What qualifications do employees hold?

We are a graduate Work force.

All employees have been thoroughly DBS checked following Government guidance on ‘Safeguarding children and safer recruitment’. The majority of our team are qualified Level 3 Early Years Practitioners and those that are not, are carrying out the Level 3 qualification whilst employed. We have 5 qualified Montessori Directresses and a Montessori qualified Teaching Assistant. Members of our team attend the Annual Montessori Conference for best practice. We have employees that have achieved level 5 Leadership and Management and level 6 qualifications; Early Childhood Studies, Early Years Teacher Status and Qualified Teacher Status included. We have specialist teachers that have relevant qualifications to their area of expertise e.g sports coaches, yoga leaders, Forest school leaders. Alongside this, all employees receive in house training and attend courses relating to practice, Health and Safety and Safeguarding.

All staff are Paediatric First Aid qualified and our setting holds Millie’s Mark status – ensuring all know how to manage any potential situation. Members of our team have undergone training to support individual health needs, such as Diabetes.

We support local college and university students, enabling them to gain valuable experience for best practice with children 0-5 years. This is inclusive of Forest School training.

What is the staff:children ratio in a Montessori Nursery?

As is statutory requirement –

For children aged under two:

• there must be at least one member of staff for every three children

For children aged two:

• there must be at least one member of staff for every four children

For children aged 3 and over:

• there must be at least one member of staff for every eight children
• Where a person with Qualified Teacher Status, Early Years Professional Status, Early Years Teacher Status or another approved level 6 qualification, is working directly with the children there must be at least one member of staff for every 13 children.

(Early Years Statutory Framework, 2021)

We work at a staff ratio above statutory requirement, meaning we have fewer children to each member of staff. This also allows us to utilise our environment efficiently; offering the classroom, art studio, garden and Forest school simultaneously every day.

Is each room organised by age group?

Our Bambini’s rooms are split to support needs and development of all children. Up to 18 Months our Bambini’s are encouraged to be confidently mobile before a transition to Bambini’s 2.

At 30 months old our little people transition to our ‘Montessorian’s’ classroom with our older children. This is called ‘Vertical Grouping’ and allows our younger cohort to learn from their older peers. Older children take responsibility for daily tasks within the group, providing examples of expectations for the younger children to follow.

Who was Maria Montessori?

Many suggest that Maria Montessori, in many ways, was ahead of her time.

Her journey initially started in medical practice where her observations of children’s development led her to analyse how children learn – it became evident that children learn from their surroundings, the environment.

In 1906, Maria founded the first Casa dei Bambini or “children’s house” in Rome. It was here  the Montessori method was developed, based upon her scientific observations of the children’s ability to absorb knowledge from their surroundings, as well as documenting children’s interest  in manipulating materials.

Every piece of equipment, every exercise, every method Montessori developed was based on what she observed children to do “naturally,” by themselves, unassisted by adults. Children are recognised as independent learners, with a profound ability teach themselves when the appropriate resources and challenges are provided. This inspired Montessori’s lifelong pursuit of educational reform, methodology, psychology, teaching, and teacher training—all based on her dedication to furthering the self-creating process of the child.

Why should I choose a Montessori Inspired nursery for my child?

Montessori is a unique educational approach that nurtures a child’s intrinsic desire to learn. Montessori focuses on the development of the whole child – cognitively, socially, emotionally, and physically whilst learning at the child’s individual pace. Utilising the Montessori approach in early years supports the children to become confident, self-motivated learners.

We use the Montessori Approach as inspiration for our Teaching and Learning as it is based on a deep understanding of the child; what they need and how they learn. This allows us to introduce the child to specific materials in a well-prepared environment with close observation and guidance for an empowering, confidence building approach to learning.

How does Rushcliffe Montessori Inspired nursery differ to other local nurseries?

Please see our Mission Statement

Is the same preparation given to the outdoor environment or is it more of a ‘free play’ approach outside?

As with Montessori, we are inspired by other pedagogical approaches, one of which is Forest School. We spend a great amount of time outdoors – regardless of the weather! We are extremely fortunate to have 1 acre of Woodland onsite in which the children love to learn and explore.

We firmly believe that “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!” and take advantage of the elements, providing learning opportunities surrounding seasonal changes, growth and decay, habitats etc.

Montessori herself expressed the importance of children being exposed to nature and advocated for the outdoor environment to be as carefully planned as indoors, this favours our Forest School curriculum.

Our outdoor environment has cultivated areas as well as areas that enable discovery of the natural world. There is ample opportunity for children to engage in activities outdoors and in many ways these are presented to the children in the same way as they are inside. Where necessary, activities are arranged in an orderly manner to support manipulation of tools, care of self and care of the environment such as sweeping.

As a setting, we incorporate the 17 Sustainable development goals into our carefully planned curriculum. It is imperative that the children receive a quality start to their education and are involved in implementation of the sustainability goals in order for them to have a strong knowledge and understanding of their role in society, and how their actions will make positive changes for their future.

At Rushcliffe Montessori, we:

• Encourage recycling of materials, either by placing them in the recycling bin or reusing resources for creative purposes e.g. box modelling.
• Our allotments enable us to become self-sufficient. Growth of our own fruits, vegetables and herbs as opposed to a reliance on large supermarkets. The children are provided with responsibility for growth, supported by an adult. Our Montessorians also take responsibility for the chickens; ensuring the coop is clean, food and water is provided and collection of the eggs. These eggs are used in the Kitchen or for children’s baking activities. Each Spring time, we observe life cycle processes of chickens, butterflies, frogs, lambs etc.
• We support local community groups such as ‘Plastic free Cotgrave’ and have been litter picking in the community to appropriately dispose of rubbish in the bin. Children learn to have a love of nature and the natural World, understanding how littering affects life on land and in water. Alongside this, the children help to provide safe habitats for local wildlife with the support of the Woodland Trust.
• Children help to prepare snacks and mealtimes, or foods to take home. We encourage the children to self-serve, limiting waste and supporting ‘zero hunger’. The children are aware through conversation that there are people less fortunate than ourselves, developing empathy.
• Each year our curriculum includes an in depth focus on Physical development, in which the children gain an understanding of how to stay fit and healthy and are provided with valuable experiences, meeting professionals; coaches, doctors, dentists etc. Our children also receive opportunity to support self-regulation and ultimately their mental health and well-being; yoga and meditation, basic martial arts, golf etc.

How do teachers ensure the children learn everything they need?

The young child’s ‘absorbent mind’ simply soaks up information and his/her main task is to develop the parts of their personality, that is to acquire facility of mother tongue, to gain control over their body and to learn about the world in which they live so that he/she can learn how to live in their community. They do not decide what they want to learn, they learn by simply living.

The child’s learning intents are set by the adult according to the child’s individual needs. The adult observes the child and notes how the environment is utilised by the child. Presentations are thereby related to the child’s age and stage of development. The adult is well equipped to support and extend the child’s learning and developmental needs.