Learning
Montessori
As you visit any of our nurseries you will see in the front hall Maria Montessori's Principles. These are very important to us. They capture our ethical approach to the care and development of very young babies and children, creating an environment and culture where the team genuinely cares for your child, and considers them as precious as you do.
Whilst the Montessori style is usually associated with pre-school learning we have learnt over the years to "blend" the philosophy into everything we do, creating a holistic approach.
We believe that every child is inherently good, and we train our teams to build on each child's strengths and recognizing that every child is positively different. We seek to re-inforce each individual child's self confidence through a positive approach to their learning and behavior.
In most of our nurseries when children reach the Foundation Stage, they receive daily sessions form a qualified Montessori Teacher. These nurseries have a room specifically equipped with Montessori equipment, and there is a qualified Montessori Teacher.
The Montessori approach believes in supporting children to appreciate their responsibilities to their peers, and responsibility for themselves. We foster independence and help children to learn real life skills. These skills vary from greeting adults with a hand shake to pouring their own drinks from a glass jug. Our Montessori learning rooms mimic the real world, giving opportunities for each child to practice those all important life skills, e.g. Polishing shoes, sponging up spilt water.
Maria Montessori firmly believed that children learn through their senses so she devised different areas of the classroom:
- Practical life
- Sensorial
- Mathematical
- Literacy
- Cultural
Each area, has materials that are interesting and beautiful to the children. All the materials are designed with a control of error allowing the children to self correct, giving them the self-confidence and independence not to give up until an outcome is completed.
There is only one of each item in the classroom. The purpose of this is to promote turn taking between the children. Children are encouraged to chose activities themselves, take responsibility for bringing it to a table, exploring the learning, and the real world they live in.
The Montessori approach accelerates knowledge through building an understanding of quite advanced concepts of volume, sequence, comparison, fine motor control and knowledge of the natural world. We find that together with the EYFS children are able to make sound connections between their learning and understand the wider context.
