77 Windermere Road, Papanui, Christchurch
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
The Villa Montessori Preschool is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
The Villa Montessori Preschool was fully licensed by the Ministry of Education in November 2017. The centre is licensed for 29 children over the age of two years. Joint owners provide governance to their two Montessori centres. A new centre manager was appointed in February 2018 and works collaboratively with one of the owners to provide professional guidance and leadership to staff.
The owner holds a Montessori qualification and two staff are qualified, registered teachers. Staff and families are from a diverse range of nationalities.
The centre follows a strong Montessori philosophy and promotes independence, self-help skills and a love of learning.
This is the first ERO review of the centre.
Children experience an environment and sense of belonging that helps them to take part in caring for this centre. The curriculum promotes children's independence and self-management. Children are capable and confident and learn alongside others in a respectful manner. Teachers make sure children know the routines and expectations for using the equipment and resources. There is a wide range of meaningful and structured play activities and high quality resources to support children's learning. The physical environment and natural resources reinforces the programme and approach to teaching and learning, with some underpinning by Te Whāriki, the NZ Early Childhood Curriculum.
Children's learning benefits from programmes that are grounded in the Montessori method of sequential activities which scaffold their progressive mastery of knowledge, skills and understanding. The programme and teaching has a strong focus on developing children's literacy and numeracy skills within the curriculum areas of music, science, biology and geography. Children are well supported as they transition into and within the centre. These transition practices are flexible and individualised to meet children's preferences and needs.
Teachers engage in thoughtful, shared interactions with children. They use a range of intentional strategies that include purposeful discussions and questioning to guide children's learning and promote oral language development.
Children have opportunities to learn about Māori culture, and teachers regularly use waiata, karakia, te reo, and tikanga Māori practices to promote children's knowledge and understandings. Children's identities and sense of belonging are acknowledged and affirmed in a family like atmosphere. The tuakana/teina concept of learning is promoted and used well. Older children supporting younger children is very evident in the way children learn together.
Teachers have an in-depth knowledge of each child's learning and achievement. Records of learning show that the teachers know the children well. Planning for children's learning is specific and aligned to the Montessori framework. Leaders have recently introduced a digital programme for sharing significant moments in children's learning with parents. This is enabling parents to be closely involved in their child's learning.
Leaders encourage a collaborative team approach and value the expertise and interests of their teachers in extending experiences for children in the programme. Leaders have high expectations for teaching and learning and have a strong improvement focus. Teachers are encouraged and supported to extend their teaching capabilities through professional learning and development and ongoing coaching and mentoring. Teachers are developing a culture of reflection and inquiry into teaching and learning practices.
The centre has good management systems and processes. Governance policies and procedures are regularly reviewed. There have been some positive changes as a result of internal evaluation which support the ongoing development of the centre and its priorities, but this is at an early stage of development.
The key next steps for the centre leaders are to continue the review and development of:
Before the review, the staff and management of The Villa 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 The Villa Montessori Preschool will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review & Improvement Services
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
5 February 2019
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 |
Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
47075 |
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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 |
29 children |
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Service roll |
20 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 11 ; Girls 9 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
1 |
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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 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
November 2018 |
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Date of this report |
5 February 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
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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.