Frequently Asked Questions
What is Montessori?
A Montessori education is child-centred and nurtures the child's full development at their own pace. Through choice and discovery, children are provided with opportunities to construct their own knowledge. In a specially prepared environment, under the guidance of a Qualified Montessori Director, children are given the opportunity to learn, explore and discover concepts using thoughtfully developed Montessori materials. Independence of thought and love of learning is fostered in a way that supports competence and confidence. This independence empowers children, equipping them with tools to support their growth in the classroom and beyond.
Why choose a Montessori education for your child?
A Montessori education provides students of all ages, from birth to 18, with information in ways they can understand as they shape their knowledge and discover more about the world around them. This natural instinct for joyful learning is formed at an early age, where your child's intelligence and social characteristics are founded. A Montessori environment offers a variety of materials and experiences that nurture this innate curiosity, encouraging children to think independently and make choices on their own. The Montessori Director is trained to recognise your child's readiness to explore new concepts and expertly harnesses learning opportunities to pique their natural interests and nurture their abilities. Learning is empowering, thought-provoking and bespoke for your child's needs and individual learning style.
Within a Montessori school, your child is celebrated for their individuality as they co-construct, create and contribute their unique value to the culture of the community.
What is the point of difference from traditional, mainstream schooling?
Montessori classrooms differ from traditional, mainstream settings in their approach and pedagogy. Students are actively learning, rather than passively receiving information and are encouraged to ask questions, think outside of the box and build their sense of self.
Montessori materials are unique and purposefully designed to teach reading, writing, mathematics, geometry, geography, science, biology, music, and social studies. These classroom materials are developed to provide concrete learning for developing minds as students move towards abstract reasoning. Montessori classrooms are multi-age and multi-stage, allowing peer mentorship and reciprocal learning as students learn with one another and from each other. Classrooms are characterised by a deep mutual respect between adults and children, one another and for the environment, as class members assume ownership and accountability for their own learning.
Are Montessori students receptive to a competitive world as a Montessori education emphasises a non-competitive approach?
Whilst Montessori classrooms discourage competition between others, a sense of competition is nurtured with oneself as executive functioning skills such as self-monitoring, self-correction and self-evaluation are developed through continuous improvement. Students generally build an awareness of their strengths and develop strategies to address areas that require greater focus and perseverance. In upper primary, children typically participate in sports and competitive activities with clear and consistent rules, where they are encouraged to do their best and celebrate the same in their peers.
Why is there no homework in the Montessori system?
The Montessori Approach is experiential and designed for learning that is hands-on. Children rely on a range of concrete materials to develop their understanding before their needs evolve and they begin to use other resources such as pencils, paper and digital devices. There is not one single source of information in a Montessori classroom and textbooks or workbooks are used as part of a repertoire of tools at the children's disposal to locate information and inquire through their own research methods. A wide variety of texts, including multi-media and digital, are utilised to build knowledge and skills in critical analysis.
What are the skills of Montessori graduates, are they prepared for the real world?
Contemporary education and business sectors increasingly demand that graduates possess creative thinking, positive scholarship and collaboration - the core characteristics nurtured in a Montessori environment. The skills of Montessori graduates are increasingly desirable in the dynamic world of work to shift thinking, challenge ways of working and drive innovation - Montessori graduates are game-changers in their respective fields, with an alumni community that includes; Sergey Brin and Larry Page – Google founders, Jeff Bezos – Amazon founder, Peter Drucker, economic/business guru, Mark Zuckerberg, Entrepreneur and co-founder of Facebook as well as Katherine Graham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former owner/editor of the Washington Post.
What is Montessori?
A Montessori education is child-centred and nurtures the child's full development at their own pace. Through choice and discovery, children are provided with opportunities to construct their own knowledge. In a specially prepared environment, under the guidance of a Qualified Montessori Director, children are given the opportunity to learn, explore and discover concepts using thoughtfully developed Montessori materials. Independence of thought and love of learning is fostered in a way that supports competence and confidence. This independence empowers children, equipping them with tools to support their growth in the classroom and beyond.
Why choose a Montessori education for your child?
A Montessori education provides students of all ages, from birth to 18, with information in ways they can understand as they shape their knowledge and discover more about the world around them. This natural instinct for joyful learning is formed at an early age, where your child's intelligence and social characteristics are founded. A Montessori environment offers a variety of materials and experiences that nurture this innate curiosity, encouraging children to think independently and make choices on their own. The Montessori Director is trained to recognise your child's readiness to explore new concepts and expertly harnesses learning opportunities to pique their natural interests and nurture their abilities. Learning is empowering, thought-provoking and bespoke for your child's needs and individual learning style.
Within a Montessori school, your child is celebrated for their individuality as they co-construct, create and contribute their unique value to the culture of the community.
What is the point of difference from traditional, mainstream schooling?
Montessori classrooms differ from traditional, mainstream settings in their approach and pedagogy. Students are actively learning, rather than passively receiving information and are encouraged to ask questions, think outside of the box and build their sense of self.
Montessori materials are unique and purposefully designed to teach reading, writing, mathematics, geometry, geography, science, biology, music, and social studies. These classroom materials are developed to provide concrete learning for developing minds as students move towards abstract reasoning. Montessori classrooms are multi-age and multi-stage, allowing peer mentorship and reciprocal learning as students learn with one another and from each other. Classrooms are characterised by a deep mutual respect between adults and children, one another and for the environment, as class members assume ownership and accountability for their own learning.
Are Montessori students receptive to a competitive world as a Montessori education emphasises a non-competitive approach?
Whilst Montessori classrooms discourage competition between others, a sense of competition is nurtured with oneself as executive functioning skills such as self-monitoring, self-correction and self-evaluation are developed through continuous improvement. Students generally build an awareness of their strengths and develop strategies to address areas that require greater focus and perseverance. In upper primary, children typically participate in sports and competitive activities with clear and consistent rules, where they are encouraged to do their best and celebrate the same in their peers.
Why is there no homework in the Montessori system?
The Montessori Approach is experiential and designed for learning that is hands-on. Children rely on a range of concrete materials to develop their understanding before their needs evolve and they begin to use other resources such as pencils, paper and digital devices. There is not one single source of information in a Montessori classroom and textbooks or workbooks are used as part of a repertoire of tools at the children's disposal to locate information and inquire through their own research methods. A wide variety of texts, including multi-media and digital, are utilised to build knowledge and skills in critical analysis.
What are the skills of Montessori graduates, are they prepared for the real world?
Contemporary education and business sectors increasingly demand that graduates possess creative thinking, positive scholarship and collaboration - the core characteristics nurtured in a Montessori environment. The skills of Montessori graduates are increasingly desirable in the dynamic world of work to shift thinking, challenge ways of working and drive innovation - Montessori graduates are game-changers in their respective fields, with an alumni community that includes; Sergey Brin and Larry Page – Google founders, Jeff Bezos – Amazon founder, Peter Drucker, economic/business guru, Mark Zuckerberg, Entrepreneur and co-founder of Facebook as well as Katherine Graham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former owner/editor of the Washington Post.