122 Kings Drive, Wanaka
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 Akarangi Quality 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 Children’s House Wanaka are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whāngai Establishing |
Montessori Children’s House Wanaka is governed by a board and owned by a charitable trust. An experienced centre manager leads the teaching team and is responsible for centre operations. Most teachers are registered early childhood teachers, some have Montessori qualifications. Staffing reflects the culturally diverse community enrolled at the service.
Children experience an intentionally designed curriculum inclusive of all ages and abilities that integrates a Montessori approach. Teachers thoughtfully present the environment, including quality Montessori resourcing, to inspire children’s interest, curiosity, and participation in their learning. The outdoor area reflects the curriculum focus on sustainability and care for the natural world. Teachers support child agency, independence, and decision making within calm and peaceful environments.
Teachers work collaboratively with parents, whānau and external expertise to develop appropriate strategies to engage children, including those with additional needs, in experiences that promote success in learning.
Leaders and teachers foster positive, meaningful relationships with children, parents and whānau. They are establishing learning focused partnerships and provide increasing opportunities for parents and whānau to discuss their children’s learning. Infants and toddlers benefit from a responsive learning environment that supports them to lead their own learning. Teachers are highly attuned to their verbal and non-verbal cues.
Teachers have made little progress in developing and implementing a bicultural curriculum as recommended in ERO’s September 2018 report.
Assessment information shows the focus for each child’s learning. However, assessment information does not yet consistently show:
children’s progress over time in relation to the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum
how teachers acknowledge and respond to the languages and cultures of all children.
Since the 2018 ERO review, leaders have made sufficient progress towards the recommendations relating to internal evaluation and appraisal processes. The teacher appraisal process has been embedded. Aspects of teacher practice and operational procedures are reviewed and lead to improvements. There is an improved internal evaluation system. The evaluation system is embedding but has yet to be effectively implemented by all teachers.
Montessori Children’s House Wanaka will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
develop and implement planning to increase leaders, and teachers understanding and use of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori and shared understanding of how to implement a rich bicultural curriculum
in assessment documentation show children’s developing capabilities in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki and their cultures, languages, and identities
increase all teachers’ capability to effectively implement internal evaluation processes by identifying relevant evaluation questions, and clear and measurable indicators of high-quality practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of Montessori Children’s House Wanaka 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
12 August 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Montessori Children’s House Wanaka |
|
Profile Number |
80015 |
|
Location |
Wanaka |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
56 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
65 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 4, NZ European/Pākehā 45, Other ethnic groups 16 |
|
Review team on site |
May 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
12 August 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, September 2018; Education Review, June 2015 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Montessori Children's House Wanaka is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Montessori Children's House Wanaka is a purpose-built centre providing education and care for 56 children, with up to 16 under two years of age. The centre is governed by a board and owned by a charitable trust. An experienced managing teacher leads the teaching team and is responsible for day-to-day centre operations. The teachers are qualified early childhood teachers or are completing their training. A number of teachers also have Montessori qualifications.
The children learn in two groups, with younger children in the Bambini room and older children in the Casa room. The Montessori education philosophy shapes the programme for teaching and learning, and includes aspects of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Since the 2015 ERO review, the centre has made good progress in meeting the recommendations in the report. This includes improving assessment, planning, strategic goals and action plans.
Children learn in inviting, engaging environments that promote curiosity and exploration. They are encouraged to take increased responsibility for themselves and their learning. Children's learning and development clearly reflect the learning priorities of self-management, respect and social competencies. These priorities are meaningfully reflected in the children's learning and development records.
Children have easy access to a wide range of well-presented resources. They have opportunities to engage with and learn mathematical concepts through the use of natural resources and specific Montessori equipment. Teachers ably support children's choice of learning activities, and purposefully encourage children's growing independence and completion of tasks. Children play together for sustained periods of the time.
Infants and toddlers experience nurturing, calm and respectful interactions with their teachers. Teachers are responsive and gentle in their responses to children's efforts to communicate through non-verbal cues and developing their language. Younger children are provided with stimulating learning experiences and environment.
Children experience supportive transitions into and through the centre, and onto school, that are well organised and managed. Teachers have recently evaluated and improved transition processes. They have established good relationships with the neighbouring schools.
