151 Corsair Drive, Wigram, Christchurch
View on mapNot well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
Kindercare Learning Centre- Wigram Skies (219) is well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kindercare Learning Centre - Wigram Skies (219) is one of 12 early childhood education and care centres in Christchurch, owned and administered by Kindercare Learning Centres Ltd. The centre operates under the Kindercare philosophy, management and accountability systems. An area manager works in partnership with centre leaders to guide the effective operation of each centre.
Kindercare Learning Centre - Wigram Skies (219) opened in 2015. It is a purpose-built centre located in Wigram. The centre serves a diverse and culturally rich community. This is the first ERO review of this centre.
The centre provides full-day education and care, for children from birth to school age, in four separate rooms. These rooms are specifically designed to meet the needs of different age groups of children. The outside areas provide opportunities for shared learning spaces for children under three years old and another shared space for children over three.
Most teachers are fully qualified or in training to be early childhood education teachers. The leadership team has been extended to include a new curriculum leader position this year. An on-site chef provides nutritious vegetarian meals and snacks for children.
Leaders are at the early stages of developing links with local schools to help support transition to school processes for children.
The service has developed a training focus to provide parent education and support to families.
This review was part of a cluster of 12 Kindercare Early Learning Centres reviewed in the Christchurch area in term 1 2017.
Leaders and teachers warmly welcome children and families into an organised and supportive learning community. They foster positive, respectful and inclusive relationships with children and families from a wide range of cultures across the centre.
Teachers work collaboratively with families, and use external and internal expertise to provide additional support for children with identified learning needs. Children’s oral language skills are actively promoted, including those children for whom English is an additional language.
Children and families are well supported to develop a sense of belonging. Transitions into the centre and between rooms are child-focused and personalised to the needs of each family.
Teachers actively foster children’s social and emotional skills in all aspects of centre practices and programmes. They notice and respond to children's individual and group interests. Literacy and mathematics are well integrated into learning through play experiences. Teachers encourage children’s independence, self-help and problem-solving skills.
Children in the under-two area are well supported by attentive teachers who are familiar to them. These teachers provide caring and nurturing interactions, quiet spaces for children not yet walking, and routines that are aligned to parent preferences.
Parents are regularly informed about their children’s learning interests through well written learning records, the use of digital technologies, and regular conversations with teachers.
The centre is well led and managed. The leadership team provides a planned and supportive approach to building leadership capacity and teacher capability. Leadership and teacher potential is recognised and fostered through regular coaching and mentoring. Teachers attend regular professional learning and development to build on teaching practices and evaluation processes.
Centre leaders and teachers work collaboratively to successfully implement Kindercare management, curriculum and health and safety systems. They have developed a reflective team culture where teachers regularly discuss ways to continually improve teaching practices and provide positive outcomes for children.
Centre leaders and teachers have made good use of a strategic approach to the operation of the centre. A comprehensive systematic self-review process is well aligned to centre priorities that are focused on ongoing improvement and positive outcomes for children.
The leadership team has identified, and ERO's evaluation has confirmed, that the key next steps are to continue to:
ERO has identified that the key next steps for Kindercare Learning Centres Ltd are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kindercare Learning Centres - Wigram Skies (219) 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 - Wigram Skies (219) will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern/Te Waipounamu
12 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.
| Location | Christchurch | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 46757 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 80 children, including up to 20 aged under two | ||
| Service roll | 92 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 47; Girls 45 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Chinese Other Ethnicities | 0 24 53 15 | |
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 | March 2017 | ||
| Date of this report | 12 June 2017 | ||
Most recent ERO report
| No previous ERO reports | ||
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.