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26 January 2008
The meeting at Little Learners Montessori School, Solihull was attended by 45 MSA members. We were very fortunate to have Barbara Issacs (pictured) as our speaker. The day was divided into 2 training sessions. In the morning, Barbara talked about the developmentally appropriate ways of working with children from birth to three in Montessori settings. Everyone was inspired by her suggestions of:
The MSA are pleased to announce that their 2008 National Conference will be held alongside the Montessori Europe Conference in Oxford. The Montessori Europe Conference will run from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th October with the MSA Conference being held on Saturday 11th. Please put the date in your diaries – further details will follow.
The Montessori Centenary year finished on a real high note with around 1400 Montessori children, teachers and parents gathered in Westminster Abbey on St Nicholas day for a celebration service. Everyone remarked on what a wonderful occasion it was – even the wet weather didn’t keep people away! All the chairs were removed from the Nave in the Abbey and a small stage installed so that everyone sat in the round which gave the service a very intimate feeling. There were performances of song and dance from several MSA schools, readings from the bible and ‘The Absorbant Mind’ and an address from the Dean of Westminster. The service was followed by a drinks reception to mark Mrs Mallinson stepping down as chair of the Trustees, a position she has held for the past 20 years.
The second Montessori Weekend Retreat was held in Fordingbridge in the New Forest towards the end of November. The weather was a trifle wet, but did nothing to dampen our spirits. Indeed, the evenings at the Augustus John pub were positively lively! Discussions were led by Wendy Fidler, the well-known Montessorian and forensic educationalist. She gave us a truly enlightening insight into the world of the child with learning differences and difficulties (LDD), describing new insights into the nature of the autistic spectrum. The picture shows the plenary session, where Wendy gave some individual time to each participant, whilst we discussed a range of issues in small groups.
MSA members in the South West of England gathered at Willow Lodge Montessori School in Lychett Minster, Poole for their regional event on 10th November. They were fortunate enough to have Barbara Isaacs to lead the day on the subject of the Under Threes in the Montessori Curriculum. About twenty six people attended and were soon listening attentively to Barbara’s wealth of information about providing for the younger children coming into the Montessori classroom. She reminded everyone just how important the need to move about freely is for their development. Barbara stressed the need for directresses to consider the differences they need to make to accommodate ‘shelf-clearers’ and to allow them to pass through this phase. Attendees broke into small groups to discuss their specific responses to the best practice in this area and then came back to the whole group to pool their thoughts. During lunch, attendees enjoyed looking round the school and garden and networking. Comments included: ‘Thank you, Barbara, terrific as always – very inspiring and enormously useful and helpful’, ‘very well organised and friendly and helpful’, ‘I enjoyed the feedback to questions’, ‘Barbara has never-ending knowledge!’ All in all, an excellent day and many thanks to Barbara.
The MSA are pleased to announce that this years Montessori Retreat will be held from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th November in the peace of the New Forest. Guest-in-residence will be Wendy Fidler, who is the author of many articles and papers on Montessori education, management and special educational needs. She is particularly interested in brain development, sensory integration and the links to neurological delay. Wendy is the author of “Montessori Meets the Early Learning Goals” and “The Montessori Centenary Supplement.” Wendy is experienced in making observations of children with special educational needs, assessing what adjustments may be necessary to the Montessori environment and advising on particular activities for learning.; she also acts as an expert witness, advising Courts in England and Scotland on matters of Education Law, Education Negligence and Special Educational Needs.. At the Retreat she will be sharing her experiences and leading discussions on matters of common interest. The retreat will be held in the Ashburn Hotel, Damerham Road, Fordingbridge, Hants, SP6 1JP To book, please phone the hotel direct on 01425 652060, mentioning that you are part of the Montessori group. We have a special rate of £94 which covers dinner on Friday 16th November, two nights bed & breakfast, and dinner on Saturday. There is no fee payable to the MSA. Please arrive in time for dinner at 8 p.m. on the Friday and we will be staying until lunch time on Sunday. When you have booked, do please email Marianne Clarkson, the MSA Regional Chairman for Region 8, on admin@montessoricentre.com so we know the numbers.
Ashburn Hotel & Restaurant
We are delighted to invite you to the next Montessori Schools Association regional meeting, which will be on Saturday 10th November at Willow Lodge Montessori in Lytchett Minster, Poole. The day will be hosted by Helen Woolnough of Willow Lodge Montessori and Lesley Milmine, Regional Chair. More and more parents are choosing to send their children to nursery at an earlier age. Being prepared to take children under three means having to make subtle changes, not only in the prepared environment, but the approach adopted by Montessori teaching staff. So the theme of the day is: ‘Strategies for Integrating Your Under 3’s into the Montessori Environment”. The day will be led by Barbara Isaacs, Principal of Montessori Centre International. To book your place: There is a small contribution of £10.00 per person to cover costs, so contact the event organiser, Linda Taylor on 07971 244 830 NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 7TH NOVEMBER 2007. Coffee and registration will be available from 10.00 am onwards, but the meeting will start promptly at 10.30am and we will aim to finish around 4.00pm.
