Sancta Maria Montessori Preschool (Sherborne)

1 ERO’s Judgements 

Akarangi | 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. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.  

ERO’s judgements for ​Sancta Maria Montessori Preschool (Sherborne)​ are as follows: 

2 Context of the Service 

Sancta Maria Montessori Preschool (Sherborne) is one of two services under the same ownership. The centre is purpose built and reflects the service philosophy and Montessori approach to teaching and learning. The roll is culturally diverse. Since ERO’s 2020 review, the service has made some progress in increasing opportunities for children to hear and speak te reo Māori in meaningful contexts.

3 Summary of findings 

Children experience a broad curriculum that integrates aspects of the Catholic faith, and is based on Montessori teaching methods, which emphasise hands on activities and developing real world life skills. The curriculum is responsive to children’s interests and abilities. Teachers respond to children’s requests for support and guide them through the different learning stages within the Montessori curriculum. Children display a strong sense of belonging and autonomy. Children with additional needs are well supported by the service and outside agencies.

Children’s learning and development within the Montessori framework is clearly documented. It shows how children contribute to their learning. However, teachers are yet to consistently show in assessment documentation how they:

• use the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, to intentionally plan for children’s learning

• show children’s learning and progress over time in relation to Te Whāriki, learning outcomes

• gather and respond to parents’ aspirations for their child’s learning

• build children’s cultural and learner identities.

Leaders are in the early stages of implementing a professional growth cycle to support teachers’ continual growth to support children’s learning and development. There is an appropriate internal evaluation framework in place. Building all teachers’ capability to undertake effective evaluation is now required, and should include:

• using evaluative questions to guide the evaluation

• developing clear indicators of high-quality practice or success

• undertaking rigorous data analysis to better inform decision making and to identify the impact of actions on outcomes for identified individuals and groups of children.

4 Improvement actions

Sancta Maria Montessori will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• Build collective capability to effectively do and use internal evaluation for improvement to better inform decision making and improve outcomes for all learners.

• When planning, assessing and evaluating children’s learning, consistently use Te Whāriki learning outcomes to intentionally plan for children’s learning, and show children’s learning and progress over time.

• Build children’s cultural and learner identities within assessment documentation.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of ​Sancta Maria Montessori Preschool (Sherborne)​ completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)

• relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

6 Actions for Compliance

ERO identified the following area of non-compliance:

• ensuring that furniture that can topple and cause serious damage or injury is secured.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS6.

7 Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure non-compliances identified in this report are addressed.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

​​17 August 2023​

8 About the Early Childhood Service