5 Chambers Street, North East Valley, Dunedin
View on mapBestStart Montessori The Gardens
BestStart Montessori The Gardens
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.
ERO’s Judgement
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
Curriculum |
Meeting |
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
Health and safety |
Meeting |
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
During the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Background
BestStart Montessori The Gardens is owned and operated by BestStart Educare Ltd. The day-to-day operations are led by the centre manager who is supported by an area manager, and head teachers in each of the classrooms. Children attending the service are from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds.
Summary of Review Findings
Centre resourcing aligns to the Montessori philosophy, which emphasises children working at their own pace in a prepared environment and provides children with choice in their learning. There are opportunities for children across the service to hear te reo Māori being spoken throughout the day. Teachers’ interactions with infants and toddlers are respectful and responsive to their individual needs.
The design and layout of the facilities support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences. There is space for a range of individual and group learning activities appropriate to the children attending.
Governance and management systems support the daily operations of the service. Processes for review and evaluation contribute to ongoing improvement.
Key Next Steps
Next steps include:
-
strengthening assessment planning and evaluation practices to consistently reflect the use of the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki for individual and groups of children.
Actions for Compliance
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
-
ensuring that all components are fully documented when undertaking safety checking of children’s workers in accordance with the Children Act 2014.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care 2008, GMA7A].
Next ERO Review
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
10 October 2022
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name |
BestStart Montessori The Gardens |
Profile Number |
80021 |
Location |
Dunedin |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
70 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
Service roll |
83 |
Review team on site |
August 2022 |
Date of this report |
10 October 2022 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, February 2017; Education Review, June 2013 |
General Information about Assurance Reviews
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.
ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:
-
having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
-
previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
-
that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
-
that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
-
where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
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:
-
curriculum
-
premises and facilities
-
health and safety practices
-
governance, management and administration.
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:
-
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 certification; ratios)
- relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
-
discussions with those involved in the service
-
consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
-
observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.
Montessori The Gardens - 24/02/2017
1 Evaluation of Montessori The Gardens
How well placed is Montessori The Gardens to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Background
Montessori The Gardens provides education and care for children aged 14 months to six years on one site. The site comprises of three buildings with children grouped according to age. When ERO visited in 2013, the three classrooms were licensed separately. They are now all on one licence. The service is a member of the BestStart group of early childhood services. The education programme is based on Montessori principles.
A head teacher in each classroom has responsibility for the day-to-day programme. The on-site manager has support from a BestStart professional services manager (PSM) and business manager. The service has a mix of new and long-serving staff. Two of the three head teachers and the PSM have been in their roles for less than one year.
The centre welcomes children from a diverse range of cultures and ethnicities.
The 2010 and 2013 ERO reports identified internal evaluation as an area for development. The centre has identified, and ERO agrees, that this continues to be an area for development.
The Review Findings
Children in all three classrooms benefit from warm, caring, respectful relationships with each other and the teachers. Children's sense of belonging and wellbeing is supported by well-established routines and the teachers' clear expectations for behaviour.
Children engage well in both structured and informal learning. They have a range of opportunities to exercise choice, learn at their own pace and work uninterrupted on activities of interest, either alone or in groups. A key feature of the programme is the focus on children learning self-care, real-life skills, literacy and mathematics. The teachers plan for groups and individuals and regularly record children’s successes and achievements, and identify next steps for learning.
Infants and toddlers learn and play in a calm, child-focused environment that supports their growing independence.
Children with English as a second language are nurtured in a community atmosphere where language and culture are valued and celebrated.
Teachers seek and value input from parents and whānau about children’s interests and learning. Families enjoy excursions and other social events together which is helping to establish a sense of community within the service.
The learning environment reflects New Zealand’s bicultural heritage. Children have opportunities to become familiar with Māori culture through the use of te reo Māori, saying karakia and singing waiata. Teachers acknowledge the need for ongoing development of their confidence, knowledge and abilities in this area.
The centre managers have worked well together to settle new staff and establish a positive team culture. The focus for the past year has been for new staff to become familiar with the Montessori approach to learning and become familiar with BestStart’s compliance and audit requirements.
Leaders have been involved with BestStart professional learning recently regarding changes in health and safety and Education Council requirements.
Key Next Steps
The centre managers and leaders have identified the need to continue to build their knowledge and understanding of effective internal evaluation processes and practices.
The centre manager and leaders have identified the need to continue to develop:
- their knowledge and understanding of effective internal evaluation processes and practices
- the links between the centre philosophy, the centre’s learning priorities and the strategic plan
- the strategic plan and how the goals will be met, monitored and evaluated over time
- internal evaluation processes and practice
- planning, assessment and evaluation guidelines and practices
- bicultural practice and the integration of Māori perspectives.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Montessori The Gardens 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:
- 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; 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.
Next ERO Review
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Montessori The Gardens will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Te Waipounamu)
24 February 2017
The Purpose of ERO Reports
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.