Montessori educators are currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of Maria Montessori opening her first Casa dei Bambini in Italy. Her approach to education is followed all round the world and is as relevant today as it was back then. The Montessori Schools Association (MSA), which has almost 2000 members across the UK, recently held its annual Conference in London to celebrate the Montessori Centenary. Montessorians from the UK were joined by colleagues from Europe and speakers from round the world came to share their words of wisdom and experiences. Delegates were treated to a truly inspirational day. In keeping with the theme of ‘Words of Wisdom - Out of the Past, into the Future’, the day started with a look to the future with the recently appointed Chairman of the MSA, Dr Martin Bradley (pictured), announcing the formation of MEAB – the Montessori Evaluation and Accreditation Board – and plans to set up an accreditation system alongside the Independent Schools Council for Montessori schools in the UK. The highlight of the day for some was the panel discussion in the afternoon. The panel discussed ‘The Road Less Travelled’ looking at what has been learned from the last 100 years of Montessori education and how this could be used for the future. Panel members included Phyllis Wallbank MBE, who, in her 90th year, held everyone’s attention with her amusing and interesting anecdotes of her time working with Maria Montessori. As one panel member said, Phyllis provided a ‘concrete link’ to Montessori herself and delegates felt very privileged to have had the chance to hear her speak. The day was rounded off with the presentation of the Montessorian of the Year Award to Roz Payne (pictured) of Clifton Children’s House in Bristol. A passionate believer in the Montessori approach to education, Roz has run this highly regarded school for the last 18 years. She has also raised thousands of pounds for Montessori schools in Nicaragua and spent time living as a member of the community, helping provide education and training staff to teach children who otherwise would get no education at all. Feedback from delegates was extremely positive with everyone leaving feeling inspired and proud to be part of a group which is looking forward to the future.
The Montessori Schools Association (MSA) are pleased to announce that the Montessorian of the Year 2007 award goes to Roz Payne of Clifton Children’s House in Bristol. Since she first visited a Montessori School in South Africa 30 years ago, Roz Payne has been a passionate believer in the Montessori approach to education. For the last 18 years Roz has run the highly regarded Clifton Children’s House which draws from a wide multicultural catchment area. Roz has supported the training of many students over the years giving freely of her time and knowledge. These students continue the Montessori tradition as teachers and leaders both here and abroad. Roz has brought the Montessori philosophy to the notice of practitioners in the region and the public. She regularly gives lectures and presentations to university and college students as well as promoting Montessori through the press. With the help of parents, Roz has fundraised thousands of pounds to provide training and equipment for Montessori nursery schools in Nicaragua. She has visited Nicaragua three times living as a member of the community, training many members of staff and each time taking with her Montessori materials and ideas. Her enthusiasm has led to trainers from the USA also visiting and others volunteering to give their own time at their own expense, to improve the lot of these children who would otherwise have no education at all. The Montessorian of the Year Award was first introduced to honour the unsung heroes of the Montessori Movement. There are a considerable number of Montessorians, who each in their own way make a tremendous contribution to their setting and to the lives of children in their care. There are also those Montessorians who contribute much on a regional, national and international level indirectly to improve the lives of children through effecting changes in policy and legislation, and who help shape the future of adults through training and development.
The MSA Centenary Conference will be held on Saturday 29th September. Tickets are now sold out. Tickets will not be avaliable on the door. We apologise for any disappointment.
The Montessorian of the Year Award was first introduced to honour the unsung heroes of the Montessori Movement. There are a considerable number of Montessorians, who, each in their own way, make a tremendous contribution to their setting and to the lives of children in their care. There are also those Montessorians who contribute much on a regional, national and international level indirectly to improve the lives of children through effecting changes in policy and legislation, and who help shape the future of adults through training and development. We are all aware of Montessorians who have moulded our thoughts and cemented our approach to working with children. Tell us who they are why you think they should receive this prestigious award. This year of all years, as we celebrate 100 years of the Montessori approach to education, we want to hear from you about who you would like to see as Montessorian of the Year 2007. Please send the following information to Caroline Harraway at MSA, 18 Balderton Street, London, W1K 6TG by 1st September 2007.
Caroline Allen, owner of Oaklea Montessori in Dedham Essex in Region 9 was recently asked by the Essex Early Years Partnership to represent the Montessori world at a three day international conference entitled ‘Reclaiming Relational Pedagogy in Early Childhood’. At the conference, speakers from across the world examined issues around ‘relational pedagogy’. Caroline was kept busy on the Montessori stand meeting the delegates to the conference. She welcomed the opportunity to share the Montessori ethos at a conference which explored issues at the heart of the Montessori approach. She also saw it as a bridge building opportunity, “Not only was it a stimulating conference to attend, but it was very exciting to be acknowledged as a ‘partner’ by Essex Early years Partnership,” said Caroline.
On Saturday 23rd June Montessorians from around Region 6 – the East Midlands, gathered at Staunton Montessori School in Nottinghamshire for the Region 6 summer event. Christiane Kerr of ‘Calm for Kids’ led us through a day chock full of ideas for helping children to relax and be present - all in fun and accessible ways. The crowd favourite exercise was "Driving My Car," done to a very catchy tune. We also learned lots of yoga poses named after animals, learned some ways to help children become aware of their breath, and learned about incorporating music and movement in the classroom. The visitors enjoyed seeing Staunton Montessori School and were warmly hosted by head Robert Staunton and two teachers, Jo Pinnock and Susan Draper. Everyone got a chance to share ideas and just get to know each other a bit over a delicious lunch. This was the first event in a while for Region 6, and we look forward to planning another one for the Autumn term. If you have ideas of what you'd like to see in the next event, please e-mail the Regional Chairman, Rachel Woodburn, at rachelwoodburn@yahoo.com
This week Montessorians all over the UK will be celebrating the centenary of Montessori. Education. Many settings will be taking part in the ‘100 Steps for Montessori’ walk which is being held in Montessori settings throughout the world. The aim is that adding up all the steps walked by the children at the events, they will have walked enough steps to cover the length of the equator. Schools in London and student teachers at Montessori Centre International training college took part on Saturday 16th June. They started at the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens and walked through Hyde Park (see right). The MSA hopes that as many people as possible will be able to join in these centenary celebrations. Please send us photos and reports of your events and we will try and use them in our newsletters and the next issue of Montessori International magazine.
