183 Brookside Road, Rolleston
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Bright Beginnings Montessori is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Bright Beginnings Montessori is open five days per week for full-day sessions. The centre is privately owned and is operated as a family business. It has been under new ownership since November 2017. It is licensed for up to 84 children, including up to 24 children under two years of age.
The centre's philosophy was recently reviewed. It is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and the Montessori philosophy. The centre states that its vision is to 'be a centre of excellence that seeks to begin to realise the immense potential within all as we grow independent learners who can make a valued contribution to their world'.
There have been recent and significant changes in teaching staff since the July 2015 ERO review, including a new leadership team and governance group. Most teachers are fully qualified early childhood educators, and some hold an additional Montessori qualification. Other significant changes since the previous ERO review include: review and update of strategic documents, a new teacher appraisal system, the introduction of online assessment and communication tools, a greater emphasis on creative play for children and improvements to the facilities and exterior play areas.
The centre is part of the Ngā Peka o Tauwharekākaho Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning.
Children are confident and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging. They are well supported by staff who foster positive, warm and respectful relationships between the adults and children. Children under two years of age experience a calm and nurturing environment with adults who know them well. Readily available resources ensure all children can use a wide variety of equipment that supports creative and physical development for learning. Children have access to a large outdoor area that fosters co-operative play, physical challenge and provides stimulating sensory environments for learning.
Teachers engage thoughtfully with children, parents and whānau to establish learning priorities for individual children. They build on a range of strategies that are underpinned by the Montessori philosophy and extend children's skills and ideas. Children are well supported by staff to build social competence skills which are reinforced by clear and consistent routines. Teachers thoughtfully engage with children, following their interests and regularly assessing and planning for children's important learning.
Flexible structures support transitions within and beyond the centre. The transitions are responsive, and child paced.
Improvement-focused teachers and leaders engage with professional learning to support teacher appraisal and teaching as inquiry, in ways that are aligned to strategic priorities. Sound governance and management practices are linked to an evaluation framework. Clear and effective systems and practices support the smooth running of all centre operations. Leaders are proactive in developing leadership capability within the teaching team and, as a result, are distributing responsibility across the centre.
Processes to formalise consultation and the gathering of parent aspirations could be strengthened by teachers and leaders to support children's learning and inform ongoing improvement.
Leaders and teachers:
Before the review, the staff and management of Bright Beginnings 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
16 June 2020
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 |
Rolleston |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45483 |
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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 |
84 children, including up to 24 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
103 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 53%, Boys 47% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
11% |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
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 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
December 2019 |
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Date of this report |
16 June 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
April 2012 |
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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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Bright Beginnings Montessori Brookside is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Bright Beginnings Montessori Brookside provides for children from two years to school age. Bright Beginnings Montessori Nursery is in the same building.
The preschool and the nursery operate as one centre. They have the same management, systems and practices. The preschool has two classrooms for younger and older children. The two classes share a large outdoor area. The nursery has its own spacious classroom and outdoor play space. Nearly all the staff are qualified early childhood teachers. Two staff members have a Montessori qualification.
The managers and teachers have made very good progress in meeting the 2012 ERO review recommendation to establish effective child assessment and programme-planning processes. Progress is being made to improve self review and staff-appraisal processes. Strategic planning remains an area for further development.
Children participate in well-organised programmes that provide them with many opportunities to develop skills, knowledge and interests within the Montessori and the wider early childhood curriculum. Literacy, mathematics and music are well integrated into the class programmes. Many of the teachers regularly use te reo Māori phrases in their conversations with children.
Managers and teachers place a strong emphasis on children developing good social and communication skills. Teachers model their expectations for child behaviour and respect for others. Children are friendly, inclusive, and listen carefully and respond appropriately to others.
Teachers use a good range of teaching approaches to help children extend their thinking and problem-solving skills. They listen, to and value children’s opinions and ideas. They give praise and encouragement. Children are confident and prepared to take risks in their learning to experience success and to acquire new skills.
The child profile books and planning records provide a comprehensive record of each child’s learning and the ways teachers promote ongoing success. The records consistently identify ways teachers support learning and clear next steps to extend and provide meaningful learning experiences. Teachers successfully include child and parent comments in the learning stories.
Child transitions into, within, and from the centre are well established and focus on the needs of each child and their family.
Children’s home cultures are recognised in the programme and teachers regularly use home languages with children. Parents are encouraged to share their language and culture with the centre to benefit all children.
Parents are valued as the first teachers and carers of their children. Managers and teachers use a range of effective ways to engage parents in their children’s learning and care, and to provide additional support whenever it is needed. The managers have high expectations for learning and teaching and value teachers as professionals. They actively promote leadership within the centre, and make good use of external expertise to strengthen systems, practices and understandings.
Managers provide teachers with good support, professional development and resources to continually improve their skills, knowledge and confidence. Team work and support is valued and well used to improve teaching practices and provide consistency in the use of the centre’s systems and practices.
The managers and ERO agree, that the next steps to improve learning outcomes for children include continuing to:
The managers should also:
Before the review, the staff and management of Bright Beginnings Montessori Brookside 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.
The next ERO review of Bright Beginnings Montessori Brookside will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
23 July 2015
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 |
Rolleston |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
45483 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, two years of age and over |
||
|
Service roll |
64 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 36; Boys 28 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Fijian Asian Other ethnicities |
9 40 3 1 5 6 |
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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 |
Over 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
June 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
23 July 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report |
Education Review |
April 2012 |
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.