355 Peachgrove Road, Fairfield, Hamilton
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 Centres - Peachgrove Road is located in Hamilton and provides education and care for children from infancy to school age. The centre is owned by Kindercare, who operate many early childhood centres throughout New Zealand. The centre is licensed for 82 children, including 28 under the age of two years. It operates a full-day programme in four age-based rooms. At the time of this review, the roll of 88 included 40 Māori children and a number of other children from a range of different nationalities.
The centre director provides overall professional leadership and is supported by the centre supervisor, curriculum co-ordinator and team leaders. The Kindercare area manager also supports leaders in all areas of centre operations.
The centre was newly established and opened in October 2015. This is the first ERO review for the centre.
The centre's philosophy focuses on children feeling safe, loved and supported to learn. The centre is committed to working in partnership with whānau and the wider community and to being inclusive of all cultures.
Children benefit from a curriculum that responds to their interests, strengths and abilities, and is strongly inclusive of all cultures. There is a clear framework for all teaching and learning which is underpinned by Te Whāriki the early childhood curriculum. The enactment of the centre's philosophy is enabling children to feel safe, loved and supported to learn. Leaders have focused on developing their own curriculum and culture for the centre, based on the overarching Kindercare philosophy. This curriculum is responsive to the language, culture and identities of diverse groups of children, and is enriched through trips within the local community and visitors to the centre.
Planning and assessment is shared with parents through an online platform and is strengthening effective partnerships for learning. Leaders should now explore ways to strengthen children’s contribution to the planning and assessment process. Children’s identities and sense of belonging are affirmed, and they are supported to become confident and capable lifelong learners.
Children up to the age of two years benefit from responsive and respectful relationships with teachers and learn within a safe, secure and familiar environment. There is a strong focus on individual care and teachers communicate effectively with parents to support children and follow their home routines. These very young children’s individual needs are well met.
Māori and Pacific children's language, culture and identities are acknowledged, included and celebrated through:
Effective teaching practices contribute to positive outcomes for children. There are respectful and trusting relationships between teachers and children. Teachers deliberately develop children’s social competence. Children with additional learning needs are well included and supported. Children develop and deepen their knowledge and skills in a supportive, caring learning environment. Teachers should now consider ways to further extend early literacy and mathematics learning and develop practices and relationships to enable effective transition to school for children and their families.
Strong professional leadership builds teacher confidence, capability and quality practice through effective collaboration. Leaders provide effective coaching and mentoring to teachers and encourage them to develop their own leadership skills. They foster open communication and invite whānau to be involved in centre activities and take an active role in their children’s learning. Parents feel welcomed and listened to. Effective leadership promotes positive learning outcomes for all children and is contributing to sustainable quality practice in the centre.
The centre director and area manager provide highly effective governance based on the Kindercare framework and philosophy. There are robust systems and processes to guide all centre operations including support for priority learners and monitoring of physical and emotional health and safety. There is a strong commitment to growing leadership within the company and supporting teachers through professional learning and development. Systematic self-review practices are focused on and contribute to improved outcomes for children. Effective governance ensures an inclusive and safe physical and emotional environment for all children.
The key next steps for leaders and teachers are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kindercare Learning Centres - Peachgrove Road 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 - Peachgrove Road will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato/Bay of Plenty
1 September 2017
| Location | Hamilton | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 46758 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 82 children, including up to 28 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 88 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 46 Girls 42 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Asian Indian Pacific Other | 40 28 6 4 6 4 | |
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 2017 | ||
| Date of this report | 1 September 2017 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| No previous ERO reports | ||
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.
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.