158 The Parade, Island Bay, Wellington
View on mapERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Not meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Island Bay Playcentre is a whānau-led early childhood education service administered by Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa – Playcentre Aotearoa. Since the previous 2017 ERO report there has been significant restructuring and change at the national playcentre level. Island Bay Playcentre is open weekday mornings. Regular support is provided by a Centre Advisor. A small number of Māori children attend this service.
The playcentre curriculum is inclusive. A collaborative assessment and planning system is in place. Children learn about the dual heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand, through their localised curriculum. Adults engage in respectful, responsive interactions with infants, toddlers, and older children. Whānau and families’ cultures are respected and celebrated. Adults provide opportunities for children to experience the official languages of Aotearoa New Zealand. The learning environment is resourced to provide experiences for child-led exploration and play.
Parents and whānau contribute to the operational management of the playcentre. A national policy, procedure and process framework guides the operation of each playcentre. Consistent implementation of aspects of health and safety practices is required to meet the regulatory standard.
ERO found an area of non-compliance in the service relating to:
checking sleeping children every 5-10 minutes for warmth, breathing and general wellbeing.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS9.
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
21 November 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Island Bay Playcentre |
|
Profile Number |
60034 |
|
Location |
Island Bay, Wellington |
|
Service type |
Playcentre |
|
Number licensed for |
29 children, including up to 18 aged under 2 |
|
Service roll |
46 |
|
Review team on site |
September 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
21 November 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2017; Education Review, February 2014 |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
governance, management and administration.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
discussions with those involved in the service
consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Island Bay Playcentre is one of nineteen parent-led early childhood centres governed and administered by the Wellington Playcentre Association (the association). The playcentre is licensed to provide mixed age sessional education and care for 25 children, five mornings a week. This includes provision for 18 children, up to the age of two, at any one time.
A council of elected volunteer representatives from each of the association's member centres, oversees the association at the governance level. This work is assisted by an operations manager and general manager. An executive committee administers the adult education programme. A centre support worker is employed to visit the centre and provide professional advice and feedback to strengthen practice and promote improvement. Responsibility for the day-to-day operation is undertaken by centre-elected office holders.
Curriculum planning and implementation is a shared responsibility. Each session is supported by a duty team of parent educators who hold Playcentre training certificates. Almost all centre members are involved in the association's training programme with a large proportion holding Course Two or above. Since the May 2014 ERO report the centre has sustained these very good numbers, taking advantage of this opportunity for active involvement in their child's education.
The association philosophy, Whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together, is articulated as empowering parents and children to learn, grow and play together. This underpins practice and was reaffirmed by the association and Island Bay Playcentre at their 2016 annual general meetings.
The service and the association have a positive reporting history with ERO. They responded positively to the areas identified for improvement in the 2014 ERO reviews. Internal evaluation and strategic planning were undertaken by association personnel to bring about changes to both the structural and organisational culture of the organisation. Clear boundaries between governance and management were expressed and changes made to improve support to individual centres.
The May 2014 ERO report also identified centre leaders would benefit from association support to further develop assessment, programme planning and provision of a bicultural curriculum through improved self-review practices.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation, of which the Wellington Association is part, is planning a significant restructure for 2017 that includes amalgamating associations. Playcentres will become part of a regional hub, supported by a regional manager and support persons.
This review was part of a cluster of nine in the Wellington Playcentre Association.
All children's holistic development is enhanced through their engagement in child initiated
play-based learning. They enjoy each other's company and play amicably together, exploring and engaging in a range of appropriate learning activities. Attentive parent educators know the children and their preferences well. They are nearby to support and encourage ongoing engagement where needed. Children’s social skills and developing relationships are well-supported. A positive tone and inclusive practice is highly evident.
Te Whāriki and the playcentre philosophy underpin centre practice well. Parent educators have shared understanding of what they want children and families to experience during their time at playcentre and plans are in place that achieve this.
Assessment, curriculum planning and evaluation practices provide adults with timely and useful information that helps them provide appropriate learning experiences responsive to children’s interests. Individual learning portfolios celebrate children's progress and successfully capture their developing skills, knowledge and attributes.
A comprehensive internal evaluation was undertaken, during 2014, to discover how well the association and centres included te reo and tikanga Māori as part of a culturally responsive curriculum. Island Bay Playcentre participated in this process and carried out a further evaluation in late 2016. Children's daily experience of te ao Māori is continually improving as a result of ongoing internal evaluation.
Rich and meaningful literacy, mathematics and science activities are a core component of children’s daily experience. The youngest children are embraced and nurtured within a culture of care.
Island Bay Playcentre members are a diverse group of enthusiastic parents and whānau who bring valuable skills and knowledge to their roles. The high levels of involvement of the centre's community and a sense of collective responsibility to children, provides a positive platform for learning. Well-developed systems support the smooth day-to-day running of the playcentre.
The association is an improvement-focused organisation. The 2014 ERO reviews found the assistance provided at the centre level by association support workers was appreciated and supportive. ERO also recognised that formalising this arrangement to provide a more effective approach to responding to the needs of individual centres was a next step for development. The association, as part of reviewing their structural organisation, reviewed the position of centre support workers and made improvements to human resource management. Timely and relevant leadership and guidance is provided for its member centres.
The dual purpose of self review for accountability and improvement is understood well and used to inform decision-making. Planning priorities are aligned to the service and association vision and clearly positioned in improving teaching and learning.
The centre support person and duty teams provide effective leadership that contributes positively to children’s early learning experience. Helpful strategies are in place to support newer members to the centre to document and record children's learning and progress.
