75A Maxwells Line, Awapuni, Palmerston North
View on mapMontessori Educare Limited
Montessori Educare Limited
1 ERO’s Judgements
Akarangi | 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 Montessori Educare Limited are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whāngai Establishing |
2 Context of the Service
Montessori Educare Limited is a privately owned service. Children learn in two rooms connected to a shared outdoor area. Approximately a fifth of children enrolled are Māori. The programme is inspired by Maria Montessori’s teaching philosophy. There have been recent staff changes and an increase in two-year-old children attending.
3 Summary of findings
Children’s learning is promoted within a calm, planned environment that reflects Montessori approaches to learning. Early literacy and emergent mathematical learning are features of the programme. Younger learners have opportunities to learn alongside their peers. Some aspects of the environment and routines have been changed to meet the needs of younger learners.
There are opportunities for children to grow their understanding of a range of diverse cultures. Māori learners see their culture and language reflected in the learning environment and hear some te reo Māori. Teachers have established respectful relationships with parents, and they are encouraged to contribute to cultural celebrations. Children experience a curriculum that gives visibility to their culture.
Assessment planning and evaluation practices show children’s progress in relation to the Montessori curriculum. Documentation affirms children as successful learners. Teachers have explored the goals and learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, alongside a Montessori framework. Assessment, planning and evaluation for individual children’s learning does not yet consistently:
-
take into account the perspectives and aspirations parents have for their own children
-
show children’s learning progress in relation to the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki.
Staffing changes and availability have impacted on the service’s capacity to undertake evaluation for improvement. Distributed leadership and a shared understanding of the service’s vision and goals is enacted. Parents’ perspectives have informed the defining of what matters most in this service. Monitoring of progress towards strategic goals and effective evaluation for improvement have not been maintained.
4 Improvement actions
Montessori Educare Limited will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
-
Examine curriculum provision for children aged 2 to 3 years to ensure equitable opportunities to engage in learning, and implement changes as required.
-
Strengthen the quality of assessment, planning and evaluation for individual children by more consistent use of the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki and teachers’ response to parent perspectives.
-
Undertake evaluation for improvement to understand what is working well and for which learners and, how well the curriculum is helping the service to achieve priorities for children’s learning.
5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Montessori Educare Limited completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
-
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
28 June 2023
6 About the Early Childhood Service
Early Childhood Service Name |
Montessori Educare Limited |
Profile Number |
52518 |
Location |
Palmerston North |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
50 children aged over 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
Service roll |
55 |
Review team on site |
May 2023 |
Date of this report |
28 June 2023 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, June 2020; Education Review, March 2017 |
Montessori Educare Limited - 09/06/2020
1 Evaluation of Montessori Educare Limited
How well placed is Montessori Educare Limited to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Montessori Educare Limited is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Background
Montessori Educare, in Palmerston North, is licensed to provide full day education and care for 50 children, aged from two to six years. At the time of this review, there were 57 children enrolled and six identify as Māori.
The curriculum follows the Montessori philosophy. Children move freely between the two classrooms, returning to their 'home' classroom for group activities.
Eight qualified teachers support children's learning, with four holding Montessori teaching qualifications. Four teachers are employed full time. A team leader overseas curriculum delivery and provides professional guidance and support to teachers.
The March 2017 ERO report identified areas for development in relation to teacher appraisal and internal evaluation. Teachers have successfully addressed these areas.
The Review Findings
The Montessori philosophy is highly evident in practice. Teachers have positive and responsive relationships with children. They promote a listening culture, allowing time and space for children to create and tell their stories and make meaning of their world. Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, is successfully woven with the Montessori principles.
Children are independent and self-managing. They play together and collaborate to achieve shared goals. Older children use mathematical concepts and language in their play. They take responsibility for younger children. A print-rich environment fosters children's interest in literacy.
Teachers value the knowledge and aspirations that parents and whānau hold for their children. This forms the basis for responsive programme planning to support and extend children's learning. Ongoing assessment of what children know and can do enables teachers to capably support their learning. An online assessment forum facilitates regular information sharing between home and the service. Teachers are trialling methods to enable children to revisit their previous learning within this online platform.
Children and families are well supported for their move to school. Teachers encourage older children to practice the skills and dispositions that will aid their smooth transitions. A well-considered range of strategies supports new children to settle into the service.
Children's culture, language and identity is successfully reflected in the environment, resources and routines. Teachers regularly promote te ao Māori. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are evident in practice.
Regular appraisal supports the development of capable teachers. The team leader implements an increasingly rigorous approach to support teachers to grow their knowledge and skills. Collaborative leadership is encouraged.
Teachers engage in systematic, on-going evaluation that is responsive to centre priorities. This has led to improvements in the environment and teacher practice. Maintaining a focus on evaluating the impact of changes on learning outcomes for children will further strengthen internal evaluation. Improving review for accountability is an important key next step.
Key Next Steps
Teachers and ERO agree that for ongoing development, staff at Montessori Educare should:
-
continue to strengthen internal evaluation
-
improve self review for compliance accountability.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Montessori Educare Limited 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.
Actions for compliance
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to health and safety. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
-
adults supervising children while eating must sit with the children, so attention is on the children and not on completing other tasks
-
a record of all medicine given to children attending the service should include evidence of parental acknowledgement.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS22; HS28] [Regulation 46 Health and safety practices: general]
Since the onsite phase the service has provided evidence that shows:
-
the medication form, updated to include written parental acknowledgement after medication has been administered, is in use
-
clear expectations that adults supervising children's eating are attentive and not completing other tasks.
In order to improve practice staff must systematically monitor such health and safety practices.
Darcy Te Hau
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
9 June 2020
The Purpose of 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.
2 Information about the Early Childhood Service
Location |
Awapuni, Palmerston North |
||
Ministry of Education profile number |
52518 |
||
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
Number licensed for |
50 children aged over 2 |
||
Service roll |
57 |
||
Gender composition |
Male 29, Female 28 |
||
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
Review team on site |
February 2020 |
||
Date of this report |
9 June 2020 |
||
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
March 2017 |
|
Education Review |
February 2014 |
||
Education Review |
December 2007 |
3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews
ERO’s Evaluation Framework
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.
ERO’s Overall Judgement
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
-
Very well placed
-
Well placed
-
Requires further development
-
Not well placed
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
Review Coverage
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.