Creativity – it’s the word on the lips of all Early Years educators as the way to inspire a love of learning in our youngest children. But by their own admission some Montessorians struggle to come up with new and different ideas and their art and craft activities can be a bit tired. So for those who attended the Region 9 Summer Term meeting on ‘Creativity’ it was an inspiring day. We were very pleased to welcome the Essex Early Years and Childcare Development team, who helped facilitate the day by speaking to us about the Reggio Emilia approach to creativity. The team were fortunate enough to visit the small principality of Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy last year and their mandate now is to spread the word to as many settings as possible. They were thrilled to be given the opportunity to meet so many Montessorians at one time. Liz Hagon, Essex Early Years Development Officer says: “The Reggio Emilia and Montessori approach to education complement one another beautifully. The main difference is that in Reggio Emilia, creativity is central to the learning process.” Delegates listened to a short presentation on Reggio Emilia and then it was straight into workshops, which varied from looking at ways of involving children in problem solving, a very hands-on experiential exploration workshop, one which looked at encouraging creative learning through the use of recycled materials and an equally interesting one on the “The use of Light within the pre-school”. The event was hosted by Michelle Wisbey and her team from Westwood Montessori Nursery in Essex. The nursery, which is set on a family-run farm has only been open 9 months. The initial developmental and building costs to turn a building, which was once home to over 100 pigs into a new nursery, was part funded by Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra). as part of it’s Farm Diversification Scheme. Judging by comments on the feedback forms delegates found the setting as inspiring as the day’s content. Overwhelmingly, what attendees gain from attending these events is a sharing of ideas and the opportunity to meet with other Montessorians. By the end of the day attendees had a fistful of ideas to take away with them which they could use to empower their children to indulge in the creative processes and experiences that they encounter. They also returned to their own settings knowing that there is support and appreciation of the Montessori approach to education within the Essex Early Year Department, where the sharing of good practice and ideas is being promoted. One delegate’s comments generally sum up the day: “Every time I have attended a meeting I always take back something to the setting. I come away feeling inspired and re-motivated, with lots of new ideas. MSA – you are doing a fantastic job. Well done.”
“Making the Most of Your Outdoor Space” was the subject of the summer term Region 10 Montessori Schools Association meeting. Paula Woodman and her team from Woodentots Montessori hosted the event and Wendy Compson Head Teacher of Cherry Trees School in Bury St Edmunds helped facilitate the event. Woodentots Montessori was specifically chosen for the location for the event because of the quality of its outdoor space. The nursery, which is located in a basement of a Camden town house, has a narrow, but long (over a 100 ft) garden, but Paula and her team have used their available space to maximum advantage. The garden is divided into distinct areas, which includes innovations such as the mud café and the multi-sensory garden. In true Montessori style there are a number of permanent activities for the children to self-select as well as more traditional type gardening tasks. The garden is always open to the children and is an extension of the indoor environment. It is used in all weather conditions and the children keep waterproofs at the nursery. Paula’s passion for the outdoors is evident in every nook and cranny of the garden. Paula said: “I have been here for a long time and the garden is the result of 17 years of nurturing, experimenting and taking the inspiration from nature and the natural curiosity of the children.” Wendy Compson, a life-long Montessorian and committed environmentalist has recently achieved an honours degree in Natural History Conservation and Ecology and uses her knowledge and experience to help Cherry Trees become an eco-school. Fundamentally this involves encouraging pupils and staff alike to reduce waste, reuse and recycle. Wendy gave a talk on the importance of sharing the outdoor environment with the child and then set attendees a number of outdoor activities that they could do with the children back at their settings. Clearly attendees were very inspired by the Woodentots garden and all that it has to offer children. One delegate wrote: “The Woodentots garden is superb – a place where nature and children can harmonize and children can learn the basics for life.”
They say the sun always shines on the righteous and despite the dreadful weather conditions of the last week, that’s exactly what it did for those who attended the Region 7 Outdoors for the Early Years summer term workshop on Saturday May 19th. The day was hosted by Sue Palmer, owner of Farley Nursery School in Wiltshire, who, along with Montessorian Wendy Compson, Head Teacher of Cherry Trees School, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk helped facilitate the day. Sue and Wendy put together a fascinating day, combining presentations and workshops which focused on making the most of the outdoor environment. Sue Palmer, who is a qualified teacher with over 13 years experience of working within Early Years, firmly believes “outdoor learning” is a better way of teaching very young children. Pupils at her nursery spend 90% of their day outside, even when the rain is falling. Incredibly, last winter none of her children had even a day off due to colds, coughs or any other winter ailments! After giving us an inspiring talk on how she set up the school involving the children in planning all the activities, Sue soon had attendees outside problem-solving in the mud-pit and creating a mural using a multitude of different objects. Attendees got very muddy, but loved every minute of it. Apart from anything else, Sue demonstrated that it is possible to provide exceptional outdoor learning for children at very little financial cost. Local pound shops, DIY outlets and superstores are all easy hunting grounds. Wendy Compson, a life-long committed Montessorian and environmentalist, has recently achieved an honours degree in Natural History Conservation and Ecology and uses her knowledge and experience to help her school, Cherry Trees become an eco-school, by encouraging pupils and staff alike to reduce waste, reuse and recycle. Her workshops were much more Montessori orientated and included activities such as constructing a shelter for a toy animal using materials available in the garden (like the one pictured) and finding, matching and identifying leaves. Wendy gave everyone a great handout bursting with further ideas gleaned over a lifetime of experience. Feedback on the day was very positive, with one delegate commenting: ‘Sue’s experience over the last year proves if you believe it’s right and follow the children they will fly!’
