Cratloe Lane, Dannemora, Auckland
View on mapNot well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kindercare Learning Centre (18) Dannemora provides education and care for up to 139 children, including a maximum of 45 children under two years of age. It caters for different age groups in eight separate learning areas. The children enrolled at the centre come from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and more than half are Chinese. The centre's staff includes 20 teachers and an administrator.
The Kindercare organisation's philosophy of 'Safe, Loved and Learning' guides centre beliefs and practices, and is prioritised in the centre. Programmes are underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The centre’s philosophy statement focuses strongly on inclusive practices, respectful partnership relationships with families and a caring and stimulating environment.
ERO's 2013 report noted the positive relationships in the centre and the sensitive transitions as children move between rooms. These positive aspects continue to be evident. ERO identified the need for staff to develop their philosophy, improve assessment and planning, and evaluate programmes. The teacher appraisal system required improvement and policies needed to be better aligned with practice. Good progress has been made in a number of areas.
This review was part of a cluster of three Kindercare Learning Centres reviews.
Children play confidently and enthusiastically. They benefit from unhurried, calm environments and a sense of belonging. Children enjoy conversations and articulate their ideas. The youngest children particularly benefit from consistent staff and nurturing, individualised care in environments that are sensitive to their rhythms and needs.
Older children are leading their own learning and becoming socially competent problem solvers. The attractive, well resourced environments encourage children's exploration and engagement in play and learning. Respectful teaching practices and sensitively timed interactions support children to settle and become highly focused in their play, both indoors and outdoors.
Teachers support each other and work well together as a team. They plan the curriculum in response to what they observe about children. Planning is displayed to encourage parents' participation and responses. Teachers celebrate children's progress through documenting their learning in attractive portfolios, which they also make available for parents online.
Centre leaders work collaboratively to establish and sustain leadership capacity across the centre. The supervisor has developed a strong model of mentoring and coaching for teachers and regularly models effective practice. Leaders have recently focused on developing a centre culture that supports ongoing improvement. Leaders are continuing to work on refining teacher appraisal processes and on ensuring that teaching teams support children's learning effectively.
A strong commitment to bicultural practices is reflected in the partnerships that teachers establish with whānau Māori and there is an expectation that teaching practices throughout the centre will promote te ao Maori. Teachers are developing culturally responsive practices that align with their commitment to environmental sustainability and respect for Papatūānuku.
The centre's vision, philosophy, strategic approach and annual plan are well aligned and identify a clear direction for the future. Internal evaluation is collaborative and linked to children's learning outcomes, and provides good guidance for centre leaders and teachers.
Kindercare provides well established systems and policies to guide its centres. These systems are consistently implemented and regularly monitored. The organisation's values and strategic direction also guide each centre. Specific goals are developed by each staff team to guide individual centres. Ongoing support for Kindercare staff ensures centre sustainability, accountability and continued improvement.
Centre leaders agree that they should continue to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kindercare Learning Centres (18) Dannemora 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 Kindercare Learning Centres (18) Dannemora will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
23 November 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.
| Location | Dannemora, Auckland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 10275 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 139 children, including up to 45 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 141 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 53% Girls 47% | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Chinese Indian South African Cambodian Samoan other | 2% 11% 55% 10% 7% 2% 2% 11% | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:4 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:9 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | September 2016 | ||
| Date of this report | 23 November 2016 | ||
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review | September 2013 | |
| Education Review | May 2010 | ||
| Education Review | May 2007 | ||
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kindercare Learning Centres (18) Dannemora caters for up to 139 children including up to 45 babies. The centre is part of the Kindercare Learning Centres organisation (KLC) which provides a framework of governance and management. The organisation also supplies professional advice and support to the centre.
A new centre director has recently been appointed and is ably supported by the Kindercare Area Manager, Curriculum Manager, Team Leaders, and long serving staff.
The KLC philosophy has as its core value flexible learning that enables children to grow at their own pace and this forms the basis of all the operations at the centre. Clear priority is given to keeping the child, ‘safe, loved and learning’ in the centre's spacious, warm, purpose built environment.
The 2010 ERO report noted that children and families were welcomed into the centre and children were provided with good care. These features have been sustained. The 2010 ERO report recommended that staff should continue to develop skills in planning and implementing programmes that recognise and respond to children’s emerging interests and dispositions. The centre has made progress in this area, particularly for babies and toddlers.
Children are friendly, settled and demonstrate a sense of belonging in the centre. They engage positively with their peers and are able to select indoor and outdoor activities independently. Children respond well to routines and benefit from caring and nurturing relationships with staff. Respectful relationships between staff and parents/whānau are evident.
The well resourced learning environment offers children easy access to equipment and multiple opportunities for learning. Teachers have focused on providing inviting, attractive and homely play areas.
Centre programmes are linked to Te Whāriki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum. Teachers offer a balanced programme of planned activities and responses to children’s emerging interests. They have established strategies to plan for programmes that meet children’s need and have developed practices to make children’s learning more visible.
Currently, there is a focus on developing children’s early literacy and numeracy skills and supporting their social and emotional development. Parents are informed about and invited to respond to regular updates of their children’s learning and development records. Teachers support children well as they transition through the centre.
Teachers are well qualified and reflect the cultural diversity of the centre. They participate in regular professional learning and have begun to reflect on their teaching practice to identify strategies to improve the programme for children.
The centre is well governed and managed. Effective systems and policies are in place to guide centre operations. Strategic centre goals align with the centre’s philosophy and are linked to staff appraisals and best practice in early childhood education. Including the Ministry of Education’s resource, Tātaiako, in the appraisal and self-review processes could help strengthen teachers’ practice and cultural competence.
Managers promote a centre culture that is improvement focused through a self-review process that includes consulting with parents. Managers have identified that a future focus will be deeper analysis of self review information to determine next steps.
ERO and the Kindercare Learning Centres managers and director agree that the centre’s key next steps are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kindercare Learning Centres (18) Dannemora 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 Kindercare Learning Centres (18) Dannemora will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region
27 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 |
Dannemora, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10275 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
139 children, including up to 45 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
147 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 50% Girls 50% |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Chinese Indian Middle Eastern African Samoan Cook Island Fijian Niue Other Asian Other European Other Pacific |
3% 24% 40% 14% 4% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 3% 6% 1% |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
July 2013 |
||
|
Date of this report |
27 September 2013 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
May 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
May 2005 |
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.