176 Chalmers Avenue, Ashburton
View on mapERO’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.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Not meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Ashburton Montessori Preschool is privately owned and managed. Approximately half of the teaching team have changed since the previous review. The service is culturally diverse with small numbers of Māori children, and those of Pacific heritages.
The service curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum and the Montessori philosophy. It is inclusive and responsive to children as capable learners. Meaningful, positive interactions enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.
The design and layout of the premises supports the provision of different kinds of indoor and outdoor play, and access to a range of learning experiences. Suitable human resource processes including appraisal are in place. An ongoing self-review process is implemented. Better understanding and monitoring of the regulatory standards is required, particularly for health and safety.
ERO found an area of non-compliance in the service relating to:
consistent records of the time each child sleeps, and checks made by adults during that time.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, HS9.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
stretchers, that will be used by more than one child over time, are securely covered with a non-porous material that does not allow liquid to pass through it
heavy furniture, fixtures, and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured
a documented risk management system that shows that hazards to the safety of children are eliminated, isolated or minimised
the temperature of warm water delivered from taps that are accessible to children is no higher than 40°C, and comfortable for children to use
a record of regular excursions when children leave the premises that meets all of the licensing criteria
a consistent record of all injuries, illnesses and incidents that include evidence that parents have been informed
an accurate record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) that meets the licensing criteria
a record of training and/or information provided to adults who administer medicine
written information letting parents know how to access the service’s operational documents
an accurate attendance register that shows a parent/guardian of each child has regularly examined and confirmed the attendance record.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, PF30, HS6, HS12, HS13, HS17, HS27, HS28, HS29, GMA2, GMA11.
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
24 May 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Ashburton Montessori Preschool |
|
Profile Number |
70037 |
|
Location |
Ashburton |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
63 |
|
Review team on site |
March 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
24 May 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, February 2020; Education Review, February 2016. |
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.
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.
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 regulatory 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Ashburton Montessori Preschool is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Ashburton Montessori Preschool is a privately owned early childhood service in Ashburton. It is licensed to provide education and care for up to 50 children, including 12 aged under two years, from 8.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Children are taught in three rooms - Bambino Piccolo (nursery), Persistenza (two to four years) and Scoperta (three to six years). The day-to-day operation of the service is the responsibility of the centre manager. A curriculum manager has oversight of the teaching and learning programme within each room.
The approach to teaching and learning is inspired by the Montessori method and underpinned by the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The philosophy emphasises the importance of preparing children for a life of learning and fulfilment; the role of parents in their child's learning and wellbeing; child-led play; and provision of a safe, caring, and creative environment. The programme aims to support children to be confident, capable, inquisitive learners who respect themselves and others whilst being valued contributors to their community.
Leaders and teachers have responded to, and made some progress in addressing the recommendations from its last ERO review in February 2016. The use of te reo Māori, bicultural practices, planning and evaluation and appraisal remain key areas for ongoing development.
The preschool is a member of the Hakatere Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning (CoL).
Children benefit from strongly respectful, caring relationships at all levels. Their interests, needs and preferences are well known by teachers who use this knowledge to plan targeted activities and routines, and adapt the environment. Children enjoy the experiences provided. They are respectful to each other and able to articulate their learning confidently.
Children display a strong sense of belonging and ownership of their learning at the preschool. The curriculum is responsive to their needs and families' diverse cultural backgrounds, promoting high levels of engagement and a settled tone in each room.
Infants and toddlers learn in a calm, slow-paced and nurturing programme. Age-appropriate resources are freely accessible to them. Teachers carry out care-giving routines in a responsive and respectful manner. They know children's non-verbal cues and needs well.
The environment is well resourced with good use made of natural materials. The design of the indoor and outdoor learning areas is purposeful and well considered, providing children with challenge, variety and interest.
Children's transitions into, through and beyond the service are well managed by leaders and teachers. Regular communication supports effective practices and settling strategies that are sensitively tailored to individual's needs. Purposeful and professional partnerships between teachers, families and schools support continuity in children's learning as they move to primary school.
