37 A Totaravale Drive, Sunnynook, Auckland
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.
Totaravale Playcentre is an urban centre located on Auckland’s North Shore. It operates in an established building adjacent to a council reserve and caters for a multicultural community. The centre is licensed for 25 children, including 15 up to two years of age, and offers mixed-aged sessions five days each week. In addition, the SPACE NZ Trust offers one session each week at the centre for a group of parents and their infants.
The Playcentre philosophy values parents/whānau as the first and best educators of their children. They take on roles and responsibilities that contribute to the running of the centre. This structure offers opportunities for emergent leadership. Sessions are guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The centre is one of 21 in the North Shore Playcentre Association. The Association provides a management and policy framework, and centre support personnel. Playcentre Aotearoa is in the process of a national restructure and the North Shore Association is now part of Playcentre's northern region. A new regional manager has been appointed and support personnel, roles and expectations are being confirmed.
Professional development from the Association and support from the centre support worker (CSW) have helped centre members to maintain good practices, and respond positively to ERO’s 2014 report. Centre members have widened the scope of evaluation, strengthened assessment portfolios, and now frequently incorporate te reo and tikanga Māori in the context of children’s play.
This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association.
Children are happy, confident learners. They are supported by adults who are eager to engage with them and foster learning opportunities. Children in the centre have a strong sense of belonging and whanaungatanga. They play cooperatively, and initiate imaginative play and group activities. Older children show leadership, kindness and care for younger children.
Parents/whānau facilitate children’s play choices and support child-led learning in a calm, unhurried environment. They provide opportunities for children to use literacy and numeracy and learn more about science. Adults recognise when to offer additional resources that affirm and foster children’s sustained play. Warm, respectful relationships are nurtured, creating a strong sense of community.
The Playcentre has a strong commitment to inclusion. Centre members value and affirm children’s cultural identities. They integrate the three official languages of New Zealand into the programme.
Adults use te reo Māori confidently during the session, and integrate it effortlessly as children play. Children are learning to respond to and use simple phrases in te reo. Parents/whānau are committed to growing their bicultural practice and encourage others to learn and practice. Participation in professional development offered by the Association has helped to build knowledge and confidence. Manaakitanga is a strength of the centre.
Centre members have a good understanding of Te Whāriki the early childhood curriculum. They weave Te Whāriki into the planning and portfolios. The current system for evaluation is successfully building parents'/whānau knowledge of how to respond to children’s interests. A stronger focus on children’s learning should strengthen this process. Adults could now consider how documentation in portfolios could be strengthened to show the progression of children’s learning over time.
Centre members are eager to ensure the sustainability of the centre. A core group of qualified members is developing internal systems to ensure that future families are aware of the next areas that need improvement. Plans are currently underway to landscape the outdoor area. The annual plan has a strong focus on continual improvement.
Parents/whānau are provided with good information to support children’s transition into the centre. Knowledge is shared with new members by mentoring and buddy systems. Leadership roles are distributed and individual strengths and talents are recognised. Continuing education and training for all centre members is an ongoing priority. Many are currently enrolled in Playcentre adult education programmes.
The Association management team has a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and having a bicultural partnership with whānau Māori. This is evident in Association operations and in support provided to centres. There is an understanding and awareness of different languages and cultures in the centre.
The Association currently has effective governance and management practices. A voluntary executive committee takes responsibility for specific management and centre support tasks. Good systems help them to monitor the quality of programmes, adult education levels, and health and safety requirements. The management team provides professional leadership to help centres respond to changes, particularly as they transition to the new national and regional structure.
Key next steps for centre members are to:
strengthen how well portfolio entries focus on children's learning
identify and make the extension of learning more visible in programme planning and evaluation
continue to support new members by transferring knowledge to ensure the sustainability of good practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of Totaravale 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 Totaravale Playcentre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
16 November 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 |
Sunnynook, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
22054 |
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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 |
25 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
19 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 13 Boys 6 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
1 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
Parent led |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
September 2017 |
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Date of this report |
16 November 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
November 2011 |
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Education Review |
November 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:
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.
Totaravale Playcentre is a parent-led cooperative that provides for up to 25 children from birth to school age. Centre practices are based on the playcentre philosophy of families learning and growing together. The centre offers three sessions per week.
Since the 2011 ERO review, centre members have continued work to strengthen programme planning and selfreview processes. Long-serving members have provided stability and helped to progress this work through a focus on the programme and on leadership and aspects of governance.
The playcentre operates as part of the North Shore Playcentre Association. The association is the umbrella organisation for 21 playcentres situated in North Auckland. Many of these centres are semi-rural. The association manages and distributes funding to the centres and provides a training programme for parents/whānau to achieve playcentre qualifications. It also has good systems to support centre members to manage the playcentres and to provide educational programmes for children. The association is currently reviewing many aspects of its operations to help reduce the administrative workload for its members.
This review was part of a cluster of seven reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association.
Totaravale Playcentre is well placed to continue promoting positive learning outcomes for children. The programme affirms children as competent and confident learners and is aligned to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Children, including those with special needs are well supported by members and enthusiastically engage in a curriculum that fosters their interests. Infants and toddlers are well supported to learn alongside other children.
Parents and children have fun as they work and play together for sustained periods. Children’s ideas are respected and incorporated into programmes. Children’s social and emotional competence is fostered as they practice turn taking, take on new challenges and develop problem-solving skills. They are highly engaged in their learning as members skilfully use open-ended questioning to encourage their thinking and decision-making skills. Literacy and numeracy are fostered within the context of play.
The child-centred curriculum allows for children’s interests to be meaningfully developed over time. The recent review of programme planning has placed a greater emphasis on planning for children’s developmental ages and stages. There is clear alignment between LEAP (learning, evaluation, assessment, planning) processes that helps to ensure members plan well for individual and group interests. This planning is documented and visible so that members can plan for continuity of children’s learning between sessions.
Bicultural perspectives are evident in the programme and are reflected in centre displays, resources and activities that reflect Māori language and culture. Programmes also value and celebrate the language, culture and identity of those children who are of Korean and Chinese ethnicity.
Parents work collaboratively within the association’s framework of governance and management to provide positive outcomes for children. A recent change in office holders has provided leadership opportunities for members. Adults are reflective about their roles and responsibilities and have developed good systems to support changes in leadership. New families acknowledge the effective processes established to support their transition into the centre.
Members have a good understanding of the purpose of self review and initiate review as a response to current areas of need. Very good frameworks have been established to guide improvement. Taking a more planned approach to scheduling self review could help with improving outcomes for children.
Members have completed a comprehensive review of the playcentre’s graduation to school processes for four year olds. Graduation traditions provide children with a sense of anticipation and celebration as they progress to the next stage of learning. Further developing transition processes could strengthen the programme.
The association management team takes responsibility for specific tasks relating to the function of the association. Management team members are committed to and enthusiastic about their involvement in playcentre. They actively foster emergent leadership to help sustain the association and demonstrate the professional leadership necessary to help the association respond to change, make decisions and manage issues as they arise. The North Shore Playcentre Association provides effective support to help this playcentre remain well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.
Centre members and ERO agree that to further enhance playcentre operations and practice they should continue to formalise self-review processes. This could include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Totaravale 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 Totaravale Playcentre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
7 March 2014
|
Location |
Sunnynook, Auckland |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
22054 |
|
|
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 |
22 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Girls 17 Boys 5 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā Korean Chinese Niue |
14 4 2 2 |
|
Review team on site |
October 2013 |
|
|
Date of this report |
7 March 2014 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2011 |
|
Education Review |
November 2007 |
|
|
Education Review |
October 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.