The 2007 Oxford Montessori lecture, sponsored by the Montessori Schools Association, took place in the newly built Tsuzuki lecture theatre at St. Anne’s College, Oxford, on a glorious Spring day. The numbers were perhaps a little disappointing, but as one participant observed, quality is more important than quantity. The lecture, entitled ‘The Centrality of Peace in Montessori Curriculum’ was given by Professor Louise Bogart. Louise has had 16 years teaching experience with ages 2½ to 11 in Montessori schools before moving to Hawaii to work with Sister Christina Trudeau (who trained with Montessori in India.) She has recently retired in order to concentrate on her peace work. The state-of-the-art projection system proved a little too sophisticated (although a college ‘techie’ managed to get it working by the afternoon) so Louise has kindly agreed to let us publish her power point notes. The afternoon was largely spent in small groups discussing how to put some of Louise’s ideas into practice. The college chef provided a quite excellent buffet lunch which was much appreciated by all. The informal seating proved an ideal opportunity to explore ideas with the speaker, and to network. Further details and pictures will be avaliable shortly by clicking here.
The MSA are delighted to announce that Dr Martin Bradley, a senior member of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Schools, will become National Chairman of the Montessori Schools’ Association (MSA) when he retires from the Inspectorate in June. Dr Bradley began his career as a primary school teacher in Bexley and lectured in early years’ education in Liverpool before joining HMI in 1984. As HMI he has been the national link with Montessori education for over 20 years, initially working with the training colleges to develop National Voluntary Qualifications and more recently promoting inspectors’ awareness of Montessori work. He has also inspected several Montessori schools. Dr Bradley said: “To become chair of the MSA is an honour and I look forward to working with the schools and also the trainers to promote Montessori work as well as wider awareness of Montessori methods. The advent of the Early Years Foundation Stage provides us with both challenges and opportunities at all levels.” He is a former national chair of the Association of Advisers for the Under Fives and of the Tutors of Advanced Courses for Early Years. He also served on the UK Child Care Committee of the Save the Children Fund in the early 1980s. Between 2000 and 2003 Dr Bradley was seconded to manage the DfES Early Excellence Programme, with responsibility for identifying and developing 107 centres providing childcare and education for under fives and integrated with related services such as health. In his work as HMI he has led inspections and surveys and liaised with a wide variety of organisations, agencies and government departments. He has had national responsibility for early years inspections in schools and for early years teacher training. Dr Bradley, who is married with two adult sons, lists local history, travel and gardening among his hobbies. He succeeds Liz Sharpe who has held the post of MSA National Chairman for the last two and a half years on a voluntary basis.
Sarah Rowledge gave a very inspiring talk on Language and Linguistics to the Region 5 MSA members at their spring term meeting. The morning session was dedicated to the New Children’s Entry Procedure that Sarah has devised and used at her school with immense success. It is called the 3 period lesson approach, and is used to maximise a smooth transition into nursery for the children whilst minimising anxiety for both parents and children. In the afternoon Sarah talked about the profound effect our words have on children and gave very good guidelines to using the appropriate way to communicate with children in order to reinforce their self esteem and independence. All members who attended the training day left stimulated and couldn’t wait to implement what they had learned on returning to their schools on Monday. The next Region 5 meeting is scheduled for May 19. The venue and training topic are to be confirmed. Please check the events section of the website for further information.
The MSA Regional Chairman, Marianne Clarkson, is delighted to announce that Dr Louise Bogart, formerly professor of education at Chaminade University, Honolulu, and director of the AMS Montessori teacher education programme based at the University, has agreed to be our speaker. Her topic will be ‘PEACE EDUCATION (in its widest context)’ and she will be talking about the importance of this topic, covering ways that both children and teachers need to be at peace, both within themselves and within their environment. The afternoon session will be directed at practical classroom activities. The lecture will take place in the new Tsuzuki lecture theatre at St. Anne’s College, Oxford University, on Saturday March 10th 2007 at 10:30 a.m. We will meet at 10 a.m. for coffee and a prompt start at 10:30. Lunch will be provided and the afternoon session is expected to end at around 3 p.m. (leaving time for a shopping expedition, or the possibility of joining one of the guided tours which start from the High St.) Tickets cost £25 per person for MSA members (non-members £90). Please send a cheque (made payable to Montessori Schools Association) along with your name, school and e-mail address to Marianne Clarkson, Hoath Hall, Chiddingstone Hoath, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7DD by March 3rd at the very latest. For further information please contact Marianne or John Clarkson on 01892 870 740
The MSA are delighted to announce the appointment of Raju Surelia as Regional Chairman for Region 5 – The West Midlands. Raju is the principal of Little Learners Montessori School in Solihull - the only Montessori setting in the borough. It has been running from September 1995. It used to be run from an old army hut until 2003 when they moved into beautiful new purpose built premises. The school achieved its Investors in People Award in June 2004 within 3 months of applying. Raju is very involved with the Early Years Partnership in Solihull, making sure that the Montessori voice is heard at all times. She looks forward to being the regional chairman and meeting all Montessorians in Region 5.
Laughter rang out at St Christopher School on Saturday 10th February as over 50 Montessorians participated in two workshops as part of the Montessori Schools Association Region 9 (Eastern England) Spring term meeting. The theme of the day was ‘Extending and Enhancing the Curriculum’. The first workshop, Introduction To Drama in a Nursery’ was hosted by Chris Manville, who previously worked for over ten years at Paint Pots Montessori and then from 2000, as a tutor for Montessori Centre International, before becoming a freelance Montessori Consultant. Delegates were introduced to the role of drama in Early Years education and through taking part in the games, role-play and story building techniques, they were learning how to pass on to children the essential skills of self-esteem, co-operation and communication. The second workshop, ‘Science Experiments for the Montessori classroom’ was hosted by Pip Titheradge, who is a practising Montessori Head Teacher and a Montessori Centre International Lecturer. Delegates tried out over 20 different science experiments for use in the nursery classroom, with varying degrees of success! All the experiments were very simple and only used readily available, household materials. Everyone agreed that by doing the experiments rather than just watching Pip perform them, it was much easier to understand the concepts and processes involved in each activity and make their own discoveries! Heidi Moyer of Heidi’s Montessori in Clavering, Essex was overheard saying she felt so inspired by the Science workshop she was planning a Science Week back at the Nursery. Feedback on the day was very positive with these remarks really summing up all the others: “The MSA events are always brilliantly organised; I always get so much out of them by meeting with like-minded people in settings that are conducive to learning. The drama workshop was fantastic: Chris was amazing. Pip’s experiments were simple and useable! Please keep up the good work MSA. I can’t wait for the next one.”