Association and centre leaders should continue to improve outcomes for children and families by using internal evaluation effectively to ensure the very good practice occurring is sustained and prioritised developments are achieved.
Before the review, the staff and management of Island Bay 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 Island Bay Playcentre will be in four years.
Patricia Davey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
2 May 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.
|
Location |
Wellington |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60034 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
29 children, including up to 18 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
40 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 24, Boys 16 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
1 |
|
|
Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
March 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
2 May 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
May 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
November 2007 |
||
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Island Bay Playcentre is one of 20 parent-led early childhood centres administered by the Wellington Playcentre Association (the association). A council oversees operation at governance level and an executive committee provides the adult education programme, guidance and support for members. Two centre supporters are employed by the executive to visit playcentres and provide professional advice and feedback to strengthen practice and promote improvement. Responsibility for day-to-day operation is undertaken by centre-elected office holders. Parents share the duties associated with implementing the programme.
Playcentre philosophy recognises parents as the best first teachers of their children and emphasises the importance of child-initiated play in mixed-age sessions. Acknowledging Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an integral part of this philosophy.
Island Bay Playcentre is a long-established early childhood service. Members place high value on maintaining a strong sense of community so families can grow and learn through play together. Five mixed-age sessions and one piri pono session, for children aged two and under, are held each week. The roll is full and a waiting list is in place. The age bands of children are evenly represented.
The majority of members hold playcentre course two, or higher, qualifications. This enables them to run all sessions as a parent group with more experienced members taking a coordination role. All members are expected to share responsibility for management through working in teams attached to office roles.
Since the September 2010 ERO review, this service has been relicensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. Ongoing renovation of the building has supported this process. The centre has a positive reporting history with ERO.
This review was part of a cluster of 20 reviews of centres in the Wellington Playcentre Association.
A real sense of family and community is evident. There is an ongoing focus on building positive and enduring relationships in the centre and beyond. Members are friendly and welcoming. Children are settled, cooperative and happy learners. Continuing to strengthen inclusive practice should support effective provision for a diverse range of learning needs.
Members maintain good levels of purposeful engagement with children. They are responsive, allowing children to take the lead and supporting them to explore and learn through their play. Literacy and numeracy are integrated into the programme in meaningful, playbased ways. Children’s language development is fostered.
High ratios of adults to children promote opportunities for one-to-one interaction. Good levels of sustained and independent play are evident. Members should continue to work on promoting child-initiated play and experiences that support children to persevere in their choice of activity.
Children are able to access a range of learning materials. Indoor play spaces include large work areas. The outdoor environment provides a range of physical and sensory play experiences. Members regularly reflect on the quality of the learning environment.
There is a continuing focus on the development of the outdoor play space. Maximising children’s access to the learning materials available should strengthen opportunities for exploration and broadening of their interests.
Parents are committed to establishing a more bicultural perspective in the programme. Members show commitment to integrating te reo me ngā tikanga Māori into their work with children. A strategic goal includes actions to strengthen practice and links with the local Māori community.
Long-established links with the adjacent primary school are valued and actively maintained. These provide good support for families making the transition from playcentre to school. Poroporoaki support children leaving the centre and strengthen the liaison between the two services. School visits are undertaken to meet the needs of individual children.
Careful consideration has been given to providing challenge and promoting a real sense of teamwork to support older children’s participation at playcentre. Continuing to develop understanding of the links between early childhood and primary school programmes should help members to build their approach.
There is good provision for infants and toddlers. They are well supported to explore the play spaces and learning materials. There is a variety of resources specifically for their use. Their needs at playcentre are discussed daily at session evaluations.
Piri pono sessions provide good opportunities for parents of very young children to develop their understanding of playcentre and early learning. Members agree that planning for the learning of children in this group needs to be strengthened.
Since the 2010 ERO review, professional development has been undertaken to enhance members’ approach to planning for learning. Development is continuing. Session-planning meetings enable parents to share their aspirations for, and the developing interests and strengths of, their children. Daily session-evaluation meetings include purposeful discussion about individual children’s learning and participation.
A visual approach to recording what happens each day in sessions supports continuity of some activities over time. There is an ongoing focus on supporting new members to notice, recognise and respond to children’s learning.
Evaluation of sessions should be improved to better plan for the significant learning of individuals. Refining assessment records so children’s progress in learning is more of a focus, would also be a suitable development step. Increasing the visibility of children’s termly goals should strengthen the focus on meeting individual needs.
Adults take pride in being part of a learning community alongside their children. A core group of experienced members takes leadership roles that effectively support the participation and emergent leadership of others. High levels of cooperation and collaboration are evident. Members are reflective and committed in their roles.
Understanding of self review to promote improvement is developing, with some links to strategic goals evident. Leaders agree that further work is necessary to support common understanding and a collaborative approach to its use.
The association provides a range of support and training for members. The centre supporter provides regular and valued face-to-face feedback and aid as needed. A more evaluative approach based on identified priorities, and growing members’ practice, should better promote and sustain improvement over time.
Comprehensive, up-to-date written policies and procedures guide office holders in their management roles, and members in planning and implementing an appropriate programme.
The association is both improvement and future focused. The systematic review of, and plan to, restructure governance and management are being carefully worked through to support a new and more sustainable future for the organisation and individual centres.
Members should:
The association should:
Before the review, the staff and management of Island Bay 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.
In order to improve current practice members should:
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Island Bay Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services Central Region
30 May 2014
|
Location |
Island Bay, Wellington |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60034 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
29 children, including up to 18 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
66 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 34, Boys 32 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā Māori Cook Islands Māori |
64 1 1 |
|
|
Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1 : 1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1 : 3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
March 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
30 May 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2005 |
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.