Our School

The key components of our Mixed Montessori and British methods are:

• A prepared environment  - a nurturing place for the child;
• Trained educators who use the environment to meet the needs of self-construction.

Distinctive Characteristics of Our School

• The classroom is a carefully prepared and ordered environment to meet the developmental needs of each child.
• The classroom is a secure, relaxed and happy place for children to learn.
• Children work in mixed age groups in the prepared environment.
• The age groups are 3-18 months, 18 months–3 years, 3–6 years, 6–9 years and 9–12 years.
• Children work at their own pace in a child-centred, director-facilitated environment.
• Children are free to move purposefully around the classroom environment.
• Children work both individually and cooperatively to develop social responsibility and communication skills.
• Children choose their own work independently from the presentations they have received and through individual interests.
• Children begin with concrete materials and move to abstraction when they understand the concept.
• A three-hour work cycle gives the children an opportunity to build concentration and independent learning skills.
• Transition from one stage to another is predicated upon the child’s readiness rather than chronological age.
• Discipline in the classroom is a balance between freedom and responsibility to develop the whole child.
• The atmosphere in the class is non-competitive with natural consequences instead of rewards and punishments.
• Teachers are called ‘directors’ because they guide and facilitate children’s learning and experiences giving them the freedom to be independent.
• The director’s role is to observe the child and offer presentations that follow the child’s interests and developmental needs.
• Regular Contact between parents and directors contributes to the whole development of the child.

"Education ... must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities."
Maria Montessori