231 State Highway 12, Opononi
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.
Omapere Playcentre is licensed to provide three sessions per week for 30 children, including up to eight children aged under two years. The centre operates as a parent cooperative. Children currently attending are from Māori and Pākehā cultural backgrounds. They learn and play together in a mixed age group.
The centre is managed and led by two parents with Playcentre training, supported by a third very experienced Playcentre mentor. They work together to plan and provide programmes for the children, and to manage day to day operational requirements. A current focus is to lift membership of the centre.
The Playcentre philosophy affirms parents as valued and best educators of their children. Sessions are guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and the organisation is committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
A process has begun for Omapere Playcentre to become part of the Northland Playcentre Association. The Association provides systems to help members to manage the centres and support their children's learning. It also provides adult education programmes for Playcentre qualifications. As part of a national restructure of Playcentre Aotearoa there will be a new regional manager and new centre support roles.
This review was part of a cluster of three reviews in the Northland Playcentre Association.
The centre is welcoming and inclusive, and children play well together. Warm relationships are evident among the small group of children and adults currently attending. Good opportunities are provided for infants and toddlers to fully participate in the programme.
Experiences and activities are set up to engage children in a wide range of play areas. Responsive adults are highly tuned to children's interests and ideas. They deliberately promote complexity in play. Literacy, mathematics, and science are included in the programme in meaningful ways. Social play is promoted.
Te reo and tikanga Māori are evident in the centre environment and practices. Centre leaders acknowledge that they have good resources in the centre to extend their knowledge of te ao Māori.
A planning process has been established. Members record children's participation in the programme and identify their interests, strengths and abilities. They recognise that this process could be strengthened by consistently documenting planned responses to observations of children. This practice could support continuity in the programme, and promote more complex learning.
Children's portfolios reflect the Playcentre philosophy of valuing parents as first teachers. There are good records of children's learning over time. Learning stories celebrate each child as a member of a family and the wider Playcentre whānau. Relevant links are made between children's learning and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
A core group of three members lead the Playcentre with energy and enthusiasm. There is a real sense of teamwork. They show a strong commitment to ongoing learning in all areas of Playcentre operations including governance, management and curriculum. All contributions are valued. Good internal evaluation processes show that members think carefully about how to improve the effectiveness of the programme.
Northland Playcentre Association has initiated management systems that have contributed to the viability of Omapere Playcentre. These systems are helping members to continue providing positive outcomes for children's learning.
Centre members agree that to enhance outcomes for children they could:
To strengthen operations in all Northland Playcentres, key next steps for the Association include supporting members to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Omapere 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 practice, the Association and centre members should ensure that playground soft-fall surfaces meet required safety standards, and that steps are taken to minimise hazards in the environment.
The next ERO review of Omapere Playcentre will be in three years.
Steffan Brough
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
22 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 |
Opononi, Northland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10397 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
5 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 4 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
March 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
22 May 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
November 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
October 2006 |
||
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.
Omapere Playcentre is well placed to continue to provide children with experiences that promote positive outcomes for their learning and development.
Omapere Playcentre is managed cooperatively by family members who attend with their children. The centre operates three days a week under the umbrella of the Mid Northland Playcentre Association, Whakarongorua. Centre members have varying levels of Playcentre qualifications. Playcentre parent education and support help centre members to increase their knowledge about early childhood education and to understand their roles in promoting children’s learning. Centre members’ current focus is on establishing self-review processes.
The Playcentre philosophy clearly outlines a commitment to promoting children’s learning through child-initiated play and to supporting parents as children’s first teachers. The philosophy also promotes the centre as a cooperative body where parent members work together to promote positive outcomes for children.
Since ERO’s 2009 review, the Association, which provides a framework for the centre’s operations, has adapted its structure. The lack of a centre support worker has reduced support for centre members to provide good quality programmes.
Children develop a sense of wellbeing and belonging at Omapere Playcentre. They know each other well and participate in inclusive mixed-age play. Children form trusting relationships with adults and ask for support and guidance to extend their learning.
A strong team approach is evident in the ways in which centre members implement the programme for children. Centre routines are predictable to give children a sense of security in the Playcentre environment. Children make choices and display confidence in their own abilities.
In 2009 ERO noted that a distinctive Māori focus was clearly evident in the programme. This focus continues to be an integral part of centre practices and helps to give children a sense of belonging in the centre.
Centre members have recently made improvements in the appearance of both indoor and outdoor areas. As a result, the centre is a pleasant and attractive environment for children to learn and play.
Children access a range of resources and activities. Adults work alongside children and engage in conversations that prompt their involvement in the programme. Adults listen carefully to children and are responsive to their interests. Experienced adults are welcoming to newer members and model effective practices for interacting with children.
Centre members have developed collective values and beliefs. The programme is strongly influenced by the Playcentre philosophy and Te Whāriki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum. Frequent and ongoing discussions provide opportunities for all adults to communicate and learn together.
Whānau value the strong leadership of the centre president. They acknowledge the improvements and progress that have resulted from her commitment to ensuring high quality learning for children. She has inspired members to develop their leadership roles and has developed effective, transparent and inclusive management systems for the centre.
Members have identified self review as an aspect of their practice that they need to further develop and strengthen. They are focused on continuous improvement. They could now monitor how the completion of centre goals influences children’s learning.
ERO agrees that, to enhance the curriculum and promote good practice, centre members could:
ERO and the centre members discussed how whānau could develop a self-review process that identifies ways to improve learning outcomes for children and builds on members’ understanding of self review.
More robust Association systems for monitoring the quality of all aspects of centre operations would help centre members to improve the quality of their programmes
Before the review, the staff and management of Omapere 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.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Makere Smith National Manager Review Services Northern Region (Acting)
26 November 2012
|
Location |
Opononi, Northland |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10397 |
|
|
Licence type |
Sessional Playcentre |
|
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
|
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 years |
|
|
Service roll |
12 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Boys 6 Girls 6 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā |
6 6 |
|
Review team on site |
September 2012 |
|
|
Date of this report |
26 November 2012 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review |
November 2009 October 2006 |
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that reviews schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
ERO's education reviews in early childhood services focus on the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. ERO evaluates how well placed the service is to make and sustain improvements for the benefit of all children at the service. To reach these findings ERO considers:
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of self review and partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.