230 Rutene Road, Kaiti, Gisborne
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kaiti Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kaiti Playcentre is located in Gisborne. The centre provides three sessions weekly for 30 children, including 15 up to the age of two. At the time of this review, there were 20 children enrolled, eight of whom identify as Māori.
The centre is administered by Playcentre Aotearoa, Central North Island Region and is supported by a regional manager. National policies are in the process of being developed and distributed to playcentres for implementation.
The Playcentre Aotearoa philosophy, 'whānau tupu ngātahi - families growing together' is to empower parents and children to learn, play and grow together. Alongside this the centre philosophy highlights the importance of promoting the uniqueness of each individual child as independent learners.
Whānau and families are valued as the primary educators of their children and share responsibility for the curriculum. Day-to-day operation is undertaken by session support personnel and centre-elected office holders. A newly employed centre support worker is beginning to regularly visit centres to provide professional guidance and support, strengthen practice and promote improvement.
The February 2016 report identified key next steps for ongoing development at Kaiti Playcentre. These included assessment, planning and evaluation, te reo Māori integrated through the curriculum and building understanding and use of evaluation. Positive progress is evident in te reo Māori and aspects of assessment and planning.
This review was part of a cluster of five reviews in the Tairāwhiti area.
Children navigate the environment enthusiastically and independently. Learning experiences are grounded in Playcentre philosophy and values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga. Infants and toddlers confidently explore a range appropriate range of resources. Parents are responsive to the natural rhythms of these youngest learners.
Positive respectful relationships amongst children and adults build children's sense of well-being and belonging. Children confidently lead their learning.
Centre members are creating a responsive te ao Māori environment supported through te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. Waiata, karakia, use of artefacts and celebration of events are shared and experienced by tamariki. Guidance and modelling from whānau Māori is helping to progress centre practices. Centre members recognise knowledge of te ao Māori remains an area of ongoing development.
Planning for learning is based on children's interests and parent aspirations. A collaborative approach to termly planning ensures an appropriate range of learning experiences is responsive to meet the needs of individual children. New parents are in the initial stages of working with the goals, dispositions and learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. A next step is to build knowledge and understanding of Te Whāriki to inform planning, assessment and evaluation of children's learning over time in children's individual learning plans and portfolios.
Pacific children are supported within the inclusive environment through welcoming processes, Pasifika music, languages and community activities.
Transition in to the centre to upskill new members into the Playcentre way of being is supported by experienced members and leaders.
Playcentre’s national restructuring process has significantly hindered the support and professional development provided to centre members. Regional personnel are in the early stages of rebuilding collaboration and support networks. National systems and processes are yet to be consistently implemented. There is a recent focus on building relational trust and a responsive parent education system to establish more effective operations. A key next step is for regional managers to ensure that expected levels of support occur for each centre.
The appraisal process is currently based on annual review of successes and challenges. This requires further strengthening to better reflect roles and responsibilities, building of capability and evaluation of performance aligned to outcomes for children.
At playcentre level, priorities are:
members understanding of assessment, planning and evaluation
internal evaluation for improvement.
At the governance level (Playcentre Aotearoa) priorities are to:
continue to implement and promote national policies and procedures
ensure ongoing support and education is provided to centre members to grow understanding of quality early childhood education
strengthen the appraisal process for employed staff.
ERO recommends that the regional team actively monitors and evaluates the quality of support provided to playcentres to promote improvement.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kaiti 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.
To improve current practice Playcentre Aotearoa must ensure a regular cycle of policy review is undertaken. The organisation has stated that the implementation of national policies will take place at the beginning of August 2019.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
21 August 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 |
Gisborne |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
55014 |
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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 |
20 |
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Gender composition |
Male 11, Female 9 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
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Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
June 2019 |
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Date of this report |
21 August 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2016 |
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|
Education Review |
March 2014 |
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Supplementary Review |
February 2012 |
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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 will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Since the March 2014 ERO report, the Tairawhiti Playcentre Association (the association), has built their internal capacity to provide clear direction and targeted support for Kaiti and other playcentres in the association.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kaiti Playcentre is one of eight early childhood centres administered by the Tairawhiti Playcentre Association which oversees governance operations. A board of governors provides guidance and support for members. A liaison officer is employed by the board to visit playcentres and monitor how centres are meeting legislative requirements.
The playcentre operates three mixed-age sessions weekly for a maximum of 30 children, including 15 children up to two years of age. Of the 14 children enrolled, seven identify as Māori and most are under three years of age. A qualified teacher works alongside the parents to cooperatively provide the programme.
The March 2014 ERO report identified that significant improvement was needed particularly in the following: assessment, planning and evaluation; the integrated use of te reo Māori in the curriculum; fostering children’s independence; strengthening the programme for older children; and internal evaluation. Key next steps were identified for the association which focused on ensuring the centre was effectively governed and managed.
Playcentre members and the board of governors at the association received targeted support through a Ministry of Education funded programme, Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO). The Playcentre Federation has also provided ongoing professional development related to the key next steps.
This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the Tairawhiti Playcentre Association.
Playcentre members have made some progress in self review, group planning and in how they integrate te reo Māori into the programme. They have participated in professional learning and development to further their understanding of self review and assessment, planning and evaluation.
Children engage in a play-based programme. A range of interesting learning experiences are provided for them, and adults work alongside following their interests. Children engage in sustained play.
Adults use a range of strategies to extend the conversations they have with children, whose vocabulary is supported through adults’ use of descriptive language. There is a dedicated space in the centre for infants, that is safe and peaceful.
The March 2014 ERO report found that members needed to review the centre philosophy in relation to fostering children’s independence. At the time of this previous review there was limited documentation available to show the extent of this review.
Progress is evident in group planning, which takes a thematic approach and reflects and extends children’s emerging interests. A next step for members is to develop a shared understanding of school readiness for children and reflect this through the playcentre programme.
Children’s assessment information shows a connection to the planned programme but does not yet reflect an understanding of the individual child’s learning journey. This area continues to require ongoing development. Next steps should include assessment information clearly identifying the significant learning for the child and showing how members have responded to this interest.
The bicultural programme is developing. Some progress is evident in adults' use of te reo Māori throughout the programme. Te ao Māori is strongly evident. The association has identified that a next step for them is to provide more strategic guidance for playcentres in promoting success for Māori as Māori. ERO's evaluation affirms this planned development.
Members are now using spontaneous review to reflect on aspects of practice and inform ongoing changes. While some progress is evident, ongoing development is still required. Key next steps should include the association supporting members to further develop their understanding of the purpose and use of internal evaluation. Once this is understood, members should be supported to shift from reviewing what they do to evaluating how well practices support children’s learning.
Adults have an understanding of the implications of the changes required to meet the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014. The Playcentre Association has provided initial guidance in this area.
The board of governors demonstrates leadership in supporting playcentres in their understanding of legislative requirements. Monitoring of these in the playcentre has been supported through the appointment of a liaison officer. In addition the association, has developed:
The association has identified a next step is to develop an internet safety policy. ERO agrees that social networking and appointment policies should also be developed.
The association should assist members to address the key next steps to:
The association should:
ERO recommends that the association support playcentre members to develop an action plan that outlines how they will address the key next steps identified in this report. ERO will monitor progress against the plan.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kaiti 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 improve practice:
The next ERO review of Kaiti Playcentre will be dependent on the progress the playcentre makes in relation to the action plan.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
18 February 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.
|
Location |
Gisborne |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
55014 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
14 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 10, Boys 4 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan |
7 5 2 |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
November 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
18 February 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2014 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
February 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
||
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.