The MSA are delighted to announce the appointment of Rachel Woodburn as Regional Chairman for Region 6 – the East Midlands. This area covers Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. Rachel got her 3-6-year-old AMI training and Master's in Education at Washington Montessori Institute in the US. She has since taught in the US and the UK, and is currently working to set up a nursery and primary school outside Nottingham. Rachel is passionate about raising the profile of Montessori in the UK, and particularly about making it more available for older children.
Montessorians around the world have been celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the opening of the first Casa dei Bambini on 6th January 1907 by Maria Montessori. A large international conference is being held in Rome, and many schools have celebrations planned to start their terms. One such celebration was held at Southwater Montessori School in West Sussex on the 6th January. The school was renamed ‘Anne Frank Montessori School’. Owner Thea Bredie said ‘We are changing the name to Anne Frank Montessori School’ in honour of her memory and to emphasize the fact that Montessori education is an education for peace, where the focus is on cooperation rather than cooperation’ Further information about the centenary can be found on: http://www.montessori.org.uk/Centenary.php
The Montessori Schools Association would like to wish all its members a very Happy New Year. We hope that 2007 will be very successful for everyone as we celebrate the Centenary of Montessori Education.
On Friday December 8th some 60 newly qualified Montessori teachers collected their diplomas at a graduation ceremony held in The Kennedy Lecture Theatre at the Institute of Child Health, University of Central London. The newly qualified teachers studied for their diplomas at Montessori Centre International (MCI) in Balderton Street, London, also the home of the Montessori St Nicholas Charity and the Montessori Schools Association. Barbara Isaacs, head of MCI, congratulated the graduates and made the point that they are lucky to be embarking on their careers within the Montessori movement in its centenary year. She reminded them that they will be doing a very important job, ‘shaping the future.’ She reminded them that as Montessorians they must ‘follow the child’. And, with the evening’s theme being creativity, she offered advice on nurturing creativity in their children and wished them all ‘inspiration’. Peter Dixon, a teacher, a poet and, as Barbara introduced him, a ‘committed creative person’, then spoke to the audience. He passionately told them that children are more important than results, than schools even. He read from his poetry, which focuses on children in schools and is both moving and amusing. Finally, he exhorted the new Montessori teachers to give children their joy and their support.
London members of the MSA were joined by members of the MEYF at a joint meeting held at 18 Balderton Street, the home of MSA and MCI training college. The aim of the meeting was to inform London members about the meeting between Liz Sharpe, Barbara Isaacs and Ann-Marie True and Beverley Hughes and to discuss the impacts on provisions of the 10 Year Strategy. With over 60 attendees, the schools represented came from several different London boroughs. It is very clear that local education authorities are interpreting the Code of Practice differently resulting in varying responses to questions from schools. It was also clear that the proportion of places provided by the private and voluntary sector varies between boroughs. Members were urged to talk to their local education authority, write to their MP and check the Save Our Nurseries website for further information: http://www.saveournurseries.org/index.html
On Wednesday 22nd November, Beverley Hughes, the Minister for Children and Families, took part in a live web chat. She gave the following answer when questioned by an MSA member about the effects of no longer being able to charge top-up fees. Question: Ms Hughes, what do you think of the new Code of Practice and the terrible affects it will have on private nursery schools? when these nurseries are forced to pull out of funding and possibly shut down, will "Every Child Matter" ? Where will these poor children go? Beverley replied: "There is not a new code of practice, we have simply restated and clarified what has always been our position, namely that the free nursery provision for 3 and 4 year olds must be just that. It must be free to all parents, and nurseries are not able to make it conditional on the payment of top-up fees. I am listening carefully to nurseries at the moment and talking to them about their concerns." Only selected questions submitted to the webchat were answered and a wide range of topics were covered.
