As yet, no Montessori organisation has submitted an application for accreditation to the QCA. A DfES spokesman said that while Montessori qualifications would continue to be recognised both in Montessori and non-Montessori settings for the purposes of meeting qualified staff ratios from September, when Ofsted's Early Years Directorate takes over inspection of daycare using the new standards, this would not always be the case.
He said, 'Montessori qualifications will continue to be recognised from September, but in the longer term it is intended that the national standards will reflect only those qualifications on the QCA framework. Montessori qualification providers will need to consider their position in relation to joining this framework.'
Under the national standards, the minimum qualification requirements for full daycare settings, including Montessori settings, are that the manager and all supervisory staff should hold a level 3 qualification appropriate to caring for children, while half of all supervised staff should be qualified to level 2.
The DfES said that Montessori and other qualifications outside the QCA framework must be able to demonstrate to Ofsted that their qualification equips them at the right level with all the necessary competencies and skills to do the job. It has funded the National Training Organisations for early years and playwork to draw up a list of acceptable qualifications outside the framework, taking into account the content and level of each qualification, the date of its award and the additional professional development the individual would need to undertake to remain up to date. The Montessori qualifications are expected to be on this list.
Montessori Education UK (MEUK), the national umbrella organisation representing many Montessori training centres, met with the Department for Education and Employment in May to raise concerns about whether its qualifications would be recognised. In a statement MEUK said it had been 'categorically assured' that its qualification would continue to be recognised when Ofsted took over registration and inspection. It claimed that 'there is not, and will not be a requirement for holders of Montessori diplomas to undertake different training, eg NVQ 3, in order to work in or run a Montessori setting'. MEUKsaid it will 'endeavour to ensure the integrity of the Montessori approach will not be lost in the rush to be placed on the framework'.
