Meraki Montessori School - 11/05/2016

• On this page:

• 1 Background
• 2 Criteria for Registration
• 3 Other Obligations
• 4 Conclusion
• About the School

The Chief Review Officer has a statutory duty to report on the performance of private schools throughout New Zealand.

Section 35I of the Education Act 1989, requires the Education Review Office (ERO) to review private schools between 6 and 12 months after they have been provisionally registered, and to report to the Ministry of Education for the Secretary to consider full registration.

This ERO review follows the provisional registration of the school by the Ministry of Education in February 2015, and focuses on whether the school now meets the criteria for full registration as a private school.

2 Criteria for Registration

Meraki Montessori School is located in a semi-rural setting near Silverdale north of Auckland. It provides a Montessori based programme for primary school aged children from Years 1 to 8. Students come from diverse cultural backgrounds within the wider Auckland area. The school is managed by the Meraki Montessori School Charitable Trust, and situated on land leased from Ngati Whātua.

Meraki Montessori meets the requirement for providing a suitable curriculum. The school’s prospectus and website provide parents with very good information about the school and its provision for children’s learning. The curriculum and teaching and learning processes are underpinned by a strong Montessori philosophical approach. The highly individualised programme includes numerous opportunities for art, music, drama, physical education and the natural sciences, in addition to a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy.

Appropriate systems are in place to assess children’s engagement in all aspects of their learning. Students learn at an unhurried pace. They take ownership of their learning and, in consultation with teachers, confidently plan their next learning steps. A significant feature of the school is the priority given to student voice and fostering students’ enjoyment of learning.

The school has suitable premises, staffing and equipment for the delivery of the Montessori based curriculum.

The trust is aware of its obligations. Systems for property maintenance and health and safety are well documented and guided by agreed policies and procedures. Children work alongside staff in monitoring aspects of health and safety requirements. Commitment to building bicultural practice is evident throughout school systems and procedures.

The school’s managers have attested that they comply with the provisions of Section 35G of the Education Act 1989 in respect to their being fit and proper persons to manage the school.

3 Other Obligations

Good systems are in place to assure the managing board that its statutory obligations are being met.

4 Conclusion

On the basis of the information obtained during the review, ERO considers that Meraki Montessori School meets the criteria for registration as a private school set out in the Education Act 1989. 

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

11 May 2016

About the School