Deadline for Montessori and Steiner Level 4 training extended

Representatives from Montessori and Steiner awarding bodies and trainers are due to meet for a second time later this month with CWDC and Department for Education officials, in an attempt to resolve the dispute about the validity of their qualifications (News, 9 March).

Both Montessori and Steiner awarding bodies are seeking continued recognition for their level 4 qualifications and exemption from the CWDC level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce.

Barbara Isaacs, academic director of Montessori Centre International, told Nursery World that students will be able to continue to register for the current level 4 Montessori qualifications for the September 2011 and January 2012 intakes.

Janni Nichol, early childhood representative for the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, confirmed that Steiner qualifications had also had their deadline extended.

She said, 'We are waiting for the meeting to see if we might even be exempt from requirements to fit within CWDC requirements and have our training accepted as quality training for early years practitioners who wish to follow our specific philosophy and ethos.'

Meanwhile, this month the 100th Montessori school will be accredited by the MEAB, the Montessori accreditation scheme.

Changes to the accreditation scheme will mean that from September, schools will receive two visits followed by a detailed report.

Ms Isaacs said, 'The process, piloted over the past six months as part of the assessor training programme with the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors, has been warmly received by the settings who participated and the assessors.'

Sixteen Montessori assessors are currently working towards the nationally recognised qualification.