Assessment and planning processes are becoming established. Some records of learning successfully document children's progress and teachers' planning to support their next development steps. Further refinement of the approach is needed to support teachers' shared understanding of expectations and consistency of practice across the service.
Internal evaluation is improvement focused. The teaching team is planning to review the philosophy guiding teaching and learning. Once completed, a next step is to ensure internal evaluation consistently aligns with identified valued outcomes for children and also, strategic priorities.
Programmes and practices to support te reo and tikanga Māori are in the early stages of development. The service needs to continue to develop and embed bicultural practices across operation and in documentation.
Leaders deliberately support collaborative relationships amongst teachers. They provide professional and collegial support to all staff. Teachers benefit from this shared leadership approach which supports their professional practice and capability. Professional learning is identified and prioritised by leaders.
The leadership team has clearly identified, and ERO affirms, that key next steps are to continue to strengthen:
assessment, planning and evaluation processes and practices to ensure quality and consistency across the service
internal evaluation processes and practices
the use of te reo and tikanga Māori in the programme and service documentation
the appraisal system.
Before the review, the staff and management of Ashburton Montessori Preschool 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.
To improve current practice, the service provider should ensure that the appraisal system is robust and meets Teaching Council requirements.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
14 February 2020
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 |
Ashburton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
70037 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
66 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Female 35 Male 31 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
|
|
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 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
December 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
14 February 2020 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports
|
Education Review |
February 2016 |
|
|
Education Review |
June 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:
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.
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.
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 |
Ashburton Montessori Preschool is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
This is a privately-owned service. The two co-owners are qualified ECE teachers and with three other family members form a committee to manage the governance of the centre.
The centre is licensed for 26 children from 2 to 6 years of age. Teachers provide education and care for the children in one large room and outdoor space. The centre's philosophy includes supporting children to achieve concentration, exploration, understanding and care of the environment.
Of the five teachers, one is fully registered, three are provisionally registered and one is in training. Three teachers are Montessori trained. Professional learning and development opportunities have supported staff in strengthening strategic and curriculum planning, assessment and self review.
Children learn in a calm and positive environment. They are settled, well involved in their play and have meaningful opportunities to develop independence and self-managing skills. Resources are appropriately organised to promote choice and build children’s problem solving skills, independence and confidence, as learners.
Teachers give good emphasis to literacy and numeracy. They use parents’ aspirations and children's interests to plan programmes. Montessori practices and beliefs are highly evident. Children’s curiosity is greatly enhanced by teachers' skilful questioning and modelling.
Older children have set learning tasks and can choose when these will be done. The children are well supported to manage their own learning.
Teachers show good awareness of the ways they can support children with specific needs. They make time to learn phrases and words from children's home languages and invite contributions from all families to enhance the centre programme. Teachers are beginning to ensure that the cultural backgrounds of new families are more visible in the centre.
Professional development has appropriately broadened the range of strategies used by teachers to support children's learning. Improvements to the bicultural programme are apparent, but need further strengthening. Some good examples of planning and assessment support children's interests and learning. Teachers prepare highly useful reports to inform parents and prospective schools of children's progress, learning and abilities.
Parents are regularly invited to contribute to the programme. Positive relationships between staff and families and links between home-life experiences and the centre programme support closer ties between home and the centre.
Some improvements to strategic planning have been achieved. Self review is making a positive difference for learners. Staff appraisals identify strengths and next steps and capture teachers' reflections about their practice and feedback from other staff.
The co-owners carry out teaching tasks alongside their management and governance roles. A concerted effort is required to change the management and governance structures so that all aspects of the centre's operation are well met.
The managers and ERO agree, that the next steps to improve learning outcomes for children include:
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 Ashburton Montessori Preschool will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
29 February 2016
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 |
Ashburton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
70037 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
26 children |
||
|
Service roll |
28 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 15; Girls 13 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā Asian American Other |
23 2 1 2 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
January 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
29 February 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
December 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.