. [Recommendation 6.2]

Self review. The supervisors have begun to review and improve aspects of the playcentre’s practices and environment but have yet to evaluate how effective the playcentre is at extending children’s learning. They have started to use a good review process, including gathering and analysing some data, doing observations and consulting adults. They could now apply a thorough review process to a significant aspect of the playcentre’s operation, such as the interactions between adults and children. This may determine how relationships are supporting children’s learning. Later, the supervisors and parents should also evaluate how effective the environment and programmes are in extending children’s learning. [Recommendation 6.3]

3. Area of National Interest

Overview

ERO provides information about the education system as a whole through its national reports. This information will be used as the basis for long term and systemic educational improvement.

The Quality of Assessment in Early Childhood Services

Background

ERO is currently evaluating the quality of assessment practice in early childhood services.

Educators and parents use assessment information to support children in their learning. They notice, recognise and respond to children’s strengths and interests.

The Ministry of Education is currently funding professional development over a five year period starting from 2005. Early childhood services are at varying stages in their understanding and implementation of effective assessment practice. In this centre the supervisors have received support from the association and from the college of education to improve assessment practices.

Area of good performance

Focus on learning. The supervisors, with the help of the association, have effectively focused on assessment to support learning in the children’s portfolios. Since mid-2007, records in children’s portfolios show that they effectively analyse children’s learning and identify possible next learning steps. In the best examples, they identify the strategies they may use to extend the learning. Supervisors are regularly revisiting the children’s records to assess what progress the children have made and to consider how the learning can be extended further.

Area for improvement

Parents’ contribution to learning. The supervisors have identified that they need to encourage more parents to share information about their children’s learning and progress. Some parents are writing very good learning stories that help guide the supervisors when they provide programmes and interact with the children. This sharing is necessary because it helps important people in the children’s lives to work closely together to support their learning. [Recommendation 6.1]

4. Management Assurance on Compliance Areas

Overview

Before the review, the licensee and staff of Roxburgh Playcentre completed an ERO Centre Management Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they have attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:

• administration;
• health, safety and welfare;
• personnel management; and
• financial and property management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:

• emotional safety (including behaviour management, prevention of bullying and abuse);
• physical safety (including behaviour management, sleeping and supervision practices; accidents and medication; hygiene and routines; travel and excursion policies and procedures);
• staff qualifications and organisation; and
• evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

During the course of the review ERO identified only minor areas of non-compliance that were addressed immediately.

5. Recommendations

ERO, the supervisors and association representative agreed that in order to support children’s learning they would:

1. develop with parents a set of shared expectations for promoting children’s learning, including how interactions between adults and children may sometimes be extended or improved and how parents may share valuable information about their children’s learning;
2. increase the opportunities for children to learn about and value the richness of New Zealand’s bicultural heritage; and
3. develop self-review practices further so that they can evaluate how effective the playcentre is at extending children’s learning.

6. Future Action

ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interests of the children. Therefore ERO will review the service again as part of the regular review cycle.

Isabell Sinclair Irwin

Area Manager

for Chief Review Officer

20 March 2008

About the Centre

To the Parents and Community of Roxburgh Playcentre

These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Roxburgh Playcentre.

Education Review Early Childhood Centre Report July 2007

The Roxburgh Playcentre operates under the umbrella of the Otago Playcentre Association. It is one of 38 playcentres overseen by the association. The association president is the licensee of this centre. There has been a change of parents, parent council and supervision team since the last ERO report in 2004. Seven children attended the session observed by ERO but more children attend on other days. Some children attend on an irregular basis and others only once per week.

The focus of this review is the quality of education. As part of this, ERO reviews the quality of the learning environment, the programme, and the interactions between adults and children. Some aspects relating to children’s safety were also reviewed, as was assessment in early childhood education.

The last ERO review in 2004 found that children had many opportunities to learn and to express their creativity and oral language skills. Children worked well together and with adults. The programme was based on a group focus that gave direction for playcentre activities. ERO recommended that the children receive a more challenging and creative programme, especially the older children. The programme needed to be evaluated to identify what aspects of the programme were extending children’s learning and what might be improved. Adults needed to modify the child abuse policy, to make sure emergency exits were kept clear, and to keep the cylinder cupboard secure and safe for children.

Since the 2004 ERO report, the new supervision team and parent council have made good progress in managing the playcentre and improving programme planning, assessment, and some self-review and administrative practices. From mid-2007, the supervisors’ records and children’s portfolios have focused on children’s learning and how that may be extended.

Children enjoy playing and learning in an environment that is attractive and well managed. Adults work alongside the children and support their play. Adults have recently extended and improved the outside play area, including the sandpit.

Relationships at the playcentre are positive, friendly and respectful. Parents said that they and their children feel welcomed and valued and that the supervisors provide them with high levels of support.

Some adults are skilled at working alongside the children and at extending their knowledge and skills. They ask open-ended questions about what the children are doing and discuss what they have been doing outside of the playcentre. In the best examples, the adults built on the children’s prior knowledge. They encourage them to be curious and to investigate further. The supervisors have identified that more adults could extend children’s learning through more focused interactions.

The supervisors extend the children’s literacy and numeracy skills. Records indicate that they sometimes work with the older children to increase their understanding and use of written words. Children have their oral language skills extended when adults engage them in meaningful conversations.

Some children demonstrate that they are becoming confident and competent independent learners. Adults regularly encourage children to select from the good range of resources. Records indicate that some children have made considerable progress in becoming more independent and at being able to take turns and share resources with others. Supervisors and parents should now explore further ways to extend all children’s ability to investigate and explore independently.

Adults acknowledge that they need to do more to help children learn about and value New Zealand’s rich bicultural heritage and te reo Mäori. Adults used some te reo Mäori but there is little evidence that children experience programmes that include a significant Mäori dimension. The supervisors know this and, with the support of the association, are considering ways of increasing their use of te reo Mäori.

The supervisors and some parents have begun to keep and use good assessment records to support children’s learning. Since mid-2007, they have kept good records of children’s activities, analysed the learning, and have identified possible next learning steps. In the best examples, the supervisors have revisited the identified next learning steps to assess and monitor children’s progress. Some parents are putting very good learning stories of their own into their children’s portfolios. More consistent parent input and analysis of a range of children’s portfolios may assist the supervisors in reviewing the effectiveness of the playcentre in helping children to learn.

The association provides policies and procedures for health and safety in each of its playcentres. It completes a safety inspection of the playcentre annually. The parents and supervision team work cooperatively to identify and eliminate any possible hazards and to maintain a safe environment. Adults in this centre manage the environment well to ensure that it is generally safe for children and adults. ERO identified only minor examples of non compliance. The adults addressed these immediately.

Future Action 

ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interests of the children. Therefore ERO will review the service again as part of the regular review cycle.

When ERO has reviewed an early childhood centre we encourage management to inform their community of any follow up action they plan to take. You should talk to the management or licensee if you have any questions about this evaluation, the full ERO report or their future intentions.

If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the centre or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.

Isabell Sinclair Irwin  

Area Manager

for Chief Review Officer