60 Ranfurly Street, St Albans, Christchurch
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd is one of two centres owned by the same owner. Most teachers are certificated, and some have Montessori teaching qualifications. The centre manager is supported by a mentoring manager who provides professional oversight for the two services. The service continues to address the key next steps identified in the 2018 ERO report. Some progress is evident.
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, the services’ values and Montessori principles underpin an increasingly responsive curriculum. The curriculum supports children to:
work independently and collaborate with their peers to accomplish shared interests and goals
experience a print-rich environment that fosters their interest in literacy
use mathematical concepts in their play.
Teachers are responsive to children and have meaningful interactions with them. Positive relationships with parents and whānau are fostered. There are regular opportunities for parents and whānau to contribute to the curriculum.
Assessment, planning and evaluation practices have been strengthened since ERO’s last review. However, the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, and teaching strategies to show progress of a child’s learning are not sufficiently evident in assessment documentation.
Leaders and teachers implement aspects of te ao Māori into the daily curriculum. Acknowledgment of the cultures, identities, and languages of all children and their whānau is not yet strongly evident in the curriculum. The service’s strategic goal to build teachers’ cultural competence and confidence is yet to be achieved.
A useful framework guides the services approach to internal evaluation and improvements to practices are made that benefit children’s learning and participation in the curriculum. However, leaders and teachers have yet to fully develop their collective capacity to do and use evaluation to know what is working or not and for whom.
Children’s learning and well-being, in the context of whānau and family, are at the heart of decision making. Governance and management have maintained the learning and teaching environment to ensure the physical and emotional safety for all children and adults are met.
Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
consistently show in assessment planning and evaluation documentation children’s progress in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki and the teaching strategies that support children’s learning progress
increase the visibility of children’s languages, cultures, and identities within the curriculum
increase opportunities to incorporate te reo Māori and tikanga Māori throughout daily teaching practice
build all teachers internal evaluation capability, including making better use of evaluative questions and indicators throughout the evaluation process.
Before the review, the staff and management of Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd 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:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
governance, management and administration.
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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
14 September 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd |
|
Profile Number |
70301 |
|
Location |
Ōtautahi | Christchurch |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
32 children |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
36 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 4, NZ European/Pākehā 23, Other ethnic groups 9 |
|
Review team on site |
May 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
14 September 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, June 2018; Education Review, November 2014 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park is one of three centres with the same owner. The owner and an induction and mentoring manager maintain an oversight of, and provide support to, all three centres.
Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park provides full day education and care for up to 32 children from two years old to school age. The programme at this centre incorporates Montessori approaches with Te Whāriki, the Early Childhood Curriculum. This is evident in the ways the environment is presented and the resources available to children.
There have been some changes of staff and leadership since the 2014 ERO review. The owner and induction and mentoring manager undertake management and leadership responsibilities for this centre although they are not there on a daily basis. Some staff have additional administration duties. Most teachers are qualified early childhood teachers and some have Montessori teaching qualifications.
This review was part of a cluster of three early learning centre reviews in the Learning Curves Montessori service.
Teachers regularly notice individual children's interests. They respond in appropriate ways by providing resources and access to information to extend children's ideas and skills.
Teachers recognise and consistently document individual children's learning dispositions, such as confidence and persistence. These, along with children’s participation in centre experiences, are valued as important aspects of children’s learning.
Aspects of te reo and tikanga Māori are often included in centre practices and the learning environment. Children have opportunities to regularly participate in waiata and karakia.
Teachers take time to interact with parents, and discuss children's needs and daily happenings. They use this information to help them understand and respond to children in more meaningful ways.
A useful framework for internal evaluation has recently been introduced. This is supporting teachers to reflect on their practice in ways likely to lead to improved outcomes for children's learning. The implementation of this is being closely supported by the induction and mentoring manager.
The service owner is focused on outcomes for children and, along with the induction and mentoring manager, provides regular feedback focused on improving outcomes for children. Teachers receive constructive feedback through appraisal. The owner and induction and mentoring manager promote staff strengths and provide well targeted professional learning and development opportunities related to centre and staff needs.
