qualification to be regulated by Ofqual.
Montessori may be on the respectable alternatives list when it comes to childcare, but it has remained conspicuously separate from the mainstream in terms of qualifications. Its international diploma was awarded by the Montessori exam board, which was not on a national qualification framework. But it has drawn a line in the sand with its latest Level 3 course. The Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy - Birth to Seven (Early Years Educator) is the organisation's first qualification to be regulated by Ofqual.
As director of studies for Montessori Centre International (MCI) Penny Johns explains, Montessori practitioners would have been unable to practice and be counted in ratios in the future without a qualification that carried the Early Years Educator (EYE) stamp. This allows professionals to study in Montessori and then offer their skills to non-Montessori settings, potentially spreading the practice. 'Its really important we can offer a qualification that keeps Montessori practice going and moves along with national changes,' she says.
The new diploma was created jointly by educational charity Crossfields Institute and awarding body CACHE. Crossfields worked with Montessori to write learning outcomes and assessment criteria that met the requirements of the National College of Teaching and Leadership. CACHE, meanwhile, awards the qualification alongside its own three EYE courses. 'Everybody in early years understands CACHE qualifications - now our diploma is the same as everybody else's diplomas,' says Ms Johns. 'It should allow practitioners to work in Montessori and non-Montessori settings.'
The EYE is offered at Levels 3 and 4, a feature shared only by one other EYE course, offered by Steiner. MCI historically only caters for students aged 18 years old and above. Although other awarding bodies' EYEs are available to 16-year-olds, and do not require a minimum grade C for GCSE maths and English to start the course (though this will change from September 2016), Montessori stipulates students must have at least three GCSEs, including maths and English, at grade C. It also demands applicants have one A Level at grade C or higher plus one further A Level. Comparable equivalent international qualifications also count for both GCSE and A Levels.
MCI offers students a route from Level 3 to 4. Those who complete Level 4 can also join the second year of Montessori's foundation degree, which can be topped up with another year of study to a BA honours qualification.
Currently, 117 students are studying the diploma internationally. Ms Johns anticipates a second intake of more than 150 will join the course in this month. The EYE is delivered in two ways - via distance or college-based learning. Students in London or near a Montessori sub-centre are expected to attend six hours a week of class tuition during two semesters of 20 weeks. Distance students can study the courses' 13 units in their own time via a website created by Montessori specifically for this purpose. All students are encouraged to use this resource to share experiences with other Montessori students around the world.
'This is brand new,' says Ms Johns. 'We have a lot of distance learning students and really want them to have the same learning experience as our face-to-face students. We've done lots of training in terms of what alternative technology and online learning can offer and how to do it in a way that meets our pedagogy.'
All students must complete 400 placement hours in an accredited Montessori setting. Additionally, distance students must attend 88 hours of apparatus workshops at a training centre to demonstrate they can use Montessori equipment and deliver presentations. Five such workshops are available for students in London during the Easter and summer holidays. One student lives in Albania and will travel to Cyprus, where Montessori has an approved trainer, to complete this part of the course.
The course is based on Montessori's philosophy that a child's early years - from birth to six - are when they have the greatest capacity to learn. 'It's about giving the child the time, freedom and space to work to their own rhythms to do the things that are important to them at any particular time,' says Ms Johns. She also explains that the course is delivered in line with this philosophy, as it aims to fit around students in work or who care for families.
Students are expected to complete 18 assessments during their placement hours. These include carrying out risk assessments, implementing lesson plans, or considering how settings support children through transition. They are supported by experienced practitioners who act as mentors, as well as MCI tutors. Tutors observe students' practice and judge whether they have met assessment criteria. 'Everyone who teaches at MCI has at least a degree-level qualification,' says Ms Johns.
The students must complete the qualification within two years, during which time they also have to complete a child study, which includes five observations. At the end of the course, they submit a 3,000-word reflection on themselves as practitioners.
'In terms of redeveloping this qualification, we've kept really true to Montessori principles,'
says Ms Johns. 'Nothing has changed about the curriculum. What has changed is the assessment. This qualification brings Montessori to the forefront of current developments in early years education. I hope this helps people understand Montessori in a different way.'
EMPLOYER'S VIEW: SARAH STEEL, THE OLD STATION
'I'd happily consider hiring someone with these qualifications,' says Sarah Steel, managing director atThe Old Station Nursery in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Berkshire.
'I like the fact there's a Level 4. That's a real gap we're missing in the non-Montessori EYE courses at the moment. Not everybody wants to read a degree, and L3 to degree is a huge gap.
'I'm not averse to online training - we've got our own e-learning platform within the company. We find it a really good way to do our induction training. You have to be quite a motivated student to train online, so anyone entering this course will have to be motivated.
'However, I wonder how many people in the UK will take up this course. The routes people have into childcare are often through colleges, schools or local nurseries. Unless that nursery happens to be a Montessori, I don't think people would particularly seek this qualification.'
EMPLOYER'S VIEW: PAT TOWNSHEND, PLA
'The Montessori model is a bit like the training model we're developing at the alliance,' says Pat Townshend, training manager at the Pre-School Learning Alliance. 'We're offering the CACHE work-based EYE. We have one classroom-based course up and running. We're also developing an online distance-learning platform. I can see the value in that for people taking up an EYE, because the big problem for all course providers is getting enough people in one place who have the entry requirements.
'It's a good thing to see a Level 4. We've needed one for so long. Many people believed the leap to a foundation degree was too much for them and it's been a shame we haven't had the Level 4 to give people that confidence. It's also a good vocational qualification in its own right.
'We have very few 16- to 18-year-olds on our course because we offer the work-place course. They have little experience, and most are on Level 2. We've seen few 16- to 18-year-olds who have been ready for Level 3.
'Montessori has made the right call to set its entry age higher. We judge people through interviews and would only accept really outstanding candidates.'
COURSE UNITS
- Principles of Child Development and Observation in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment
- Contemporary Early Childhood Practice in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment
- Promoting Children's Health and Wellbeing in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment
- Activities of Everyday Living in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment
- Education of the Senses in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment
- Numeracy and Arithmetic in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment
- Literacy in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment
- Knowledge and Understanding of the World in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment
- Creativity in an Early Years Montessori Learning Environment
- Developing own Montessori Practice in Professional Placement
- Developing own Montessori Principles in Professional Placement.