Woodland Montessori Pre-Schools

The Montessori teaching approach

Woodland Montessori pre-schools provide a quality international education based on the British Foundation Stage Curriculum using the Montessori philosophy, which is designed to allow children from diverse backgrounds to learn through fun, structured, hands on activities and to enjoy the experience of exploring and thinking for themselves.

The National Curriculum sets out a clear and full entitlement to learning for all pupils up to the age of sixteen. It determines the content of what will be taught and sets attainment targets for learning. It also determines how performance will be assessed and reported.

At Woodland Montessori pre-schools these objectives are aimed towards children aged between 2 ½ and 5 years and are divided into six curriculum areas:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication, Language and Literacy
• Mathmatical Development
• Knowledge and Understanding of the World
• Physical Development
• Creative Development

The Montessori philosophy encourages each child to develop at their own pace within a safe, caring and structured environment.

After being introduced to learning materials by the teacher, children are free to choose their work. All equipment is placed at the child's eye-level and all furniture in the classroom is child-sized.

Once they feel secure and comfortable, children will apply all their energies into exploring materials and experiences designed to help them develop intellectually, physically and psychologically. Each child has an individual map or "blue-print" that governs the rate at which they can learn. All Montessori materials and methods are carefully created to allow each child to progress at their own speed and spend the right amount of time at each stage of development.

This last area is becoming ever more important with the growth of children's television, videos, and computer games. Stimulating a child's imagination with these very real subjects adds greatly to their comprehension and self esteem. This will stimulate a very constructive curiosity about their world that will last a lifetime.