Cnr Taihape & Otamauri Road, Otamauri
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 |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Not meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Otamauri Playcentre is located in rural Hawkes Bay, and administered by Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa – Playcentre Aotearoa. It operates Friday mornings for families. A centre support worker and an administrator guide centre members in meeting legislative requirements.
The programme for children is consistent with the Playcentre philosophy of parent-led education, learning through play and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Adults providing education and care engage in positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The curriculum provides a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend children’s learning and development.
Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori is woven through learning experiences and daily rituals. The curriculum reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua.
Centre strategic and annual plans guide daily operations. Policies and procedures are reviewed regularly by parents.
During a recent restructure period Playcentre Aotearoa regional centre-facing staff have not been appraised.
The key next step includes developing the localised curriculum to more deliberately reflect the location of the service.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7]
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
14 June 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Otamauri Playcentre |
| Profile Number | 55056 |
| Location | Otamauri |
|
Service type |
Playcentre |
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 15 aged under 2. |
|
Service roll |
15 |
|
Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 15. |
|
Review team on site |
April 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
14 June 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2016; Education Review, January 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.
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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Otamauri Playcentre is one of ten early childhood centres administered by the Hawkes Bay Playcentre Association (the association) which oversees governance operations. A board of governors provides guidance and support for members.
The playcentre is located in a rural district, west of Hastings. The centre offers group supervised sessions two mornings a week for a maximum of 25 children, including 15 children up to two years of age.
Parents cooperatively provide the programme and are assisted by an employed support worker. Children and their families have a strong connection with the playcentre. Some families have a long history supporting and attending the centre.
The January 2014 ERO report identified that significant improvement was needed, particularly in assessment, planning and evaluation. Key next steps identified for the association focused on them ensuring the centre is effectively led and governed and that staff are appraised and police vetted.
Playcentre members and the board of governors of the association received targeted support through a Ministry of Education funded programme, Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO). The association has also provided ongoing support and professional development related to the key next steps.
Playcentre members and the association have made good progress in addressing and improving the key areas identified in the previous ERO report. Members have participated in ongoing learning to build their understanding of assessment, planning and evaluation and leadership. Good systems are in place to support centre operations.
Children often lead and initiate their interest-based play supported by adults who know them well. Children's interests are nurtured in contexts relevant to their rural lives. A recent excursion beyond the community was an opportunity for families to participate in their children's learning in a different context. A review of the under-twos programme has resulted in the introduction of appropriate resources and an area in the inside space set aside for aspects of their play.
Routines are well established. Meal times provide an opportunity for parents and children to karakia, share food and conversations. Children's wellbeing and social development is fostered. A wide range of activities and resources provide opportunities for children to engage in physically active play and learn about healthy food choices.
Individual Achievement Plans (IAPs) are developed for children. These include each child's strengths, interests and emerging skills. Parents are beginning to revisit these IAPs. Continuing to build this practice should help them to link children's learning over time and show how learning has been deepened. Some parents effectively support children's language development. Building consistency with this practice is an area requiring further improvement.
Parents support each other to develop their knowledge of planning, assessment and evaluation practices. All parents participate in Playcentre training courses to increase their understanding of the curriculum, assessment and planning. Sustaining these practices is a next step for members. Parents have responded positively to te reo Māori professional learning. They are working on ways to further incorporate it into the centre curriculum.
Portfolios include stories based on children's interests and significant learning at the centre and home. Children with additional needs are well supported. Learning stories and information are displayed to help all parents understand strategies that work for these children.
Useful, child-centred self review and evaluation are used to make improvements. Session evaluations are based on the strands of Te Whariki. Parents have opportunities to lead reviews.
Parents provide caring support to new families transitioning into the centre. Transitions to school are specific to children's needs and experiences. The local school supports children's learning during transitions by making links between Te Whāriki and The New Zealand Curriculum.
The centre support person is appraised each year based on a job description and identified goals. The role includes working with parents to develop their knowledge and practices related to children's education and care at the playcentre. Recent learning has focused on further development of a bicultural curriculum. The annual plan provides a sound framework for focusing on priorities identified by centre members.
Appropriate operational policies and centre documentation are accessible for centre members to use. These are specific to Otamauri Playcentre. The centre committee has a planned approach for the handover of office holder responsibilities to support sustainability of systems and practices at the centre.
The association should support parents to continue to develop the following:
parents' use of conversations and questioning to prompt children's exploration of their interests
sustaining the progress made in planning, assessment and evaluation practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Otamauri 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:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
governance, management and administration.
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.
The next ERO review of Otamauri Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
17 May 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.
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Location |
Hawkes Bay |
||
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Ministry of Education profile number |
55056 |
||
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Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
13 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 9, Girls 4 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā |
13 |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
April 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
17 May 2016 |
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|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
January 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
October 2010 |
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|
Education Review |
February 2008 |
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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 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.