278 Waddington Drive, Naenae, Lower Hutt
View on mapERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards | ERO’s judgement |
| Curriculum | Meeting |
| Premises and facilities | Meeting |
| Health and safety | Meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Meeting |
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed a non-compliance and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Wa Ora Montessori Preschool provides education and care for children between three and five years of age. The school principal has overall responsibility for the preschool which is managed by the deputy principal. The service’s philosophy includes Montessori approaches that value children’s self-directed and hands-on learning. This is the second, consecutive Akanuku| Assurance Review of this service.
Children access a range of equipment and materials appropriate to their ages and capabilities. The service curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Regular opportunities are provided for parents to be involved in decision-making for their child’s learning.
Aspects of compliance relating to health and safety lack sufficient guidance and monitoring to support consistency across the classrooms. Having an intentional focus on compliance with licensing requirements, by governance and management is required to ensure that the preschool is consistently maintaining regulatory standards.
A next step is to:
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
7 August 2024
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 120 children, including no children aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 100% |
| Service roll | 100 |
| Review team on site | July 2024 |
| Date of this report | 7 August 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, October 2021; Education Review, April 2018. |
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 regulatory 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:
ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards | ERO’s judgement |
| Curriculum | Meeting |
| Premises and facilities | Meeting |
| Health and safety | Not meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Not meeting
|
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Wa Ora Montessori Preschool provides education and care for children from three years of age. The principal has overall responsibility for the area school and preschool. A deputy principal manages the preschool. The philosophy emphasises the provision of a Montessori curriculum within the framework of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Children are provided with a range of experiences to enhance their learning and development within well-resourced environments. Calm settled classrooms support children to interact positively with their peers. Kaiārahi collaborate with parents about their child’s learning. Children’s cultures are respected and supported through use of their home language and cultural events. Increased monitoring of health and safety by leadership is required to ensure that policies and procedures are followed.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008: HS7, HS8, HS27.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
4 October 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Wa Ora Montessori Preschool |
| Profile Number | 55391 |
| Location | Lower Hutt |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 120 children over 3 years. |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
| Service roll | 96 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 6, NZ European/Pākehā 53, Chinese 8, Indian 8, Vietnamese 6, European 5, Other ethnic groups 10. |
| Review team on site | June 2021 |
| Date of this report | 4 October 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, April 2018; Education Review, February 2014. |
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:
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Wa Ora Montessori Preschool is attached to Wa Ora Montessori School in Naenae, Lower Hutt. It caters for 120 children from three to six years of age, in four mixed age classrooms. Of the 90 children enrolled, 10 are Māori.
The principal has the overall responsibility for the area school and preschool. The newly appointed deputy principal oversees all classrooms in the preschool. Each room is run by a head teacher with the support of a teacher.
All teachers are qualified and registered. The deputy principal and head teachers are Association Montessori Internationally (AMI) trained. Since the February 2014 ERO review there have been significant staffing changes at the senior leadership level.
The Montessori philosophy has a strong emphasis on providing a peaceful and orderly environment where children learn to work independently but within a wider community with differing ages and abilities.
The previous ERO report identified next steps for further development. These included the appraisal system and te ao Māori knowledge and understanding. The service has responded well to these areas for development.
The philosophy is highly evident in practice. A clear vision sets direction for the service and reflects a commitment to high quality education for all children. A collaborative culture where children are at the centre of all decision making, has contributed to good practice being sustained through a time of significant leadership change.
Children learn in a calm, orderly and well-resourced environment. They are able to move freely between the indoor and outdoor classrooms. This enables them to follow their interests, take risks and learn in their own way. They show confidence and competence as learners and are able to sustain their play for long periods.
The programme is based on the Montessori philosophy and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. High value is placed on the importance of authentic experiences and working with real and natural resources. Literacy, mathematics, science and caring for the environment are promoted through daily activities.
Ongoing assessment of children's knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to the philosophy and Te Whāriki informs individual planning. Teachers are intentional in the way they recognise and respond to opportunities to engage in, and extend children's learning. They use a range of effective strategies to support children's independence, promote social competencies and problem solving skills. Parent and whānau aspirations are valued. They help inform goal setting and next learning priorities.
Individual learning stories help to build children's identities as successful learners, and show progress over time. Children's culture, language and identities are celebrated. Stories are shared with parents through an online programme to provide further opportunity for them to contribute to their child's learning. Consideration should be given to how children are able to revisit their learning on a daily basis while at preschool.
Children's transition into the centre and on to school is supported by well-considered processes and good relationships. Collaboration and sharing of information with teachers in the primary school contributes to children's continued sense of belonging.
The service continues to focus on Māori children experiencing success as Māori. Leaders and teachers are building their knowledge in this area committed to their own learning and actively seeking ways to integrate te reo me ngā tikanga Māori authentically across the curriculum. Whānau Māori are increasingly contributing to decision-making. Teachers have identified that this continues to be an area for further development.
Teachers work with parents, whānau and external agencies to provide for children requiring additional learning support. They are strengthening their own knowledge and understanding of effective teaching strategies to promote children's engagement and success in learning.
The council has clear structures that guide how they monitor centre operation, management, and teaching and learning.
Leaders and teachers are improvement-focused. The use of evidence-based review and evaluation to measure the impact of processes and practices on outcomes for children is developing. Strategic and annual planning outlines priorities across the preschool and area school contexts. Developing a differentiated annual plan to progress strategic goals, should enable the service to better monitor progress and evaluate the impact on outcomes for children.
ERO leaders and teachers agree the service's priorities are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Wa Ora 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.
The next ERO review of Wa Ora Montessori Preschool will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
13 April 2018
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 | Lower Hutt | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 55391 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 120 children over 2 | ||
| Service roll | 90 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 45, Girls 45 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Pacific Asian Other ethnic groups | 10 42 4 23 11 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Over 2 | 1:10 | Meets minimum requirements |
| Review team on site | March 2018 | ||
| Date of this report | 13 April 2018 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | February 2014 | |
| Education Review | November 2009 | ||
| Education Review | September 2006 | ||
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.