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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Lincoln Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Lincoln Playcentre is one of the Playcentre Association services within the Upper South Island Region. It is licensed for 25 children, including up to 20 aged under two. Most families attend the centre one day a week. The centre is open four mornings a week and offers a separate session one afternoon a week for infants and their parents called "Babies Can Play".
At the time of this review the Centre Support Person had not long been assigned to the centre and is beginning to get to know the parents and children. The leadership responsibility for the daily programme is shared by two centre coordinators.
The Playcentre philosophy is based around parent/child partnerships within the education setting. The underlying belief is that children reach their full potential most successfully when parents/whānau understand their development and take part in their child's learning.
Playcentre parents have made some progress addressing the recommendations of the last ERO report. These included responding to children's learning, self-review processes and practices, and bicultural development.
Children benefit from positive, affirming relationships between them, the parents and the playcentre leaders. The centre is well resourced and well organised. Children can choose from a range of activities and experiences selected to ensure children of all ages have the opportunity to participate and learn. Younger children attend the sessions with their parents. Many of the resources align with the children's interests and home lives. Children also make excursions into the community to further extend their link to the wider world.
Parents use a range of ways to communicate with one another and keep everyone informed. The coordinators regularly share learning and development information with parents. Information and guidelines are also displayed around the centre to guide parents to know what to do when supervising in the sessions, and what the expectations are.
Māori children have opportunities to see and learn about Māori culture. Parents use some phrases in te reo Māori regularly. The daily routine includes waiata and karakia. The next step is to include bicultural practice and commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in the centre philosophy. This involves a planned approach to development so that children continue to learn and become familiar with their unique New Zealand heritage.
A useful planning system using a reflections' notebook supports the children's learning and development. Parents notice what children do and how they interact within the centre environment and with each other. Parents then consider ways to respond in order to promote or extend children's learning.
Parents meet regularly to reflect on aspects of the programme and discuss improvements. They have completed one self review with a useful format to guide the process. Internal evaluation is in the early stages of development.
Review and update the centre philosophy to better show the service's key learning priorities and to show the value of bicultural development and the inclusion of bicultural perspectives.
Continue to develop:
Ensure the performance appraisal system is completed for the playcentre co-ordinators.
There continues to be significant change occurring with the playcentre governance and management at association and federation levels. The 2014 ERO report recommended more effective and sustained governance support for the playcentre regarding:
Before the review, the staff and management of Lincoln 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.
Findings:
ERO discussed the need to continue the review of policies and ensure practices align with these. ERO recommended that risk management plans for excursions be strengthened and the medicine administration form be revised to reflect best practice.
The next ERO review of Lincoln Playcentre will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
20 February 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 |
Lincoln |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70077 |
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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 20 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
54 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 31 ; Girls 23 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā |
44 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
0-49% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
December 2018 |
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Date of this report |
20 February 2019 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
November 2014 |
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Education Review |
June 2007 |
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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.