Mangakahia Road, Titoki
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.
Titoki Playcentre is a well established centre in the grounds of Mangakahia School. It operates as a parent cooperative and centre practices are based on the Playcentre philosophy of families learning and growing together. Learning programmes are implemented by parents/whānau who are also centre members.
The centre has recently celebrated its 50th Reunion with the community and parents/whānau. The newly completed nature area and outdoor playground were features of the reunion. Annual changes on local dairy farms results in regular roll fluctuations. Despite these changes, the roll has grown to 21 children. The centre now offers two general sessions each week.
Since the 2013 ERO report, centre members have made good progress. Centre members are more aware of documenting, planning and evaluating sessions based on children’s learning needs and interests. This development has increased newer centre members’ confidence and helped them to plan well for sessions.
The centre is part of the Northland Playcentre Association. The Association is the umbrella organisation for 22 centres in Northland, many of which are semi-rural. The Association provides systems to support members to manage their centres and support their children's learning. It also provides adult education programmes for Playcentre qualifications. As part of a Playcentre Aotearoa national restructure there will be a new regional manager and new centre support roles.
This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the Northland Playcentre Association.
Children are settled and interact comfortably in mixed-age play. They support and encourage each other to achieve goals in their play. Children can learn at their own level and pace. They are able to manage routines and learn self-management skills to prepare them for going to school. Children are encouraged by adults' positive approaches that support them to manage their own behaviour.
Centre members are highly responsive to children’s home and centre interests and skilfully support children’s exploration and investigation. They focus on children's interest in nurturing native plant life, the vegetable garden and insects, and include natural resources in the programme.
Adults work alongside children and promote oral language in meaningful conversations. They write and make good use of stories about their children's learning, and evaluate the programme at the end of each session to plan the next session. Centre members could also consider ways to sustain improvements in their use of te reo Māori and practices that reflect the dual heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Members have opportunities to learn about and lead in different areas of responsibility. They are assisted by the Association when required. Internal evaluation helps to ensure positive outcomes for children and would be beneficial to inform a long-term plan and annual plan.
The Association management team takes responsibility for specific tasks relating to the efficient operation of Playcentres. They actively foster emergent leadership to sustain the Association and centre viability. The Association provides support to help Playcentres remain well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.
Centre members agree that their key next steps are to continue:
sustaining and extending their bicultural practices, including the use of te reo and tikanga Māori
emphasising the value of adult education programmes for new parents, caregivers and whānau
developing long-term strategic planning
with existing processes to support diversity and children with additional learning needs.
To help strengthen operations in all Northland centres, new regional support personnel should consider ways to:
determine the best strategies to encourage centre members to take greater responsibility for all aspects of centre operations, including assessment, programme planning and evaluation
continue to increase emphasis on and financial support for the Kaiāwhina role in supporting centre members' bicultural understanding and proficiency
strengthen members' understanding of the need for succession planning and close alignment between strategic and annual plans for ongoing improvement, as well as operational plans for day-to-day management and maintenance
Before the review, the staff and management of Titoki 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.
The next ERO review of Titoki Playcentre will be in three years.
Steffan Brough
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
15 June 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.
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Location |
Titoki, Northland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10405 |
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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 12 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
21 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 12 Girls 9 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Tongan |
2 17 2 |
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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 |
March 2017 |
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Date of this report |
15 June 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
September 2013 |
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|
Education Review |
August 2009 |
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|
Education Review |
August 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:
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.
Titoki Playcentre is part of the Northland Playcentre Association. The Association provides support personnel and organisational frameworks for parent education programmes and to guide centre operation and management.
The playcentre is situated on the site of Mangakahia Area School and is a modern, well resourced facility. It is open one morning a week, providing an open session for children up to six years of age.
This review was part of a cluster of eight playcentre reviews in the Northland Playcentre Association.
The current small number of members works hard to maintain the effective operation of this valued community resource. Members collectively reflect on the centre philosophy to help ensure that it meets the needs of parents/whānau and fosters children’s learning, playing and growing together.
Adults are attentive to children’s needs and interests. They make purposeful responses to extend children’s learning and socialisation skills. Children of all ages confidently play alongside each other and interact with all adults in the centre.
The programme is planned by adults in response to children’s interests. Adults lead a range of group activities to foster and extend 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 in play and how they could encourage further learning. Some members also confidently promote the use of te reo Māori and bicultural approaches in the context of play.
Centre members continue to maintain a commitment to involvement in education courses. They share their learning and support new members to improve the quality of the programme. Adults work together collaboratively to share management roles and responsibilities. Long-term and annual planning goals focus on improving education for children. Centre members continue to build their self-review capacity using review formats provided by the Playcentre Association.
The redevelopment of the safe fall areas in the outdoor environment has been an ongoing fund raising project that is nearing completion. Members acknowledge that completion of this project will clear the way to further prioritise learning outcomes for children.
ERO and centre members agree that key next steps include strengthening:
Centre members would benefit from the review of how the Association provides support for centres operating only one session per week.
Before the review, the staff and management of Titoki 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.
The next ERO review of Titoki Playcentre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region (Acting)
4 September 2013
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 |
Titoki, Northland |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10405 |
|
|
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 |
13 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Girls 9 Boys 4 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā |
5 8 |
|
Review team on site |
July 2013 |
|
|
Date of this report |
4 September 2013 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2009 |
|
Education Review |
August 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.