20 Barnes Street, Timaru
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. 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 Garden Grove Montessori Preschool are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whakaū Embedding Whakaū Embedding |
Garden Grove Montessori Preschool is one of three privately owned and operated early childhood centres. A centre manager is supported by the owner. A small group of tamariki Māori and those of Pacific heritage attend. There has been some progress made with the key next steps identified in ERO’s 2021 review report.
Children play and learn within a well-established curriculum underpinned by the Montessori philosophy of teaching and learning. Teachers support them to develop an understanding of the values and behaviours of Whakamana (empowerment), whanaungatanga (relationships), Ako (learning), and Manaakitanga (respect). Children under the age of three are well nurtured with routines and transitions responsive to their individual interests and developmental needs.
The languages, cultures and identities of children are recognised. Parents have opportunities to contribute aspects of their culture including language and significant celebrations. Further work is required, to fully support tamariki Māori in ways that recognise their uniqueness within their iwi or hapū and whakapapa.
Teachers continue to develop a bicultural curriculum that acknowledges the location of the service in relation to mana whenua. Leaders acknowledge that this needs further exploration and development.
Children's learning and development is assessed and planned for and reviewed. However, there is variability in the ways teachers plan for and assess children’s learning. Assessment records are yet to show children’s learning progress consistently and clearly over time in relation to the learning outcomes within Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Leaders and teachers are improvement focused. There is an established process in place for internal evaluation. Building teacher capability, capacity, and shared understanding across the group of services is required. Leaders agree a greater focus on monitoring and knowing how well improvements have made a difference for children is needed.
A well-established quality assurance system supports the monitoring of daily operations and the service’s strategic vision. Leaders and teachers have established relational trust, they are collaborative with an ongoing focus on improvement. Children's learning and wellbeing are a primary consideration for governance and management in resourcing and decision making.
Garden Grove Montessori Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Garden Grove Montessori Preschool 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:
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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
23 July 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | Garden Grove Montessori Preschool |
| Profile Number | 65031 |
| Location | Timaru |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 39 children aged over 2 years |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 100% |
| Service roll | 67 |
| Review team on site | May 2024 |
| Date of this report | 23 July 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, February 2021; Education Review, February 2017 |
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 | Meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Garden Grove Montessori is a privately owned education and care service, supporting children from two years to school age. It is managed by the owner and a centre manager. Children attending the service are from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
The curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki and is underpinned by the Montessori philosophy. The service’s beliefs, values and attitudes underpin the provision of early childhood education and care and the daily routines. Adults provide meaningful and positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Children experience respectful relationships with kaiako and are affirmed in their achievements and efforts.
The premises and facilities are well maintained and resourced. The design and layout of the premises includes quiet spaces, areas for physically active play suitable for individual and group learning experiences appropriate to the ages, and abilities of children. There is a system in place that gives parents and whānau opportunities to contribute to the development and review of operational documents.
Next steps include:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
18 February 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Garden Grove Montessori |
| Profile Number | 65031 |
| Location | Timaru |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 39 children aged over 2. |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
| Service roll | 52 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 4, NZ European/Pākehā 26, Indian 5, Other ethnicities 17. |
| Review team on site | December 2020 |
| Date of this report | 18 February 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, March 2017; Education Review, September 2013. |
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.
Garden Grove Montessori is a small, privately-owned centre that follows the Montessori philosophy. It is licensed for 34 children over two years of age.
Since the 2013 ERO review, there have been significant staffing changes, including a centre manager and teachers. There are also new owners. The recommendations from ERO's last report to strengthen strategic planning, assessment and the bicultural programme have been worked on but remain a work in progress.
The new owners have improved the outdoor environment. These improvements have added interest and enhanced safety.
Children benefit from caring relationships with their teachers. Teachers know children and their families well. Families are warmly welcomed into the centre. Parents' ideas are sought and incorporated into planning learning programmes for children. Children play and learn in well-resourced, attractive environments. Materials children need for learning are easily accessible for them to select.
Children work cooperatively together. Through the carefully prepared Montessori programme, children are supported to develop independence and self-managing skills. Aspects of mathematics, literacy, and mastering motor skills feature strongly in children's activities. Children are gaining an awareness of New Zealand's bicultural heritage through waiata, te reo and the natural world. A next step is for leaders and teachers to continue to build their own capability in things Māori and to ensure Māori perspectives are included in assessment, planning and evaluation for individuals and groups of children.
The leader and teachers have extensively redeveloped the centre philosophy. They have created useful indicators of what this looks like in action. A next step is for them to further develop indicators that show how the Treaty of Waitangi will be implemented. They should also use relevant indicators against which to evaluate programmes and practices.
Leaders and teachers have made good use of professional learning to improve their planning, assessment and evaluation for groups and individuals. Useful systems are in place to ensure all children are planned for over time and for parents' wishes for their children's learning to be included. A next step is to ensure children's language, culture and identity are reflected in records of learning. This needs to be consistently implemented.
Teachers have recently developed group plans that help parents understand the learning that is happening for their children in the centre. Leaders have identified and ERO agrees, that group and Montessori planning of the curriculum needs to be better aligned to the principles of Te Whāriki (Early Childhood Curriculum) and more specific to show the intended learning. The leaders have established useful systems and expectations to ensure the smooth running of the centre in times of change. This includes:
There is a strategic plan with well-defined actions for the owner, staff and parents to follow. This plan contains everyday business as usual. A next step is to better reflect current priorities in the plan. The manager needs to report to the owners on the progress made towards the strategic goals.
A new approach to appraisal has been adopted. To further improve this the Education Council requirements should be included in documentation, purposeful observations held and cultural competencies included. They also need to show evidence of how well teachers meet the requirements.
Internal evaluation carried out by the leader and teachers is focused on making improvements. It follows a useful process and has led to positive changes. A next step to improve the quality of internal evaluation is to use an evaluative question and relevant indicators of what good practice looks like.
The leaders and teachers have agreed that the key next steps are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Garden Grove 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 Garden Grove Montessori Preschool will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Te Waipounamu)
22 March 2017
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 | Timaru | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 65031 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 34 children over 2 years | ||
| Service roll | 58 | ||
| Gender composition | Girls: 32 Boys: 26 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Other | 4 47 7 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Over 2 | 1:8 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Review team on site | December 2016 | ||
| Date of this report | 22 March 2017 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | September 2013 | |
| Education Review | April 2010 | ||
| Education Review | April 2007 | ||
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.