3 Admiral Crescent, Flagstaff-Hamilton, Hamilton
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
BestStart Montessori Flagstaff is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
BestStart Montessori Flagstaff is located in Hamilton and is licensed to provide all-day education and care for children up to six years of age. The centre operates two aged-based rooms with separate outdoor spaces. At the time of this ERO review 49 children were enrolled, including seven of Māori descent and children from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds. The teaching team consists of qualified and unqualified teachers. Teachers' diversity of cultural backgrounds reflects that of children and families in the centre.
The service aims to weave principles of Montessori and the strands of the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki. The vision of BestStart Montessori is to foster independence, resilience and self-confidence through an environment providing children with a sense of belonging. They aim to support children's wellbeing and development.
Since ERO's October 2014 evaluation, BestStart Montessori Flagstaff have strengthened their response to fully integrate and reflect the Montessori philosophy in the outdoor environment.
The service is operated by BestStart, a charitable organisation owned by the Wright Family Foundation. Since the last ERO review of this centre a new chief executive officer has been appointed. Regional and local professional service and business managers oversee the central North Island BestStart centres. Their vision is to work in partnership with families, whānau, teachers and communities to enable children to achieve their learning potential.
This review was part of a cluster of 15 reviews in the BestStart organisation.
Children and their families experience a strong sense of belonging in the centre. The curriculum allows children to choose, self-extend and follow their own interests and to support their social competencies. Children benefit from a broad, rich curriculum, with particular strengths in literacy, mathematics and science. Learning areas are well presented, easily accessed and align with the Montessori philosophy. Independence, perseverance and self-confidence are integral to the programme, building children's respect for others and the environment. Responsive and caring interactions between teachers and children contribute to a calm, settled and focused learning environment.
Teachers have a deep understanding of each child as a unique learner. The curriculum incorporates visits to the wider community and regular celebrations that allow whānau and families to share in children’s culture and learning. Parents are well informed about their children's learning and centre activities through a variety of ways. Teachers are highly responsive to children with diverse needs and implement appropriate strategies to engage them in learning. Children under two years of age benefit from respectful and caring relationships with teachers. These young children are well engaged and are able to make choices about their learning and play. Teachers are practicing the use of tikanga and te reo Māori. Teaching practices strongly support children's independence and care.
Leaders nurture a culture of respect and trust. The BestStart professional services manager has a working knowledge of the Montessori philosophy and along with the business manager provides effective professional support and guidance for the centre manager. Highly professional leadership is provided by the experienced and knowledgeable centre manager who is well respected and demonstrates an open management style. She works in a coaching and mentoring role with teachers to promote a shared leadership approach. The centre's vision and goals are firmly focused on learning and equitable outcomes for children. Strong leadership is supporting positive learning outcomes for children.
Systems and processes guide centre operation. Internal evaluation is improvement focused and includes ongoing consultation with families and whānau. There is clear alignment between the regional strategic direction and centre annual plans. The appraisal process supports teachers to inquire into strengthening their practice, supported by regular and ongoing coaching and mentoring. Several initiatives to remove barriers to education and support wellness for children promotes equity for all learners. The organisations philosophy, vision and goals promote positive learning outcomes for all children.
The key next step for leaders and teachers is to strengthen the assessment, planning and evaluation process. This should include:
capturing and documenting how children contribute to their own assessment of learning
ensuring that children can access their portfolio to enable them to revisit their individual learning experiences.
An area for review and development is to continue to strengthen bicultural practises, relating to language and tikanga Māori.
Before the review, the staff and management of BestStart Montessori Flagstaff 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
23 September 2019
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.
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Location |
Flagstaff, Hamilton |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
30120 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
49 |
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Gender composition |
Male 26 Female 23 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
7 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
August 2019 |
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Date of this report |
23 September 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2014 |
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Education Review |
August 2011 |
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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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Montessori@Flagstaff is located in Hamilton North and operates under the management umbrella of the Kidicorp Corporation. Teachers receive strong, ongoing support from the professional service and business managers. There is a useful policy framework and guidelines to support the daily and long-term operations of the service.
The centre is licensed for 40 children over two including 14 children under two years of age. At the time of this ERO review there were 46 children enrolled from diverse ethnic backgrounds. A school transition programme called ‘Be school Ready’ helps children familiarize themselves with the school environment.
Since the 2011 ERO review the centre roll and staff have increased. The centre manager and new business manager work in an open professional partnership. The centre also undertook renovation of the under two children’s outdoor area. There has been development of the agreed priorities in the 2011 ERO report about the learning environment, and strengthening teaching practice.
The centre’s philosophy states the intention to an environment that is centred on establishing independence, self-esteem, and confidence while fostering learning at a child’s own pace, underpinned by the Montessori philosophy.
The centre receives strong and effective governance, leadership and management support from Kidicorp. This includes well-developed and rigorous self-review and quality assurance processes, professional, administrative and business support from well qualified and experienced personnel. The professional services and business managers have key roles in ensuring that the Montessori@Flagstaff philosophy and vision are achieved.
The knowledgeable centre manager promotes high levels of collegiality and is actively focused on improving the quality of learning and teaching. She ensures that professional learning is well targeted to increase the capability of individual teachers and the team. Shared leadership is promoted. Teachers’ expertise and interests are used to benefit children’s learning.
Teachers know the children well and provide a welcoming and inclusive environment. They use a range of effective ways to settle children easily into the centre. Teachers regularly notice children’s involvement in the programme and support them to actively participate and take risks within planned and free-play activities. The Montessori-focused programme strongly supports children’s independence and self-management skills.
Indoor learning spaces are well organised to encourage children’s exploration and discovery. Children are encouraged to be respectful and care for the environment. They are free to make choices about play activities and the pace at which they are involved. Teachers have a focus on promoting tuakana/teina relationships among children. They encourage children’s curiosity and thinking by using open-ended questions and promoting conversations while children play. Children are confident, capable and supportive of one another.
Teachers gather considerable information about children’s individual learning and link their development to the Montessori approach, which emphasises the use of high-quality materials. They know each child’s developmental stage and next learning steps. Some of this learning is captured in attractive portfolios, including learning stories about the way children use the Montessori materials, and the way they explore and make discoveries in the natural environment. Children’s learning and development is shared with families through a digital programme, which is increasing the parent and wider family contribution to children’s learning.
The centre responds appropriately to the needs of different communities and provides strong partnerships with families. Children who speak English as a new language are well supported. Open communication between management and employees are contributing to the successful operation of the service and positive outcomes for children and their families.
ERO and centre leaders agree that a useful next step for the service is to consider ways to more fully integrate and reflect the Montessori philosophy in the outdoor environment. This includes making further use of the outdoor area as a specialised learning environment to add more complexity to children’s learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Montessori@Flagstaff 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.
The next ERO review of Montessori@Flagstaff will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
24 October 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.
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Location |
Hamilton North |
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|
Ministry of Education profile number |
30120 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 14 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
46 including 14 aged under 2 |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys 31 Girls 15 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Indian Other Other European South East Asian |
15 13 6 6 3 3 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
September 2014 |
||
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Date of this report |
24 October 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
October 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.