Montessori, IB PYP, Waldorf, Creative Curriculum, PBL, and British-Nigerian Hybrid in School Vault

Quick comparison

Montessori

The Montessori framework in School Vault is organised around the classic Montessori curriculum areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics, Cultural Studies, and for older children, Science. Within each area, materials and activities are sequenced from foundational to advanced, following Maria Montessori's developmental continuum.

How assessment works inside the platform:

• Teachers record a work-period observation for each child, noting which materials were chosen, how the child engaged, and which lesson was demonstrated or independently completed.
• Each observation is linked to a material and level within the curriculum area (e.g. Language → Metal Insets → Level 2).
• There is no numeric score; the record shows which materials a child has been presented, practised, or mastered.
• The progress view shows a material coverage map rather than a percentage, because Montessori does not assign the same sequence to every child on the same timeline.

IB PYP (International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme)

The IB PYP structures learning around six transdisciplinary themes (Who We Are, Where We Are in Place and Time, How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, How We Organise Ourselves, Sharing the Planet) and ten Learner Profile attributes (Inquirer, Knowledgeable, Thinker, Communicator, Principled, Open-minded, Caring, Risk-taker, Balanced, Reflective).

In School Vault, IB PYP assessment has two components:

• Learner Profile observations: teachers tag observations against one or more of the ten Learner Profile attributes, building a qualitative evidence record for each child.
• Unit of Inquiry (UOI) rubric: for each active UOI, teachers score children on the central idea strands using a 1–4 rubric (Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding). This rubric score feeds the progress percentage.

Waldorf

Waldorf education is organised around developmental stages, with the early years (ages 3–7) focusing on imitation, rhythm, and artistic activity rather than formal academic instruction. The Waldorf framework in School Vault reflects this by providing narrative-only assessment with no checklists or scores.

• Teachers write a term narrative for each child covering four temperament and developmental areas: Will (physical activity, practical engagement), Feeling (emotional and social life), Thinking (language, memory, imagination), and Rhythmic Life (daily rhythms, sleep, appetite).
• These narratives feed into the Waldorf End-of-Term Report, a formatted document designed to be read by parents rather than inspectors.
• There is no progress percentage, consistent with Waldorf's philosophical position against quantified assessment in the early years.

Creative Curriculum

Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood focuses on six social-emotional competencies alongside domain learning (Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, The Arts, Technology). Its signature assessment system uses a three-point checkpoint scale:

• Not Yet: the child does not yet demonstrate this objective
• In Progress: the child sometimes demonstrates the objective with support
• Meets: the child consistently and independently demonstrates the objective

In School Vault, teachers complete checkpoint assessments three times per year (beginning, middle, end of year). The progress percentage is calculated as the proportion of objectives rated Meets or In Progress.

Project-Based Learning (PBL)

The Project-Based Learning framework organises assessment around projects rather than domains. Each project has a driving question (e.g. "How do bridges stay up?") and a set of rubric criteria the project is assessed against.

• The Curriculum Lead creates projects in the Curriculum Builder, defining the driving question, the learning objectives it addresses, and the rubric criteria (typically 3–5 dimensions rated on a 1–4 scale).
• Teachers score children against each rubric dimension at project completion.
• The portfolio PDF for PBL students shows their project contributions chronologically, with rubric results and any attached photos or documents.
• Progress percentage is derived from the average rubric score across all completed projects in the term.

British-Nigerian Hybrid

The British-Nigerian Hybrid framework is designed for schools that operate under both British Early Years expectations (often required by international accreditation bodies) and Nigerian curriculum standards (required for government registration and reporting). It runs two assessment tracks simultaneously:

• EYFS track: teachers record observations and judgements against the seven EYFS areas of learning (Communication and Language, Physical Development, PSED, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design), using the standard EYFS emerging/expected/exceeding judgement scale.
• NERDC subject track: for the same class, teachers also enter CA and exam scores for core Nigerian primary subjects (English, Mathematics, Basic Science, etc.) as required for term reports submitted to Nigerian regulatory bodies.

The result is two separate progress views and two separate report card templates, one formatted for British-style reporting and one for Nigerian-style reporting, both generated from the same underlying data.

Choosing the right framework for your school

• Choose Montessori if your staff are trained Montessori guides and your environment uses authentic Montessori materials. The framework is not suitable for traditional classroom settings.
• Choose IB PYP if your school is an IB World School candidate or authorised school, or if your families expect transdisciplinary, inquiry-led documentation.
• Choose Waldorf if your school is Steiner/Waldorf accredited or runs a genuine Waldorf programme. The framework does not produce the numeric assessment data that Nigerian regulatory reports require.
• Choose Creative Curriculum if your school already uses the Creative Curriculum planning books and staff are familiar with the checkpoint system.
• Choose Project-Based Learning if your pedagogy is built around student-driven inquiry projects with real-world application.
• Choose British-Nigerian Hybrid if your school must satisfy both a British accreditation body and the Nigerian government registration requirements in the same term.

Common mistakes

• Installing a framework because the name sounds impressive without confirming that staff understand its assessment model. Montessori and Waldorf require trained practitioners; the platform cannot compensate for a mismatch between philosophy and practice.
• Choosing the British-Nigerian Hybrid without understanding the double data-entry requirement. Audit your teacher's available time before selecting this framework.
• Expecting a progress percentage for Waldorf or Montessori. Both frameworks intentionally omit numeric scoring. If stakeholders require a percentage, choose a different framework or discuss with your leadership team.
• Using PBL without setting up projects in the Curriculum Builder first. Teachers cannot record assessments until at least one project exists for their class.