Prospectus

  • School sessions: morning 09:00-12:00; afternoon 13:00-15:30; all day 09:00-15:30
  • Registration and waiting list: entry on to the waiting list costs £50 and is via the school’s registration form (when the form appears, please print it and send it to us by ordinary post NOT special delivery; if it doesn't appear, you may need to install Acrobat Reader). Once registered, children's records are marked with a "select from" date which corresponds approximately to their being two and a half years old. A list of eligible children is produced for each term and available places in the school offered in order of registration. Children already in the school have priority for morning places. Siblings receive priority for any place and account will be taken of any gender imbalance
  • Places: to accept a place a £500 deposit is payable. This deposit is kept and put against the pupil’s final term’s fees if the correct notice has been given. The first term's fees are payable six months in advance and once paid are not refundable under any circumstances
  • Fees: afternoon £1940 per term; morning £1990 per term; all day £1990 (for the morning session) plus £398 per day/term (children may attend all day for one or two days); £40 per day for occasional all day sessions (by arrangement with the directress); £55 per term for optional French. Fees are payable in advance and reviewed annually. A full term's notice is required before the removal of any child or a term's fees are due. We are registered with both Accor and Care-4. Some employers use these companies to provide childcare benefit vouchers to their employees
  • Nursery Education Grant: the school is not registered for the Nursery Education Grant
  • Philosophy: to produce children who are confident, happy, calm, purposeful, free and independent; to awaken children's interest in all subjects and to encourage in them a love of learning; to give children an understanding of the world and respect for all they find in it
  • Premises: the school is on two floors with an outside play area. The ground floor consists of a wonderfully large and airy main classroom which is divided into curriculum areas and a quiet book corner. Downstairs is a second, smaller area used by lunch bunch children and used for French lessons
  • Equipment: the school has a large and extremely comprehensive range of Montessori equipment, as well as art materials, a nature table, an aquarium, over a thousand books, an oven for children's baking and much else
  • Staff: the staff, all of whom are fully Montessori trained, treat the children with affection, warmth and patience
  • Music: the children have music sessions with a professional teacher once a week during which they sing and play a variety of musical instruments. This is in addition to the school's regular music sessions which are held throughout the week
  • Drama: drama is part of the curriculum. It is used to illustrate projects, encourage role-play and help to develop children's confidence
  • Outings and visitors: to reinforce school projects, outside visitors are invited to talk to the children - for example a blind woman with her guide dog came when the children were learning about sight during a project on the senses. School outings are similarly used - e.g. a trip to a restaurant to illustrate a project on foods from around the world
  • French: there is a lively French class, which is an optional extra, once a week