- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
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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.
Belmont Playcentre is one of 17 centres administered by the Hutt Playcentre Association (the association). The association is made up of elected volunteer representatives from its member centres. It provides governance and management support for the parent committee at Belmont Playcentre. A kaitautoko, a centre support person is employed by the association to provide guidance.
The playcentre is licensed to operate mixed age sessions for 30 children four days a week. This includes 15 children up to two years of age. One extended session for older children is provided weekly. At the time of the review there were two Māori children enrolled.
Curriculum planning and implementation is a shared responsibility. Each session is supported by a team of parent educators who hold playcentre training certificates. Half of the members are new to playcentre. When necessary they employ a supervisor with the level of training that meets the legislative requirements for group supervision.
This review was part of a cluster of eight in the Hutt Playcentre Association.
Children's active exploration through play and learning is well supported by attentive parent educators. Respectful relationships positively contribute to children's strong sense of belonging.
The service's philosophy strongly reflects the playcentre philosophy of children learning through play in a parent-led service. It is reflective of the principles and strands of Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum. A culture of care, respect and shared responsibility for supporting children's play is evident. The values aspired to are "community, friends, learning and play". This reflects members' commitment to specific, well considered priorities.
Children participate enthusiastically in a wide range of planned and spontaneous activities. They are able to lead their own learning. They benefit from the skills and interests of members who willingly share their strengths to extend the programme. Excursions provide an extension to children's interests. Additional activities are made available to engage, challenge and support children to be successful.
All children are very well supported. Adults have shared understandings of how to respond to individuals. A positive social and emotional climate results from the responsive curriculum.
Bicultural practice is evident. Children's language, culture and identity continues to be explored and planned for by members to promote positive outcomes.
Assessment, curriculum planning and evaluation practices provide adults with useful information to help them plan programmes responsive to children's interests, strengths and if required identified needs. Some members need additional support in identifying the significant learning evident for the child.
Members effectively engage in well considered review and evaluation activities to assist them to know about how their actions and practices impact on children. Outcomes of reviews are valued by members and are used to inform next steps and ongoing development.
The association is an improvement focused organisation committed to providing timely and relevant support for its centre members. The ERO's June 2013 cluster reviews found the support provided at the centre level by kaitautoko was appreciated and supportive. ERO also recognised formalising this arrangement to promote a more effective approach for responding to the needs of individual centres was a next step for development. An evaluation of the effectiveness of changes to kaitautoko practice in improving outcomes for centre members and children is planned for.
The June 2013 ERO report identified that members should strengthen the approach to assessment planning and evaluation. It also reported a need to further develop understanding and use of internal evaluation. These aspects of practice have been positively and systematically addressed.
The association:
Before the review, the staff and management of Belmont 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.
To meet requirements, the association needs to ensure the service is effectively governed and managed in accordance with good management practices by:
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7]
The next ERO review of Belmont Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
2 June 2016
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 |
Lower Hutt |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60013 |
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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 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
39 children |
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Gender composition |
Boys 20, Girls 19 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
April 2016 |
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Date of this report |
2 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review |
June 2013 |
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Education Review |
August 2009 |
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Education Review |
June 2006 |
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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:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
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.