Some of the priorities for improvement identified in the 2014 ERO report need further development.
The centre owner, induction and mentoring manager and ERO agree that the key next steps to strengthen the curriculum provided and improve outcomes for children include:
In addition, more effective practices need to be developed so that the service owner and induction and mentoring manager can be assured that the overarching service philosophy and vision are being effectively enacted in this service.
Since the onsite stage of the review the service has provided additional evidence to ERO to show how it has responded to the identified Key Next Steps. It is too early for ERO to evaluate the impact of these changes on improving centre practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd 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 Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
27 June 2018
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 |
70301 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
32 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
32 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys: 16 Girls: 16 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other |
1 25 6 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
N/A |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
May 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
27 June 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
November 2014 September 2011 November 2008 |
|
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 |
Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd is one of four centres with the same owner. The owner and a teaching and operations manager maintain an oversight of, and provide support to, all four centres. At this centre, there have been recent changes in staff including the head teacher. The service owner and teaching and operations manager have been working at this centre and have become more involved in the programme while they appoint a new head teacher. The number of children attending the centre is increasing, particularly from parent referrals. The anticipated changes in staff are being well managed.
This review was part of a cluster of four early childhood centre reviews in the Learning Curves Montessori service.
Recent changes have resulted in the programme being more responsive to children’s interests and preferences. Children can make more choices about what and how they learn. ERO observed children choosing to remain involved and interested in activities for long periods of time. Children have a strong influence on making decisions that affect the routines, environment and programme.
Teachers now have a better understanding of how Montessori and Te Whāriki, the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, are interwoven and used in practice.
Children benefit from a range of activities and experiences, including specific resources to support their interests in literacy and mathematics. Attractive indoor and outdoor environments provide inviting play spaces for children. Teachers ensure that equipment is easily accessible to children.
Some displays within the environment promote bicultural understandings and practices. Teachers are making increasing use of te reo Māori during their conversations with children.
Teachers support children’s social skills and help them to interact successfully with each other. They foster children’s independence and self esteem.
Teachers know the children who may require extra support to be successful in their learning. Teachers are inclusive and caring and respond effectively to these learners.
Children’s home cultures are respected and valued. Teachers use a variety of communication methods to maintain regular contact and share useful information with parents and whānau.
Children benefit from positive relationships and regular interactions with their teachers. Recent changes to planning practices mean teachers now know more about individual children. They use this information well so interactions they have with children are more relevant and meaningful. Conversations between teachers and children are sustained, purposeful and positive. Teachers are genuinely interested in children’s ideas and follow children’s leads during play.
Leaders are encouraging teachers to reflect more on their individual teaching practice through new approaches to appraisal.
The centre has an established relationship with the nearest school to support children’s transition. They are working on establishing links with more schools as children who attend the centre often come from across the Christchurch area.
A clear management structure is supporting centre development. A useful policy and procedure framework is in place to guide the successful operation of the centre. The managers provide good support for centre leaders, and make effective use of staff strengths. They have good systems to inform them about the quality of the teaching, curriculum and operation in each centre and are responsive to identified needs and external feedback.
The managers provide positive role models in teaching and learning and assessment and planning.
The centre owner and teaching and operations manager clearly articulate their expectations for high-quality teaching and learning. The next step is to better document these expectations so that they can be shared more easily with teachers, and used to monitor and evaluate centre effectiveness to guide future planning.
Recent changes to centre practice have been led by the service owner and teaching and operations manager. To ensure these improvements are built upon and sustained they recognise, and ERO agrees, that the key next steps are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd 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 Learning Curves Montessori Abberley Park Ltd will be in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services Southern Region
5 November 2014
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 |
St Albans, Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
70301 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education and Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
32 children aged two years and over |
||
|
Service roll |
34 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 18 Boys 16 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Asian Indian Other Ethnicities |
2 26 2 3 1 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
||
|
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
August 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
5 November 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports
|
Education Review |
September 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
September 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:
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.