Montessori Oamaru by Busy Bees

ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.

ERO’s Judgement

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Montessori Oamaru Limited is a privately-owned early childhood education service in Oamaru. This centre is purpose built and organised into three specific areas: infants, toddlers, and children over two years. All the teachers are qualified. This is the centre’s first ERO review.

Summary of Review Findings

The Centre's curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum and the Montessori philosophy.The curriculum is resourced to provide for the learning and abilities of the children attending. Adults engage in positive interactions to enhance relationships and children’s learning. The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences.  Health and safety procedures are monitored, and changes made when required. A policy framework and annual planning guide service operations. 

Key Next Steps

Next steps are to continue to develop:

• practices that give prominence to children’s language, culture and identity in particular, te reo me ngā tikanga Māori

• assessment practices to make children’s learning visible and show how this informs curriculum planning and enables Kaiako to evaluate the impact of their teaching strategies on outcomes for children.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)

Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

27 January 2021

Information About the Service

General Information about Assurance Reviews

All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.

Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

• having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
• previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
• that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
• that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
• where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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 certification; ratios)
• evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

• discussions with those involved in the service
• consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
• observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.