Beverley Hughes, Minister of State for Children and Families, is holding a web chat on Wednesday 22nd November 2006 at 5.00pm. This is an ideal opportunity for Montessorians to highlight the problems they face as a result of no longer being able to charge top-up fees. For further information and to submit your question, please see: http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page10412.asp Liz Sharpe, National Chairman of MSA, together with Barbara Isaacs, representing Montessori Training Providers and Ann-Marie True, London co-ordinator of MEYF and campaign spokesperson for Save our Nurseries, recently met Beverley Hughes to highlight the concerns of Montessori Schools over the Childcare Bill. The notes from the meeting have been circulated to all MSA members. Some of the main points to come out of the meeting include: The Minister made it clear that local authorities will be responsible for securing sufficient 38 week places for those parents who want one when the extension of free early education entitlement is raised from 33 to 38 weeks. She emphasised that she was keen for private providers to deliver the free entitlement as they are a part of a diverse childcare market, but equally they must not charge parents any fee for the free hours. What providers charge for periods beyond the 12 ½ hours of free provision per week is a private matter between them and the parents. Before the free provision is increased to 15 hours per week, the Government recognises that there are particular areas that need to be addressed. From April 2007 pathfinder areas will be piloting this scheme before it is rolled out across the country. The Minister was also made aware of the issue of funding not following the child. She was given several examples of situations where the nursery grant money did not ‘follow the child’ but was kept by the maintained setting even though the child spent part of the week in a private setting. She agreed to look into this. Please write to your local MP to let them know exactly how your setting will be affected by not being able to charge a top-up fee. Please ask them to support the Early Day Motion 2581 – Save Our Nurseries Campaign. For further details please see the website http:// www.saveournurseries.org
Montessori Schools Association are pleased to announce the appointment of Ailsa Neville as MSA Regional Chair for Region 4, the North of England. Ailsa has been involved in Montessori now for around 6 years. In October 2005 she set up Mill Cottage Montessori School in Brighouse,West Yorkshire. They have had a very successful first year and the Montessori name is now becoming well known in the area. There are very few Montessori Schools in this area and Ailsa feels her role as Regional Chair person will help her to encourage other Montessori schools to meet, share ideas and promote our educational methods. Ailsa can be contacted on 01484 400 500
On Saturday 30th September almost 300 Montessorians arrived at the Business Design centre for the Montessori Schools Association Annual National Conference on the theme ‘Inclusion’. Liz Sharpe, National Chairman of the MSA, welcomed the delegates before handing over to David Willetts, Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills. David’s rousing speech included a promise to mention the troubles faced by Montessori Schools as a result of the new legislation surrounding the nursery grant at the Conservative Party Conference the following week. This he duly did. Donna Bryant Goertz, author of ‘Children Who are Not Yet Peaceful; Preventing Exclusion in the Montessori Classroom', from Austin Montessori in Texas, gave a truly inspirational speech about how to ensure that ‘exotic’ children were given the attention and time they required and how this could have a positive impact on other children in the setting. During the lunch break delegates were able to visit the stands at the Early Years and Primary Teaching Exhibition. Many also visited the table in the Conference Hall run by the Centenary Steering Group where they could sign the Centenary Declaration and purchase the Centenary Calendar. The afternoon included a panel discussion (pictured) chaired by Mairi Clark, Regional Chairman for Scotland answering questions on a variety of topics from the delegates. Feedback was very positive with one attendee saying: ‘I enjoyed the panel as a lot of the questions asked were relevant to my setting and I found it very beneficial hearing from such profound professional speakers’ This was followed by Sarah Rowledge giving an account of her time at Gorton Mount School in Manchester where she was the seconded Montessori teacher which reminded those present of their shared passion for Montessori. The day was rounded off with the presentation of the Montessorian of the Year Award to Kim Simpson of Kew Montessori, and a prize draw from the Sponsors Scholastic and Community Playthings. click here for the photo gallery
The award for Montessorian of the Year was presented to Kim Simpson of Studio Montessori School in Kew at the Montessori Schools Association National Conference on 30th September 2006. A Montessori teacher for over 30 years, Kim, pictured here with Philip Bujak, Chief Executive of Montessori St Nicholas, runs a highly successful school in London and has also been a widely respected teacher and mentor all her career. One of the founding members of MAT’S, Kim has worked in many ways to promote understanding of Montessori and to uphold the highest standards in teaching. Respected by all in the Montessori community, in true Montessori fashion Kim was keen to ensure that all the Montessorians she had worked with throughout her career were thanked for their friendship and commitment to the children in their care.
On Saturday 29th September, David Willetts, Shaddow Secretary of State for Education and Skills, spoke at the Montessori Schools Association National Conference in London. He gave a very positive speech about the state of early years education and the changes that are being introduced by the current government. He promised to bring up the concerns of Montessorians at the Conservative Party Conference two days later. Here is an extract from his speech at the Party Conference in Bournemouth on 2nd October: ‘On Saturday I was at the annual conference of the Montessori schools. There are over a thousand of them in Britain. Montessori really understand child development. They understand children's needs to have freedom, particularly in the early years. But do you know what they were telling me? What shocked me? They were telling me that because of the conditions that the Government are attaching to the nursery grant they receive, many of them are in danger of closure. Montessori schools in danger of closure because of clumsy regulations being introduced by this government. We need more flexibility in childcare. We don't need ever greater instructions to childcare providers.’
Research published in the journal ‘Science’ on 29th September 2006 has proved that children at Montessori schools out-performed those given a traditional education across a range of abilities. The results showed that having a ‘test free’ system gives children a better start in life and is likely to fuel debate over the highly test oriented structure of British Education. The debate has already started on the Times Education website: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,564-2381165,00.html This news was picked up by the National press and caused great excitement the day before David Willetts, Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills, addressed the Montessori Schools Association National Conference. Please follow these links for further information and to see what the papers had to say: http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,1884006,00.html http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2380132,00.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/29/nschools29.xml
The Montessori Schools Association are proud to announce the shortlist for the Montessorian of the Year award 2006. These are, in alphabetical order:
The Montessorian of the Year Award was introduced to honour the unsung heroes of the Montessori Movement so that people working in the field and making a tremendous contribution to their school and the children in their care can get some recognition. Do you know anyone who works beyond the call of duty in a Montessori environment who you feel should be honoured in this way? If so, please let your regional chairman know by the 4th September.
MSA members will have received, in a recent mailing from the Montessori Schools’ Association, a Briefing Paper on the Government’s 10-year Childcare Strategy which draws their attention, among other things, to a number of key issues for Montessori settings. These include concerns about the viability of settings where providers are expected to reduce their fees to the level of the Government-funded ‘free’ places, as well as the financial and staffing implications of the increase in minimum entitlement from 33 to 38 weeks. It is now clear that inflexible interpretation of the DfES Code of Practice on the Provision of Free Nursery Education Places for Three and Four Year Olds in a number of local education authority areas could force some private providers out of business, or at least out of the government scheme. Liz Sharpe, National Chairman of the MSA has therefore written to the Minister of State for Children & Families, Beverley Hughes MP, to point out that the achievement of the Government’s strategy depends to a large extent on the involvement of private, voluntary and independent providers whose viability may now be threatened. Liz has asked for a meeting with her and urged her to allow LEAs to exercise greater discretion by adopting policies that more sensitively reflect local conditions. Liz Sharpe can assure you that MSA is taking well-informed and carefully considered action to defend the interests of the Montessori community. This has involved the appointment of a consultant, checking with other childcare organisations whose members will also be affected and with a number of local authorities. The MSA advise all member schools to read the Code of Practice (phone 0845 60 222 60 and ask for ref 0175-2006DBW-EN) carefully alongside the 'Delegated Condidtions' produced by their Local Education Authority.