2 Information about the Early Childhood Service
Location |
Dunedin |
||
Ministry of Education profile number |
80021 |
||
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
Number licensed for |
70 children, including up to 13 aged under 2 |
||
Service roll |
77 |
||
Gender composition |
Boys: 39 Girls: 38 |
||
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese Cook Island Niuean Middle Eastern Korean African European |
9 46 6 1 1 2 2 2 8 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Meets minimum requirements |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
December 2016 |
||
Date of this report |
24 February 2017 |
||
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
June 2013 |
|
Education Review |
February 2010 |
||
Supplementary Review |
February 2007 |
3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews
ERO’s Evaluation Framework
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.
ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review
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:
- Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
- Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
- Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
- Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
Review Coverage
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.
Montessori @ The Gardens - 20/06/2013
1 Evaluation of the Service
How well placed is the service to promote positive outcomes for children?
The service is well placed to promote positive outcomes for children.
Context
The Montessori Infants’ House is one of three Kidicorp centres known as Montessori @ the Gardens. They are based on adjacent sites. The on-site manager has responsibility for all three licences. In the last 12 months a new teaching team has been working in the Infants’ House. The head teacher is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the centre.
The Infants’ House provides all-day education and care for toddlers under three years. They come from many parts of Dunedin and from diverse backgrounds. Teachers use effective processes to create a sense of belonging for the children and their whānau.
Since the last ERO review in 2010, teachers have maintained their focus on providing an education based soundly on the Montessori principles. The teachers are committed to teaching through this philosophy. Significant improvements have been made to the outdoor environment and the children’s learning stories. In 2010, ERO identified the need for the centre to extend its self-review processes. This continues to be an area for development.
This review was conducted as part of a cluster approach to reviews in three early childhood education services within the Kidicorp Ltd umbrella organisation.
Review Findings
The toddlers work and learn in a calm and settled classroom. They show a strong sense of purpose and ownership. They make very good use of the resources.
The centre’s philosophy is soundly based on the principles of Montessori and is well linked to Te Whaariki (the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum). The principles of independence, social skill development and respect are very visible throughout the programme and in how the toddlers interact with each other and their environment.
Teachers establish and maintain meaningful relationships with the toddlers and their whānau. Teachers often seek ideas from parents and ask them about their aspirations for their children. As a teaching team, they consider these, along with the Montessori learning sequences, when deciding the learning and teaching directions for individual children.
Throughout their day at Infants’ House, the toddlers hear and use te reo Māori in waiata, stories, rhymes and instructions. The learning environment and many of the teachers’ practices are building children’s awareness of te ao Māori.
Teachers reflect on their practices as individuals and as a team. They work collaboratively to plan for children’s learning and the overall organisation of the classroom’s programme. Over the past months, teachers across the three classrooms have been sharing ideas and resources more.
Key Next Steps
Managers and teachers could improve their self review by:
- developing a shared understanding of sound self-review
- establishing consistent processes that clearly set out what is to be reviewed, who is involved and how information will be gathered and analysed, recorded, used and evaluated to bring about further improvements for children
- establishing a review cycle to ensure all aspects of the operations of the service are effectively reviewed over time.
The centre manager, with the head teachers, should clarify, document and implement their expectations for effective planning, assessment and evaluation. Consistent centre-wide expectations would provide better support for:
- teachers to know what they have to do
- managers to monitor the quality of planning across the three classrooms
- teachers and managers when reviewing aspects of their work.
Managers need to establish procedures to ensure the Kidicorp systems are better implemented. These should include:
- the centre manager and head teachers making more effective use of the comprehensive and regular external reports and audits provided by the business and professional services managers
- teachers having an annual robust appraisal, with links to ongoing and relevant professional support that assists them to continue to develop their teaching practices.
Centre managers need to ensure all staff have regular opportunities to share their ideas and views, for example, about the effectiveness of management practices including performance management.
2 Legal Requirements
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Montessori Infants' House 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:
- 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; 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.
To improve current practice, managers and teachers should be more rigorous when carrying out and recording evacuation drills.
3 Next Review
When is ERO likely to review the early childhood service again?
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services Southern Region
20 June 2013
Information about the Early Childhood Service
Location |
Dunedin |
||
Ministry of Education profile number |
80021 |
||
Licence type |
Education and Care Service - All Day |
||
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
Number licensed for |
16 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
Service roll |
18 |
||
Gender composition |
Girls: 10 Boys: 8 |
||
Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā Cook Island Asian Other |
12 1 2 3 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% |
||
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Exceeds minimum requirements |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Exceeds minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
April 2013 |
||
Date of this report |
20 June 2013 |
||
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Supplementary Review Education Review |
February 2010 February 2007 October 2005 |
General Information about Early Childhood Reviews
About ERO Reviews
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that reviews schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
Review focus
ERO's education reviews in early childhood services focus on the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. ERO evaluates how well placed the service is to make and sustain improvements for the benefit of all children at the service. To reach these findings ERO considers:
- 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 self review and partnerships with parents and whānau.
Review Coverage
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.