26 Tait Street, Whangarei
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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.
Parklands Playcentre is a parent-led early childhood education service in Kamo, Whangarei. The centre provides four morning sessions each week for children up to school age, including one session focused mainly on children over three years old. It currently caters for 38 children and families many of whom travel some distance to attend the Playcentre.
The programmes that centre members provide for children are underpinned by the overarching Playcentre philosophy of whānau and children learning together in a fun, nurturing learning environment. Very high training levels among parents contribute to the quality of learning children enjoy.
The centre is part of the Northland Playcentre Association, which is administered by a Management Board elected by centre members. The Association provides a framework for centre management and operations, as well as parent education programmes and personnel to support centre members in their management, educator and parenting roles. Several parents at Parklands Playcentre also have key Association management roles. Te Roopu Whakaaro Kotahi is being re-established to support whānau Māori in the Association.
Playcentre Aotearoa, the national organisation, is currently in the process of a comprehensive restructure. A regional hub will be established to provide governance, management and parent education support for Playcentres north of Auckland. While this will mean significant changes at the local Association level, it is expected that support for individual centres will be maintained or strengthened.
ERO’s 2012 review noted centre members’ collaborative commitment to operating the Playcentre and extending the levels of parent education. It also noted the very positive learning experiences for children and the good quality of relationships. Areas for further development at that time included self-review, support for newer members, and improved documentation of children's learning. Significant improvement has been made in all of these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of four playcentre reviews in the Northland Playcentre Association.
Parkland Playcentre is enriched by a large core group of experienced centre members who willingly share their skills and knowledge with others. They warmly welcome and support new families and have established a positive profile in the community. There is a strong learning ethos, and children show a joyful sense of belonging and wellbeing in the centre.
Children are competent and articulate learners. They confidently initiate their own play, often working collaboratively and sustaining their interests for prolonged periods. Well established friendships support children to develop very good conversation skills and engage in complex imaginative play.
Older children are learning to deepen their explorations through the 'Big Kids Club' and have expectations that learning will be challenging and fun. Aspects of literacy and numeracy are especially promoted through this extended session.
Parents cater for infants and toddlers very well. They are effectively supported within the provision for older children and are encouraged to explore independently, make discoveries and learn from older peers. A quieter withdrawal space and sleep room for infants also support their wellbeing.
Parents and whānau skilfully prompt children's learning. They notice their ongoing interests and plan resources and activities that will promote further investigations and inquiry. Several parents use open-ended questions well to challenge children's thinking and extend their ideas.
Parents and whānau use the 'Day Book' effectively to record what adults notice about children’s play interests, and to identify next steps to support learning. Individual portfolios provide extensive records of children's learning and development. Parents could now elaborate on their own roles in supporting children's learning in these records.
The learning environments for children are spacious, exciting and well resourced. Features in the outdoors are the garden areas and large shady trees and a wide grassed space. A newly developed and evolving nature playground provides inviting challenges with large logs, a campfire setting, mounds, muddy pits and a water pump. Children are encouraged to test their physical abilities, take learning risks and persist with difficult tasks.
Parents and whānau collectively make decisions at regular meetings and share responsibility for the maintenance and operation of the centre. They are ably supported by an Association centre support worker and a kaiawhina who helps whānau to implement bicultural practices in the programme.
Centre members have a comprehensive annual plan to guide their progress and are currently revising their long term strategic plan. They have established very good employer practices to support the paid supervisor for the 'Big Kids Club'. Parents involved in higher levels of Playcentre training are guiding the development of effective self-review processes.
The Northland Playcentre Association supports centres well. The board of management communicates effectively and has responded positively to the need for flexible options in the parent education programme. Centre support workers tailor their support hours and focus to match centre needs. They are keen to further enhance the effectiveness of their centre visits.
The Association has embraced the imminent restructuring of the national Playcentre body and is preparing centres well for the impending changes.
Centre members agree that key next steps that will support centre progress and sustainability, include:
further developing self-review processes particularly in relation to significant strategic reviews
using the early childhood indicators of best practice to identify new challenges and goals for the centre
periodically evaluating the overall programme for children to critically reflect on the impact of practices and the outcomes for children
continuing to strengthen bicultural practices and celebrating the cultures of individual families.
ERO recommends that the Association and/or the new regional manager and officers consider ways to strengthen the formative and evaluative nature of centre support workers’ visits and reports in order to:
provide greater assurance about the quality of support for children’s learning
establish the effectiveness and impact of the personnel who are employed to support centres
ensure that self-review processes provide clear guidance for centre office holders and support the continuity and sustainability of centre operations
provide targeted support for centre members to establish effective strategic and annual planning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Parklands 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 Parklands Playcentre will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
17 June 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 |
Kamo, Whangarei |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
11561 |
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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 |
35 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 24 Boys 14 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Greek British other |
6 23 3 2 4 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
April 2016 |
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Date of this report |
17 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review |
August 2012 |
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Education Review |
May 2009 |
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Education Review |
June 2006 |
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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.
Parklands Playcentre is part of the Northland Playcentre Association. Centre members currently operate four sessions per week. The Association provides a management and policy framework to guide centre practices and a centre support worker provides advice and guidance for parents and whānau.
Playcentre members provide good quality care and learning for their children. Since the 2009 ERO review members have made progress in addressing the areas identified for improvement. They have developed their learning story templates, are identifying children’s interests in their portfolios, and have introduced a day book which records children’s and adult interactions throughout the session.
Centre members provide an atmosphere that is warm and welcoming. Children benefit from having the opportunity to play in mixed age groups. They experience an environment where their wellbeing is promoted and families feel a sense of belonging. There is a wide variety of resources available. Parents provide children with resources to help extend their engagement with activities.
