Montessori for Twelve to Fifteen Year Olds 

At Wa Ora Montessori School we have one class for high school students.

Our adolescent class is called Kawakawa and is the only Montessori adolescent programme in New Zealand.

It currently caters for 12 to 15 year olds and we are planning to extend the high school through to 18 year olds.

Built on the success of our preschool and primary school classes, our adolescent class applies the values and methods of Montessori  education to the  complicated third plane of human development, from 12 to 18 years.

We seek to know the adolescent and meet her/his needs through the critical transition into adulthood. We rely on the universal Montessori principles of independence, freedom of choice, grace and courtesy, the virtues of curiosity, inquiry and focused work, a balance of tactile and cognitive learning and a reverence for the arts and sciences. We appreciate the adolescent's new physical and mental abilities and their increasing desire to understand themselves, their environment and their place in society. It is the goal of our programme to help them discover themselves.

While we approach the individual with a premium on choice and self-directed inquiry we adhere to the New Zealand Curriculum standards in planning and assessment.   Students research, discuss, plan, create and present individual and collaborative projects. English, social science, physical science, maths and creative expression are employed for practical means: to craft a product or present a dramatic performance. Instruction is designed to inspire interest, cover fundamentals, and facilitate deeper learning.

Adolescence is an age of searching for identity, community and justice. As a community we work together to plan and make decisions. Leadership roles vary and individual strengths are valued. Our community regularly meets to discuss issues, resolve conflict, negotiate solutions and acknowledge good will. We engage the larger community through educational and service projects that require our students to know their neighbour, find where help is needed and do their part. It is important that our students realise the significance of their place and time and become the people they want to be.

Wa Ora Montessori School is the only school in New Zealand offering Montessori education for adolescents.