The Montesori Schools Association has moved. Our new address is:
On Saturday 10th June Montessorians came together for the first time under the banner of the Montessori Schools Association for the launch of the Region 7 in Exeter. The meeting, hosted by Regional Chairman, Lesley Milmine and her deputy Michelle Patten, combined with a training workshop on children’s yoga conducted by yoga expert, June Rowlands of June’s Yoga. It was a really positive day, with Montessorians from across the region able to meet, share and discuss current issues, in addition to finding out more about the MSA and learning a new skill.
To celebrate 100 years of Montessori Education, Montessori International are offering new parents to Montessori schools a ‘Centenary WallPlanner.’ The Wallplanner will have Montessori tips and information around it, as well as being a useful, practical item, which we hope will be a great introduction to parents about Montessori. This is also an ideal opportunity to introduce the new ‘Parenting’ section in Montessori International. This section aims to help parents reinforce the Montessori philosophy at home and to bridge greater links between home and school. If you have not received an order form and would like to be involved in handing out the wallplanner, please contact Sree in the Montessori International Marketing office. The wallplanners are free, but there will be a P& P charge. Tel: 020 7493 8300Fax: 020 7493 9936
The first joint meeting for members of the MSA and MEYF was held on Saturday 10th June 2006 in Irons Bottom near Reigate. Over 60 Montessorians attended the day which was organised by Marianne Clarkson (MSA regional chair for Region 8 – South East England, pictured left) and Thea Bredie (MEYF co-ordinator for West Sussex, pictured right). The day was held in the Woodland Pursuits centre, in the heart of the countryside, which was loaned by parents of the local Montessori school. The theme of the day was ‘Montessori Works’ and after a welcoming speech from the MSA and MEYF organisers, delegates watched the video ‘Awaking the Genius in Every Child’. People then formed discussion groups to talk about some of the topics raised and how these could be introduced in the classroom. Luckily the hot and sunny weather meant that discussions could take place outdoors in the shade of the trees as one of the marquees erected for the event had taken off in a strong gust of wind while everyone was safely in the pavilion engrossed in the video! The afternoon was spent in workshops to learn how to make Montessori materials on a budget. Some attendees practiced their origami skills making pink language boxes, others created treasure baskets for babies full of tactile household items, while a third group cut out pictures, flags and words to make foreign language cards. Everyone left at the end of the day with the materials they had made. The day was a huge success and finished at about the same time that England finally won their first match of the world cup. The MSA hopes that this will be the first of many joint meetings and events with the MEYF.
National Montessori starts today and will run to 17th June. Schools round the UK will be celebrating Montessori in the run up to the centenary in January 2007. Suggested activities for member schools during Montessori week include:
Montessorians from across London and the East of England gathered for a fantastic Montessori Environmental Training day combined with an MSA regional meeting hosted by Wendy Compson and her team at Cherry Trees School, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Wendy and her staff put together a fascinating day of presentations and workshops which focused on making the most of the outdoor environment. For a full report and picture gallery, follow the links below
Montessorians from across Region 5 which covers the West Midlands got together for a combined MSA regional meeting and training day on ‘Enhancing and Extending Use of the Outdoors’ in May 2006. Once again the day was hosted by Bella Barron and her team at Brockwood Nursery. The day started off with a short update on both national and regional issues for the MSA, by Regional Chair, Bella Barron. She then handed over to Pauline Lovering, from the ground-breaking school grounds charity, Learning through Landscapes. Pauline is an Early Years Advisory Teacher for South Gloucestershire Council, but is also one of Learning Through Landscapes part-time accredited trainers for the South West region. She specialises in delivering the Learning Through Landscapes Early Years Outdoors modules. With over 25 years experience as a nursery teacher and advisor, Pauline has a particular insight into how essential outdoor play is to the well-being and development of young children. The day was a mix of theory and practical and although all the Montessorians really wanted to get straight on with the practical, the theoretical framework proved invaluable in enhancing the practical activities. Feedback was great: “These new ideas from Pauline were fantastic.” Sharing our own childhood experiences about what was special about our own outdoors play was really inspirational.” “The outside workshops were fun and informative; everyone was so welcoming.” As you can see, even the rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of a group of Montessorians being creative. One thing delegates agreed overwhelmingly was that they would be able to use the techniques and ideas in their own settings whether this is a nursery set in 60 acres of countryside like Brockwood, or a small tarmac enclosure.
