1217-1219 New North Road, Mount Albert, Auckland
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 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 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 Treasure Hunt Montessori Preschool are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakaū Embedding |
Treasure Hunt Montessori Preschool serves a diverse multicultural community. The centre owner leads a teaching team with the support of two external leaders. Several teachers have a Montessori teaching qualification that is based on children learning through self-directed experiences in a prepared environment. Some teachers speak the home languages of the children attending.
Infants and toddlers appear secure in their attachments with kaiako, whose interactions with children are warm and caring. They are responsive to the verbal and non-verbal cues of these younger children. Older children are confident to express their thoughts and feelings to their peers and adults. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging at the centre. Children respect and take care of the resources and environment. Tuakana/teina relationships between younger and older children are evident.
Pacific children’s cultures and languages are celebrated. Kaiako value the cultural diversity of children and their whānau. They purposefully seek the views of families/whānau to inform the curriculum, and to support children to learn about their local and wider community. Children with additional learning needs are well supported through intentional, individualised teaching and positive relationships between kaiako and families.
The provision of a curriculum based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and Montessori approaches enriches and supports children’s learning. Kaiako respect children’s interests and choices. They maintain a calm and unhurried pace that enables young children to explore and investigate the environment. Kaiako thoughtfully incorporate opportunities for children to further their literacy and mathematical learning.
There is an established internal evaluation process to evaluate improvements made over time. Policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and consistently monitored. A strategic vison and plan have been developed to guide the service’s direction.
Treasure Hunt Montessori Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Treasure Hunt 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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
18 March 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Treasure Hunt Montessori Preschool |
| Profile Number | 10326 |
| Location | Mount Albert, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 18 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
44 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 1 |
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Review team on site |
January 2021 |
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Date of this report |
18 March 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, June 2016 |
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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.
Treasure Hunt Montessori Preschool is a privately owned service. It provides sessional and all day education and care for up to 50 children, including up 18 children under two years of age, in two separate rooms known as the nursery and preschool.
Most children at the centre are of Indian descent with smaller numbers of children who come from a range of ethnicities including Pākehā, Māori and Chinese. Teachers reflect the cultures of the children.
The centre’s philosophy is underpinned by the principles of Montessori and influenced byTe Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. It focuses on providing children with a rich learning programme that includes opportunities to pursue their own interests.
The 2013 ERO report noted positive relationships, the relevant programme and well organised learning environments. These areas continue to be noteworthy. The 2013 ERO report also identified some areas for improvement and these continue to be priorities for future centre development.
Children are happy, friendly and settled. Teachers' interactions with children are affirming and respectful, and children demonstrate a good sense of belonging. Older children are keen learners and their independence is well promoted. Children with special educational needs are appropriately supported.
Teachers' responsive caregiving supports infants' and toddlers' need for strong and secure attachments. It would now be beneficial for children if teachers reviewed the learning environment to determine the kinds of resources that would best enhance children’s opportunities to follow their own ideas, interests and exploration.
Children in the preschool area are offered a choice of activities in an appropriately resourced Montessori learning environment. Staff use deliberate acts of teaching and provide opportunities for children to make sense of the natural, physical, social and material world. Project work fosters children's social learning skills. Opportunities to foster reading, writing and mathematical knowledge are an integral part of everyday activities. Children benefit from long periods of uninterrupted play where their ideas and social interactions can develop.
Project-based planning is clearly documented in the preschool area and includes some recognition of children's interests. Learning records, however, are not being regularly documented, and managers acknowledge the importance of seeking external help to review planning, assessment and evaluation processes. Increasing the focus on documenting and responding to children's interests is an area for development.
New staff have been appointed recently. Both rooms have head teachers, with one of them being very new to the role. It could be useful to revisit the service's philosophy with the staff to identify and prioritise what is important for children and families. The centre owner believes it would also be timely to review aspects of governance, management and curriculum in order to develop shared understandings and expectations in the centre about these matters.
Good use is made of external mentors to provide a programme of advice and guidance for provisionally registered teachers. The centre owner should now seek external support to review the service's current appraisal process and align it more closely to the Practising Teaching Criteria.
It would be useful to review the roles and responsibilities of managers and staff. Developing clear and specific job descriptions could distribute leadership opportunities and be helpful in further developing governance, management and curriculum processes.
The centre managers have identified key next steps for the centre that include:
formalising systems, guidelines and documentation that support long-term planning, policy development and centre operations, such as appraisal processes
developing a regular cycle of self-review, including evaluation that is effective and focused on ongoing improvement
considering how a bicultural curriculum and celebration of children's diverse cultures can enrich the centre's programme
seeking external support to review planning, assessment and evaluation processes.
Before the review, the staff and management of Treasure Hunt 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:
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 Treasure Hunt Montessori Preschool will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
8 June 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.
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Location |
Mt Albert, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10326 |
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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 |
50 children, including up to 18 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
57 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 32 Girls 25 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Indian Chinese Tongan Bangladeshi Afghani Fijian Nepalese Samoan other |
6 1 25 6 5 3 2 2 2 2 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 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
April 2016 |
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Date of this report |
8 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
March 2013 |
|
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Supplementary Review |
April 2010 |
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|
Education Review |
December 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:
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 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.