Montessori Primary at Huapai District School

Our Montessori primary class at Huapai District School is committed to enriching the lives of children from 6-12 years. We look for the individual, nurture and guide development and prepare the child for adult society.  We celebrate diversity and adhere to a strongly held set of universal values including self-respect, respect for others, honesty, integrity, responsibility, empathy, compassion, kindness, peacefulness, warmth and a love of community. Our classroom is well-resourced.  The children have created a garden, tend a worm farm, make compost and grow their own vegetables as part of the curriculum.

Huapai District School is a state primary in semi-rural West Auckland with a current roll of 440+ students. Our principal, Kevin Cronin, is extremely supportive of our class and enthusiastic about the Montessori approach to primary education. His own children attended a Montessori early childhood centre. We have twenty full-time members of staff and four of those hold a formal Montessori qualification. The Chair of the Board of Trustees is a Montessori parent.

We have two full-time teachers in Room 17.  Hope and Carol-Ann are both Montessori-trained, qualified and from New Zealand. Hope works alongside our 6-9 class (Koru) and Carol-Ann alongside our 9-12 class (Ponga). Carol-Ann has worked in both Montessori early childhood and primary settings throughout the world and Hope completed her AMI training in Italy in 2012 and joined Room 17 in 2013. 

Our parent community is committed to enriching the lives of its children and parents are passionate supporters of the classroom.  They participate in four fundraising events per year to raise additional funds for resources.

We have a vision we endeavour to model through our behaviour and interactions with one another.  It states “the spirit of our parent community honours trusting and equitable relationships through honest and considerate communication”.  We hope this leaves an impression with our children that is lasting and affirming.

Enrolment Procedure

To receive an Information Pack which details the enrolment procedure download the documents or contact our Enrolment Officer Kathy Powell e:westaucklandmontessoritrust@gmail.com p: (09) 818 3314.

Who is Eligible?

An enrolment scheme now exists at Huapai District School and although Montessori children take priority over other out-of-zone students, places are limited to ten per year.

An eligible child will need to have completed a minimum of two years at a Montessori preschool. It is recommended that by the age of five years children should be attending a minimum of four full days before entry to the primary school classroom at age six.

Places will be provided for brothers and sisters of pupils currently enrolled or attending the Montessori classroom. The sibling should nevertheless have the required two years minimum Montessori pre-school experience.

Older children transferring in from Montessori primary classes located in New Zealand and overseas are welcome.

Children with Montessori backgrounds who have attended mainstream schools since leaving Montessori pre-school may apply if they attended their Montessori pre-school until they were six. An enrolment decision will depend on the eligibility and suitability of the child. The child will be asked to visit for a full week to give the teacher a chance to assess how well the child appears to cope with self-directed learning and the multi-age grouping.

The Enrolment Committee reserves the right to limit the number of children with special needs to ensure we can cater for the special needs of that child as well as the needs of all other children. The current plan is for one child with special needs per full class (25 pupils).