3 Torea Road, Matakana-Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Matakana Playcentre operates from spacious purpose-built premises in Matakana. The centre offers one session per week for up to 30 children, including eight children under two years of age. Small numbers of children who are Māori and have Pacific heritage attend the service.
Matakana Playcentre is governed and managed cooperatively by centre members, who support each other in their parenting and educator roles. Programmes are underpinned by the service's philosophy, which affirms parents as valued and best educators of their children. Sessions are guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
ERO’s 2013 report outlined how adults were attentive to children’s needs and interests, and skilled at extending children’s thinking and exploration. These good practices remain evident. This 2018 ERO evaluation recommends that members continue to build their capability so that they are well positioned to offer good quality learning experiences for all children.
The centre is part of the newly established Northern North Island Playcentre Region. Regional systems support centre members to manage their centres and to provide educational programmes for their children. Playcentre personnel also provide training programmes for parents/whānau to achieve Playcentre qualifications.
This review was part of a cluster of nine Playcentre reviews in the Northern North Island Playcentre Region.
Children play happily together and enjoy a strong sense of belonging. They are actively involved in choosing who they play with. Children are very aware of others as they play, and older children are mindful of the needs of younger children.
The centre is very well resourced, offering many opportunities for purposeful experiences for all children. Members enthusiastically encourage children to use centre resources and equipment. They extend children’s learning through good questioning skills and conversation. Children’s preferences are valued and used to enhance the complexity of their play.
Members notice, recognise and respond to children’s interests and needs during the session and over time. Attractive portfolios of children’s learning contain learning stories based on photos and observations of the children. The more experienced members are mentoring newer members in writing these learning stories.
End-of-session evaluation meetings are good opportunities for members to review how well the session went. Members use this information to plan future play experiences that are relevant to children’s current and ongoing interests. This process helps build the early childhood education knowledge of all members, and promotes further learning about positive outcomes for children.
The Playcentre philosophy of members and children playing and learning together is well enacted. Cooperative approaches include a committed group of members who, as leaders, work collaboratively to ensure decisions are based on concensus. These decisions inform the programme and the daily management of centre operations. Strong connections between families and the local community further promote the Playcentre's effective functioning. Newer members are warmly welcomed and supported into the service.
Most members attend training workshops to help them in their educator role. The centre support worker (CSW) guides and supports members in the programme. Her support, and parents learning about Te Whāriki (2017) the early childhood curriculum, is enabling newer members to understand more fully about children’s learning.
Regional leaders have a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. They are building links with local kaumatua that promote bicultural partnerships. Whānau Māori are invited to join Te Roopu Ngātahi o Puāwai. The inclusion of te reo and tikanga Māori is an integral part of centre practices that affirm Māori children’s cultural identity. Members have plans to continue to build the capability of members to build their bicultural practice and value the language, culture and identity of all ethnicities in the centre.
Centre leadership is strong. Leaders are committed to promoting emergent leadership amongst its members. Internal evaluation is developing. Processes are purposeful and lead to improvements. Members agree that they could strengthen reviews by using more evaluative inquiry and including outcomes for children in their evaluation process.
The regional structure is replacing individual Playcentre Associations. Newly appointed regional personnel are making good progress building on existing systems and establishing effective regional management structures for supporting centres. Centre support workers are guided by regional centre support coordinators. Systems are being developed for monitoring the quality of programmes for children, adult education levels, and health and safety requirements.
Key next steps for centre members are to continue to build membership capability to:
more effectively manage the daily operations of the centre
provide high quality learning experiences for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Matakana 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.
Centre leaders are aware that evacuation practices need to be ongoing.
The next ERO review of Matakana Playcentre will be in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
8 June 2018
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 |
Matakana, Warkworth |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
22044 |
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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 |
16 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 10 Boys 6 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Playcentre requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
Playcentre requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2018 |
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Date of this report |
8 June 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2013 |
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|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
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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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Matakana Playcentre is a parent-led cooperative which operates within the North Shore Playcentre Association. The association provides support, personnel and organisational frameworks for parent education programmes and to guide centre operation and management.
The playcentre, situated on its own site in Matakana township, is an attractive and well-resourced centre. It is open two mornings a week, providing an open session for children up to 6 years of age. The centre recently experienced a decline in membership as children moved onto school.
This review was part of a cluster of twelve playcentre reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association.
The current members are working hard to attract new families to the centre. They are united in their endeavour to maintain the effective operation of this valued community resource. Members have collectively developed a shared vision for the future development of the centre to help ensure that it meets the aspirations and needs of parents/whānau and children. The playcentre philosophy is one of families learning and growing together.
Children of all ages happily play alongside each other and confidently interact with all adults in the centre. Older children respond well to the encouragement to support younger children in their play. Adults are attentive to children’s needs and interests and some are very skilled at extending children’s thinking and exploration. The ongoing redevelopment of the outdoor environment to support more natural encounters and exploration for children is an exciting prospect for families and their children’s education.
The programme is planned by adults in response to children’s interests. Adults identify programme themes and provide a range of group activities to foster and extend children’s enquiry and learning. They maintain a daily record of activities to support the development of records of learning for each child. Experienced members support each other to identify the learning that is happening and how they can encourage further learning.
Bicultural practices are respectfully integrated in the programme and environment. Members acknowledge the need to continue to develop their confidence in the use of te reo Māori. They have also identified the need to establish more deliberate ways of supporting children’s transition to school.
Adults work together collaboratively to share management roles and responsibilities. Centre members have maintained a commitment to involvement in education courses. They benefit from focused training workshops and appreciate in-house training provided by the association. Annual planning goals are under review to more clearly focus on improving education for children. Centre members continue to build their self review capacity using review formats provided by the Association. More formalised review processes would help members to evaluate their progress towards identified goals.
The centre is well supported by the local community and the North Shore Playcentre Association. The association is providing targeted support and development as needed by Matakana Playcentre members.
ERO and the centre members agree that improving parent training levels will further strengthen:
ERO also recommends that centre members are supported by North Shore Playcentre Association to improve their understanding, documentation and use of self review.
Before the review, the staff and management of Matakana 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.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Matakana Playcentre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
15 November 2013
|
Location |
Matakana |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
22044 |
||
|
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 |
19 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 10 Girls 9 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā British Chinese African |
1 13 2 2 1 |
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|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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|
Review team on site |
September 2013 |
||
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Date of this report |
15 November 2013 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
June 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
May 2004 |
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.