16 A Kinsale Avenue, Glendowie, Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
St Heliers-Glendowie Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
St Heliers-Glendowie Playcentre is a well-established family cooperative that operates under the umbrella of the Playcentre Aotearoa, Auckland Regional Hub (ARH). There are five morning sessions per week, plus a regular outdoor session for older children and an afternoon SPACE session for new and aspiring members with infant children. The centre is licensed for 30 children, including 15 up to the age of two years.
The Playcentre philosophy of 'Whānau tupu Ngātahi', adults and children learning together, continues to underpin the culture of the centre. Parents and whānau are valued as being the best educators of their children. Sessions are guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Positive features noted in ERO's 2015 report continue to be strongly evident. Centre members have responded positively to the recommendations of that report.
The new structure of Playcentre Aotearoa is now fully operational and a review of this new structure is currently underway. The organisation provides a sound management framework as well as support personnel to assist centre members in managing their centres. Playcentre Aotearoa administers centres’ funding and provides an adult education programme for parents/whānau to achieve Playcentre qualifications. Centre members have adopted planned approaches to embracing and implementing the Playcentre Aotearoa policy framework. A new licensee/contact person is in the process of being appointed.
This review was part of a cluster of four reviews in the Playcentre Aotearoa, Auckland Regional Hub.
Children are settled, confident and friendly. They respond well to the flow of the programme and the day has a calm, unhurried pace. Children actively explore spaces and activities available and easily access resources. Long periods of uninterrupted play allow children to initiate and develop their own learning experiences. They frequently work cooperatively and collaboratively on their shared activities and projects.
Children display a strong sense of belonging. They help adults and each other, share stories about home and whānau and show care for others. They are well supported as they take learning risks and make decisions about their play. Children use the outside play areas where there is good provision for physical challenge on outdoor equipment. Children have opportunities for frequent excursions out into the community.
Sensory play is a prominent part of the programme for children under two. They are able to follow their individual routines with opportunities for developing self-management skills woven into the rituals of the day. Oral language and communication are fostered in various ways.
New families are warmly welcomed into the centre and are well supported to integrate into the wider life of Playcentre. Centre members value families sharing their home languages and cultures with children to enrich their learning.
Planning and assessment processes are well established. They use children's portfolios to record stories about their time in the centre and to focus on the experiences they have enjoyed. Children's contributions are discussed at evaluation meetings at the end of each session. Learning stories often make children's learning progress visible.
The strategic plan's goals guide ongoing centre improvement. Centre members have opportunities to grow and develop through attendance, representation and feedback from regional and other learning opportunities. Their current evaluation of bicultural practices will allow them to define and refresh their approach to incorporating the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi into the daily life of the centre.
The regional management team takes responsibility for supporting effective centre operations. They are aware of the strengths and needs of the centre and provide professional leadership to promote improvement and growth. The centre support worker is guided by the regional centre support coordinator. This support helps the centre to continue to develop quality programmes for children and sound health and safety monitoring practices.
Centre members have begun to enhance their programme practices through:
increasing the extent to which all learning stories reflect centre members' commitment to bicultural practices, and the visibility of children's cultural backgrounds and languages in portfolios
a greater internal evaluation focus on the effectiveness of adults' practices, responding to next steps identified through evaluation, and the impact of change on outcomes for children.
Key next steps for Playcentre Aotearoa, Auckland Regional Hub, are to:
clarify new roles and engage service leaders in the implementation of the new structure across Auckland Playcentres
increase the rigour of monitoring and quality assurance, and strengthen internal evaluation at all levels
identify and implement strategies for achieving greater consistency of the practices that are strengths in some centres.
Before the review, the staff and management of St Heliers-Glendowie 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region - Te Tai Raki
5 June 2020
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 |
Glendowie, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20487 |
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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 years |
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|
Service roll |
64 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 34 Boys 30 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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Review team on site |
December 2019 |
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Date of this report |
5 June 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2014 |
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Education Review |
February 2011 |
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|
Education Review |
September 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:
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 will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.
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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.
