16 Sudeley Street, Orakei, Auckland
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Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Ōrākei Montessori Pre-School is a privately owned service. The owner, a qualified teacher, leads a team of four qualified teachers and one unqualified teacher. All teachers have Montessori qualifications. The service’s philosophy is based on the Montessori approach that prioritises children’s self-directed activity and hands-on learning. There are two learning spaces that provide for children between 20 months and six years of age.
Premises and facilities are suitably resourced to meet the age and abilities of the children attending. The design and layout of the premises include quiet spaces and areas for physically active play. There is a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend children’s learning and development.
The curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and is underpinned by the Montessori philosophy. Kaiako engage in meaningful and positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. There are regular opportunities for parents to be involved in decision making concerning their child’s learning.
The owner must continue to monitor that policies and practices meet all aspects of regulatory compliance and are consistently implemented.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
10 December 2021
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Ōrākei Montessori Pre-School |
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Profile Number |
20446 |
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Location |
Ōrākei, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 3 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
49 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 30, Chinese 12, European 6, |
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Review team on site |
July 2021 |
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Date of this report |
10 December 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, December 2017; Education Review, January 2015 |
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.
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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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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.
This is the first ERO review of Orakei Montessori Preschool under new management. The centre has operated under a different name for a considerable number of years. It was bought in 2016 by Friends United Limited. The previous head teacher is now a shareholder and owner of the centre.
Orakei Montessori Preschool is licensed to provide both sessional and full day care for 40 children, three of whom may be under two years of age. The children are grouped according to age in two classrooms linked by a roofed deck. The younger children, from 20 months to three years, have a spacious playing space (Fantail Room) and share the outdoor playground with the older children. Children over three years of age have an appropriate space (Tui Room) to work with the Montessori resources provided for them.
Children attending the centre come from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Teachers have been selected, because of their Montessori training and expertise and to reflect the cultures of the children and families attending. A new teaching team is in place since the takeover of the centre. The new owner is the lead teacher for the Fantail Room, and there is a syndicate leader for the Tui Room.
The centre philosophy is based on Montessori ideals and aspirations. It includes reference to te Tiriti o Waitangi as an underpinning document.
The centre owner has undertaken a review of all aspects of centre management and operation, and continues to develop her management skills.
Children have positive relationships with teachers and with their peers. Teachers talk to and welcome families, sharing information about children and hearing news from home. Children know the centre routines and expectations and settle quickly to their chosen tasks.
Teachers support children to engage with the Montessori programme. Children have ready access to Montessori resources and activities. Teachers make themselves available to coach and support this aspect of children's learning.
Younger children enjoy affectionate care from teachers. They have opportunities to engage with Montessori resources as well as other appropriate early childhood activities. Several children with diverse needs attend the centre. They are included and supported well to learn alongside their peers.
At present the centre has no children with Māori heritage. It does have a small number of children from Pacific backgrounds. Children in this centre respect others' languages and cultures. They have some understanding of te reo and tikanga Māori. The teaching team have identified the need to continue to strengthen the bicultural aspect of their practice.
Children enjoy playing together in groups outdoors. The significant upgrade of the outdoor environment has increased the scope for children's exploration and development of imaginative play. Gardening and keeping the grounds tidy are integrated into the programme, giving children a sense of ownership and responsibility. Plans are in place to develop a bike track in the playground, which should provide an opportunity to promote understandings around playing safely, for all children.
Teachers plan the programme together. They develop individual Montessori programme plans for each child. Teachers invite parents to contribute their aspirations and include these in planning. The new portfolios, an online portal, and regular surveys keep parents well informed about children's progress with the Montessori programme. Teachers could now consider ways to include information about children's play in portfolios, to demonstrate how their learning aligns with Te Whāriki.
The owner has a strong commitment to positive learning outcomes for all children through both Montessori and Te Whāriki-based programmes. She is working with teachers to generate a seamless combination of the best features of both approaches.
Internal evaluation is still in the early stages of development in the centre. It could be used to help teachers make decisions about the effectiveness of programmes in supporting children's holistic development. The owner should now add Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, to the centre's philosophy. Te Whāriki should then become the other important document used in guiding decision-making about the programme.
Management of the centre is generally efficient and effective. Parents and staff are involved in decision-making about policies and procedures, and strategic planning. Personnel policies are in place. Teachers have a generous allocation of professional development, and have formed a cohesive and collaborative teaching team. Appraisal processes require some further improvement and there remain some refinements, of which the owner is aware, to be made to centre policies and procedures.
ERO and the manager discussed and agree that the next steps for the centre are to:
continue developing assessment with a focus on children's interests and strengths and what they are learning, rather than on what they are doing
consider a stronger reflection on children's languages, culture and identity in portfolios
continue to update health and safety requirements to ensure that the centre meets legal requirements and expectations
review and improve the appraisal processes to meet the required standards annually.
ERO recommends that the manager should provide whole centre professional development about Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, in order to help teachers work more closely with children when they are not engaged with Montessori resources.
Before the review, the staff and management of Orakei 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.
The next ERO review of Orakei Montessori Preschool will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
12 December 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.
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Location |
Orakei, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20446 |
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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 3 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
50 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 26 Girls 24 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā |
35 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
November 2017 |
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Date of this report |
12 December 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
As Kowhai Montessori: Education Review Education Review Education Review |
January 2015 September 2011 June 2008 |
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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:
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.