Teachers use te reo Māori to give simple instructions. Children confidently participate in waiata and karakia. The managing teacher agrees there is also a need to continue developing teachers' confidence and capability to deepen bicultural practices across the curriculum. This will provide children with a better understanding of the cultural heritage of New Zealand.
Children's learning journals clearly show their progress over time and their next steps for learning. Parents receive useful information about their child's participation. Teachers skilfully identify children's learning, progress and next steps, and the teacher's role in promoting further learning and skill development. Parents increasingly communicate with teachers online.
The managing teacher encourages a collaborative team approach. Teachers are well supported through professional development to keep up-to-date with current education and teaching practices. Children's learning is being enhanced by teachers who are committed to growing their professional practice.
Strategic planning and strong systems provide a sound basis for centre operations. Strong systems and processes guide centre operations. Appraisal processes have been refined to reflect the requirements of the Education Council, but have not yet been fully implemented. The centre's next step for effective evaluation is to evaluate the changes that have been made and monitor the effectiveness of changes over time.
ERO and the centre manager agree that next steps for the service are:
Before the review, the staff and management of Montessori Children's House Wanaka 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:
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.
The next ERO review of Montessori Children's House Wanaka will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review & Improvement Services Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
11 September 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 |
Wanaka |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
80015 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
56 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
60 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 39 : Girls 21 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
|
|
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 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
July 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
11 September 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2012 |
||
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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Montessori Children’s House provides full-day education and care for children from the age of one until they go to school. The service is licensed for 56 children. Children under two have their own room and garden, while there are two separate rooms for the older children.
All of the eight teachers are qualified. Five of these also have a Montessori qualification. Some are working towards gaining additional qualifications based on the Montessori programme and philosophy. Key to the philosophy is the belief in providing support for children to gain life skills and to develop independence and respect for people, places and things.
The centre is owned by a charitable trust governed by a board. The managing teacher is responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre.
Teachers provide an environment that supports children’s learning. They have established routines and expectations for children’s behaviour that help create a calm environment for learning. Children can choose from a range of accessible, good quality resources and activities and are given time to explore and complete tasks that attract their interest. The resources and activities are designed to promote specific learning through real-life experiences and include literacy and mathematics learning.
Children under the age of two enjoy warm relationships with their teachers who focus on their learning and wellbeing. They support children to be independent and foster respectful interactions. Teachers have good relationships with parents. They cooperate well to settle the children quickly when they arrive each day.
The teachers working in the three classrooms support children in many ways that reflect the Montessori programme and philosophy. They encourage and model:
The opportunity for children to learn in a calm and respectful way also extends to learning in the centre’s attractive outdoor garden and through excursions around the local area.
Teachers use a variety of ways to share information with the children’s families and to gather parents’ aspirations for their children. The next step is to show more clearly how these are incorporated into the programme.
Teachers have a clear sense of purpose around the learning intentions connected to the Montessori values. There is an opportunity now for the teachers to strengthen the programme by:
Teachers use some te reo Māori and waiata with children and some greetings and phrases in other languages as part of the programme. They acknowledge that they need to take a planned approach to building te reo Māori and to incorporating Māori perspectives into the daily programme. Teachers could also look for further ways to maintain children’s connections to their own cultural identity and reflect this better in children’s profile books.
The managing teacher is committed to continuously improving the service and teaching practices. She takes a collaborative approach to leadership across the service. She is establishing systems that encourage the teachers to take on leadership responsibilities. The managing teacher has a good understanding of self review and has developed a useful and thorough process. The next step is to improve the focus of reviews on finding out how practices impact on the children. This includes reviewing the quality of interactions and the effectiveness of teaching practice.
The board of trustees and the managing teacher have guided the development of the centre’s strategic vision following a wide consultation process. The next step is for the board to develop the action plan to show how the strategic plan goals will be implemented and progress monitored over time.
The key next steps are to strengthen the quality of the centre’s programmes and practices as stated above.
Before the review, the staff and management of Montessori Children's House, Wanaka 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 Montessori Children's House, Wanaka will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
9 June 2015
|
Location |
Wanaka |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
80015 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
56 children, including up to 16 aged under two |
||
|
Service roll |
92 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys: 47 Girls: 45 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other ethnicities |
3 79 10 |
|
|
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 |
April 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
9 June 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
February 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
July 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
December 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.