St Heliers-Glendowie Playcentre is one of 16 centres in the Tamaki Playcentres Association. The centre is governed by the Association which provides a management and policy framework to guide centre operations. Liaison officers and other Association staff provide support for centres, including adult education programmes to encourage children’s learning.
The Playcentre operates as a parent cooperative. A key feature of Playcentre is that children and parents learn alongside one another and promote the philosophy of the parents as first teachers of their children. St Heliers-Glendowie Playcentre provides early childhood education for children up to six years of age in five family sessions a week. It is well established and licensed for 30 children, including 12 children up to two years of age.
There is a great sense of community and belonging for families at the centre. Parents plan and deliver sessions and keep records of their children's learning. A noteworthy feature of the centre is the outdoor-based programme that was established to provide more challenging and stimulating learning experiences for four year old children. The retention of four year old children across all sessions has increased in recent years.
The Playcentre Association is currently undergoing a structural review to streamline its systems, policies and practices and promote the long-term sustainability of the organisation. A key priority is to encourage and support Playcentre members to take an active role in the governance of the organisation at the Association level.
The 2011 ERO report found the centre to be operating well. Parents/whānau provided very good support and a vibrant and well resourced learning environment that stimulated and sustained children’s engagement in play. Areas for improvement included self review, strategic planning and programme planning. Centre leaders and parents have made significant progress in addressing each of these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of eight playcentre reviews in the Tamaki Playcentre Association.
Children are happy and have a strong sense of belonging in the centre. They have warm and trusting relationships with adults and interact confidently with their friends. Children know that adults will answer questions, help and support them in their play.
Parents/whānau cater well for children’s different ages and stages of development and encourage their independence, self-help and self-care skills. Children are engaged in learning and enjoy many opportunities to explore interesting and challenging play areas, particularly in the outdoor environment. Children are seen as capable and competent learners and are able to plan and make choices about their play.
Parents’ interactions with children are affirming and encouraging. They are attentive and take a genuine interest in what children are doing. Parents allow them to make decisions about their play and consistently work alongside them asking questions, describing play and affirming their efforts.
A strong focus on individual children is evident in curriculum design. Parents/whānau identify children’s individual interests and strengths and relate these to their developmental stages andTe Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Adults plan collaboratively to respond to children’s interests. Written narratives help them to notice, recognise and respond to children’s learning more effectively. They set learning goals with children and review and revisit these each term.
Session evaluations are thoughtful. They encourage adults to be reflective about their practice, and to consider the things that worked well and children’s next learning steps. These evaluations also provide opportunities for parents to review areas such as literacy and numeracy and how they can continue to extend children’s learning in these areas.
There are good practices that reflect the bicultural expectations of Te Whāriki. A passionate and skilled bicultural officer provides strong leadership in integrating Te Ao Māori into the curriculum. All children hear, see and participate in meaningful examples of te reo me ōna tikanga. The emphasis on biculturalism provides a solid foundation for Māori to succeed as Māori and for other children to have their languages and cultural identities affirmed and celebrated.
A comprehensive review of mathematics in the curriculum, ably led by a centre member, has resulted in increased parent/whānau knowledge and more deliberate integration of mathematical concepts and language in the context of children’s play.
Self review is well developed and documented. It guides ongoing improvement effectively and informs the strategic direction of the centre. High quality reviews that have been shared with all centre members have resulted in improved teaching and learning and better outcomes for children.
Centre leaders demonstrate effective leadership. There is a strong culture of continuing education for all centre members and as a result they access a good range of professional learning and development and have high levels of training. Positive outcomes for children and a very good quality programme are evidence of this. Parents have high expectations of themselves as office bearers and members.
Association management practices are well established. Members report that the Association is very responsive to requests for support and guidance to manage the centre. The Association could now consider how staff can further promote improvement in effective centres.
Centre members agree that the next stage of centre development should focus on:
The cluster review has identified areas of governance and management for the Association to address. These include:
Before the review, the staff and management of St Heliers-Glendowie 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 St Heliers-Glendowie Playcentre will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
22 December 2014
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 |
Glendowie, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20487 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
51 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 31 Girls 20 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Asian Samoan Other European Other |
3 34 4 2 6 2 |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
22 December 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
September 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 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.