Centre members share roles and responsibilities, and participate in Association meetings on a regular basis. New members have been keen to do their Course One Level certificates. The parent committee is working on establishing a team of parents who have sufficient training levels to spread the roles and responsibilities throughout the parent group. Members use Association systems effectively to manage the centre.
ERO and the centre members, along with the centre support person, agree that members should engage in appropriate training levels to ensure programmes remain sustainable.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
Before the review, Parklands Playcentre was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by the centre to contribute to the scope of the review.
The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and centre members. This discussion focused on existing information held by the centre (including self-review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to positive outcomes for children atParklands Playcentre.
All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:
ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below.
Redevelopment plans for the outdoor area have been a major focus for parent members, and they have successfully completed stage one of the project. The Northland Playcentre Association has supported the centre with this development.
Since the 2009 ERO review, members have also focused on improving their systems for responding to and recording children’s learning.
Parent involvement. The parent co-operative is taking responsibility for the development of the Playcentre. Sustaining the good systems currently in the centre is an ongoing focus for the centre members. Parents support each other well during sessions to ensure good outcomes for children.
Sharing good practice. Parents feel welcomed into the Playcentre environment. Modelling of conversations by more experienced members encourages new parents working with children. Longer-term members share what they have learned about how to plan session activities. Parents work alongside children to foster their interests and support their learning and development.
Outcomes for children. Children are engaged in the centre programme and enjoy opportunities to explore and extend their learning. Parents plan the programme appropriately to accommodate the age range of children. Members encourage children to explore resources and share in conversations. Friendships have been established and children respond well to other parents in the Playcentre
Planning, assessment and evaluation. Planning is based on parents’ recording children’s interests in the day book. This is evaluated and then the programme plan is completed as a group. Learning stories are used to document children’s participation in the programme and form a record of children’s time at the centre. Some parents contribute to other children’s portfolios. As new members gain more confidence in writing learning stories, they should be encouraged to write learning stories for other children.
Environment. The first stage of the redevelopment of the outdoor environment has been very successful. The area has been redesigned to include a landscaped walkway, a tunnel and slide facilities. This area is easily supervised and provides children with opportunities to explore and use their imagination. This has improved the opportunities for children to develop their physical play experiences. A second stage is planned, including the purchase of moveable equipment that can be used in a variety of ways to cater for older as well as younger children’s physical growth and development.
Association support. The centre is well supported by the Northland Playcentre Association. Te Roopu Whakaaro Kotahi provides resources to further support the development of bicultural understandings. The Kaiawhaina who visits the centre once a term provides good feedback and next steps to support whānau that attend. She encourages the use of te reo and tikanga Māori in the programme. This support could be used to further develop and build centre members’ confidence in this area.
Self review. Parents should now consider how they can review the programme and centre routines to identify the impact of adult practices on children’s learning.
Parent participation. Longer-term members should consider how they can best help new members become more confident and skilled in working with all children in the Playcentre.
Portfolios. Once parents become more skilled in documenting children’s interests and strengths and recording them in portfolios, they could begin to identify children’s learning. Identifying links between learning stories should provide parents with a record of children’s learning development over time.
Before the review, the members of Parklands Playcentre completed an ERO CentreAssurance Statement andSelf-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 documentation, including policies, procedures and records of recent use of procedures. ERO also checked elements of the following areas that have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:
ERO and centre members, with support from the Association, agree that members should continue to develop self-review practices in all areas of the Playcentre to continue to improve learning outcomes for children.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
Makere Smith
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region (Acting)
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Type |
Sessional 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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Roll number |
45 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 23 Boys 22 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 40, Māori, 5 |
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Review team on site |
June 2012 |
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Date of this report |
15 August 2012 |
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Previous three ERO reports |
Education Review, May 2009 Education Review, June 2006 Accountability Review, July 2002 |
15 August 2012
These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Parklands Playcentre.
Parklands Playcentre is part of the Northland Playcentre Association. Centre members currently operate four sessions per week. The Association provides a management and policy framework to guide centre practices and a centre support worker provides advice and guidance for parents and whānau.
Playcentre members provide good quality care and learning for their children. Since the 2009 ERO review members have made progress in addressing the areas identified for improvement. They have developed their learning story templates, are identifying children’s interests in their portfolios, and have introduced a day book which records children’s and adult interactions throughout the session.
Centre members provide an atmosphere that is warm and welcoming. Children benefit from having the opportunity to play in mixed age groups. They experience an environment where their wellbeing is promoted and families feel a sense of belonging. There is a wide variety of resources available. Parents provide children with resources to help extend their engagement with activities.
Centre members share roles and responsibilities, and participate in Association meetings on a regular basis. New members have been keen to do their Course One Level certificates. The parent committee is working on establishing a team of parents who have sufficient training levels to spread the roles and responsibilities throughout the parent group. Members use Association systems effectively to manage the centre.
ERO and the centre members, along with the centre support person, agree that members should engage in appropriate training levels to ensure programmes remain sustainable.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
When ERO has reviewed an early childhood centre we encourage management to inform their community of any follow up action they plan to take. You should talk to the management or contact person if you have any questions about this evaluation, the full ERO report or their future intentions.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the centre or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.
Makere Smith
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region (Acting)
ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews. The purpose of each review is to:
Reviews are intended to focus on outcomes for children and build on each centre’s self review.
ERO’s framework for reviewing and reporting is based on four review strands.
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of centre 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 this centre.
Most ERO reports include recommendations for improvement. A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily mean that a centre is performing poorly in relation to that issue. There is no direct link between the number of recommendations in this report and the overall performance of this centre.