643 Burnham School Road, Burnham Camp, Christchurch
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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Burnham Country Montessori are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
|
What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
|
Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Burnham Country Montessori is a privately-owned, rural centre. It serves a diverse community including military families. It has three age-related classrooms each with an extensive outside area. The owner, manager, head teachers and most kaiako are certificated teachers. Leaders have made significant progress in strengthening operational and curriculum documentation since the September 2017 ERO review.
Leaders and kaiako foster collaborative, responsive, reciprocal, and respectful relationships with tamariki, parents and whānau. They promote well-considered, personalised transitions into and within the centre. Kaiako know each child well in the context of their home and family. They value parent and whānau perspectives and aspirations for their child’s learning and wellbeing.
Kaiako practices demonstrate that care is understood to be an integral part of the curriculum, particularly for infants and toddlers. Calm, respectful interactions and routines are aligned to home and parent preferences. This supports children and whānau sense of belonging and wellbeing.
Leaders and kaiako collaboratively develop professional knowledge and expertise to design and implement a rich, responsive and inclusive curriculum that effectively blends the Montessori philosophy and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Kaiako foster language learning that includes NZ Sign Language. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are increasingly used. Te ao Māori is yet to be deeply embedded across the curriculum.
Children with additional learning needs are well supported to succeed. Kaiako work collaboratively with families and external expertise when required, to adapt practice and the environment. This enables children to have equitable access to the full curriculum.
Newly established effective assessment practices inform planning curriculum and intentional teaching. Stronger evaluation of the impact of teaching practices on outcomes for children is now required. Kaiako acknowledge the child’s efforts, challenges and successes, and evaluate progress of learning outcomes over time.
Relational trust at every level supports collaboration, risk taking and openness to change and sustained improvement. Leaders model and expect professional accountability and collective responsibility for the wellbeing and learning of all children.
A useful framework for reviewing aspects of the curriculum has been implemented and has resulted in improvements within the curriculum for children. Leaders and Kaiako have undertaken professional learning to build their understanding and practice in evaluation. More work is required to develop depth and complexity in internal evaluation.
Leaders and kaiako collaboratively engage in useful targeted professional development and focused mentoring and coaching to enhance their teaching, leadership and evaluation capabilities. New knowledge is effectively shared within the service and wider education community. This enables children to become confident and competent learners.
Burnham Country Montessori will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Burnham Country Montessori 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
24 June 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Burnham Country Montessori |
| Profile Number | 70167 |
| Location | Christchurch |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
68 children, including up to 16 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
70 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 4, NZ European/Pākehā 56, Other ethnicities 10. |
|
Review team on site |
May 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
24 June 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, September 2017; Education Review, June 2014. |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Burnham Country Montessori is well place to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Burnham Country Montessori is a purpose-built, privately-owned service. It provides full day education and care for children from 6 weeks to 6 years of age. The centre is licensed for 68 children.
The centre's philosophy incorporates aspects of the Montessori philosophy and Te Whāriki, the Early Childhood Curriculum, and focuses on providing a holistic approach to children's wellbeing and education. Children learn in one of three classrooms: a nursery for up to 2 years, a second room for children 2 to 4 years of age and an over 4 year old room. Each classroom has its own extensive outside area.
The management team consists of the two owners and the centre manager. Each room has a head teacher. Most staff are qualified early childhood teachers and many either have, or are in training to gain, Montessori qualifications. There have been several changes of staff recently, including a head teacher.
Centre leaders have addressed some of the areas for improvement identified in the 2014 ERO review, particularly the strengthening of assessment practices.
Children learn in inviting, engaging environments that promote curiosity and exploration. They have a good range of resources that are well presented and easily accessible for self-selection. The outside areas provide many opportunities for children to engage in imaginative and challenging learning.
Leaders and teachers establish positive, welcoming relationships with children and their whānau. Children with additional learning needs are well supported. They are quickly included and their strengths are promoted.
Infants and toddlers benefit from nurturing, calm interactions that are unhurried and respectful. Teachers are considered and gentle in their responses to children's efforts to communicate through non verbal cues and emerging language acquisition.
Teachers regularly notice and record children's interests and purposefully provide experiences to extend learning. They ably support children's choices of learning activities and carefully encourage growing independence and completion of tasks. Children have many opportunities to engage with early literacy and mathematical concepts. Teachers and children work with and alongside one another in calm, settled environments.
Teachers have increased their understanding and use of te reo and tikanga Māori. They are thoughtfully integrating these bicultural practices into learning programmes. Children are hearing and using te reo Māori as a regular part of their day.
Transitions within the centre are carefully managed. Teachers are adaptable and respond with flexibility and care in meeting the emotional and wellbeing needs of children as they move into different classrooms.
Parents are kept well informed about children's learning programmes and receive regular useful assessments about their children's participation. Parents' and whānau feedback and involvement in the programme is invited and a number take this opportunity to share their views. Examples of good quality assessments clearly show children's progress over time and next steps for learning.
Recent professional learning and development is guiding leadership in how to effectively formulate strategic planning and internal evaluation processes. These are being developed collaboratively with staff and some community involvement.
The centre and ERO agree that the key next steps for improving outcomes for children are to further develop and consolidate strategic planning and deepen internal evaluation processes. This includes evaluating the centre's philosophy statement to ensure it reflects the centre's core beliefs about children's learning, current practice and bicultural commitment.
In addition ERO identified that:
Before the review, the staff and management of Burnham Country Montessori 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.
During the onsite stage of the review, ERO identified an area of non-compliance:
The service provider must ensure that appraisals of staff in teaching positions is based on the Educational Council Practising Teacher Criteria Part 31 Education Act 1989.
The next ERO review of Burnham Country Montessori will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
27 September 2017
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 |
Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
70167 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
68 children, including up to 11 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
86 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 51; Girls 35 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
|
|
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 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
July 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
27 September 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
June 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
May 2011 |
||
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.