Montessori heads and teachers came together at Great Finborough School in Stowmarket for the spring term meeting of the Eastern Region of the Montessori Schools Association. The day was hosted by Head Directress, Helen Stewart and the theme was Linguistics. Helen began the meeting by welcoming everyone and then handed over to Sue Briggs, Regional MSA Chair who gave a short update on the MSA. Sue also announced that she had appointed Sarah Rowledge as her deputy. and that Sarah would take over from Sue when Sue’s term of office finishes at the end of the summer term. Sarah Rowledge, owner of Absolute Angels and a seconded teacher to the Gorton Mount School was the keynote speaker. Sarah spoke passionately about the importance of positive communication. In the afternoon delegates attended two workshops. One workshop was led by Danya Miller on Storytelling and the other on remodelling language was led by Sarah Rowledge. Delegate feedback included the following:
The impact of Montessori teaching at Gorton Mount Primary School, the UK's 1st state funded Montessori school, has affected teaching and learning positively, according to a January HMI Thematic inspection of the Foundation Stage. Since September last year, nursery and reception pupils at the inner city Manchester school have been taught using the Montessori method, the first time the alternative education method has been adopted by the state sector since the 1920s. And now, one and a half terms into the project, a chance HMI endorses the improvements made. The report cites:
On Saturday 21 January the West Midlands region of the Montessori Schools Association [Region 5] held their termly meeting, but combined it with a training workshop on Speech and Language Disorders in the Early Years presented by eminent therapist Terry Gilligan. The day started with an update from the MSA Regional Chair, Bella Barron. She warmly welcomed delegates to the Downs School and Brockwood Nursery. Bella was delighted that Susan Linnell introduced herself as the Regional Deputy for MEYF in the Midlands and discussion took place later in the day about the possibility of joining up for meetings in the future. Terry Gilligan then began the workshop, which is designed to help teachers identify early signs of communication disorders in pre and primary school aged children. Delegate feedback included the following:
More than sixty MSA members attended the London region Teachers’ meeting on Thursday 23rd February. The event was held at St Nicholas Preparatory School in London and David Wilson, Headmaster, and Francesca Malliaros, Head of Early Years welcomed everyone to the event. The speaker was Sarah Rowledge who held the audience captive with her presentation on linguistics and positive communication. She reminded everyone about the importance of non-verbal communication and how it is essential that body language reflects what we are trying to say as children are able to pick up on the conflicting messages. Sarah explained how ensuring that every teacher and classroom assistant in a setting took the same ‘clean slate’ approach - acting as though each incident was the first - to communicating with a continually misbehaving child, was the most effective way to overcome any problems. Feedback from the evening was very positive.
National Montessori Week will take place the week beginning Monday 12th June 2006 culminating in a series of picnics round the country on Saturday 17th. It is hoped that as many MSA schools as possible will be able to take part in this exciting event. This is one of the centenary celebrations being planned by the Centenary Steering Group which has representatives of the many Montessori bodies in the UK click here to find out more about events taking place around the world on the centenary website: If you have any plans of your own or ideas as to how your school might celebrate 2007, then please let your regional chairman know. You can also discuss plans with fellow MSA members on the members’ forum. We look forward to hearing all your ideas and plans! MSA members will have received the first part of the centenary supplement with the latest copy of Montessori International. The remaining issues this year will also contain centenary supplements designed to be a useful resource for the centenary.
Early Years is experiencing unprecedented growth, supported by £billions of Government funds and cross party legislation. There has never been a better industry to be in particularly at this time. Accessing these funds, managing our business and meeting the needs of young people in our care is a real challenge. “Management Moves” is a joint Montessori Schools Association (MSA) and National Day Nursery Association (NDNA) initiative funded by Business Link. Management Moves is designed to help you take stock of your business position and analysis where you want it to go in the future. The initiative will also provide financial support to enable you to achieve your goals. Management Moves, gives you an opportunity to work with professionals to diagnose your business development needs. With the knowledge and skills gained from the initial diagnostic process you will be able to decide what management moves to make. Whether these include increasing the size of your premises, introducing wrap-round care, doubling the children role, or simply retaining and maintaining your staff, developing a web site as a programme participant you will be able to apply for up to £1,000 funding and professional support to help you achieve your business performance goals. The outcomes can only be positive and will undoubtedly be reflected in the quality of your provision and also in your bottom line. There is no charge for attending the programme. “Management Moves” comprises one-to-one pre-workshop discussion, one-day group diagnostic workshop and a one-to- one, post workshop review. Pre and post work can be done by telephone. At the end of the diagnostic process you will have a thorough understanding of your business and have identified the enhancements you wish to make to improve business performance. These will be recorded on your own personal business plan. To qualify for a place on the Management Moves Programme you must be the owner or a key manager of an early years setting and preferably employ over 15 people in total. This includes volunteer staff and non teaching staff. To enrol or receive further information about Management Moves please write to Chris Gray, MSA, 24 Prince's Gate, London, SW7 1PT or contact Nik Kellingley on (0870) 774 4244 or by e-mail at nik.kellingley@ndna.org.uk
The MSA National Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Leslie Milmine as regional Chairman for Region 7 - the South West and Wales. Leslie was the 2004 Montessorian of the Year. She recently relocated to Meadow View Montessori School in Corfe Mullen, Dorset, with her husband having worked at Chives Montessori School near Ipswich. Leslie is looking forward to coordinating training events and other activities for the Montessori community in the South West. Details will appear on this website shortly
“I really enjoyed the day and can’t wait to come again next year! I thought the event was fantastic and really inspiring.” This is just one of the many comments received from almost 300 delegates at the end of MSA National Conference. People had travelled from all corners of the UK as well as the USA, Pakistan, Ireland and Switzerland to be part of this exciting occasion. Marlene Barron, from West Side Montessori School in New York, gave a very thought provoking and inspiring speech with interesting ideas on post modernism. “The highlight was Marlene Barron’s speech. It certainly captured my full attention” said one delegate Peggy McClatchie from Dublin was ‘delightful’. Another attendee commented “Peggy’s speech was spell-binding. She really encompassed the feel of an ideal teacher’” For many delegates the highlight was getting involved in the creative workshops. Many were desperate to get back to the classroom to put some of their new ideas into practice! Musikgarten (pictured) left participants feeling very inspired and fired up about music and movement after their hands-on workshop. “it was so vibrant and exciting with great ideas and suggestions – I can’t wait to pass it on.” June’s Yoga gave people a chance to relax after the stimulation of the speeches with many feeling they had learnt great techniques for calming active children. “wonderfully relaxing – it can only be good for all children to take 10 minutes a day to refocus” The enthusiasm of the speakers from MakeBelieve Art along with lots of audience participation inspired everyone involved. “brilliant! Very inspiring especially in developing the child’s creativity and for children with low self esteem” The gospel singer, recycling artists and Montessori images on the big screen all added to the great atmosphere. One delegate said: “This was confirmation that Montessori is fantastic!” For more photos click here.
A networking dinner was held in Battersea, London, on Friday 30th September, the eve of the Montessori Schools Association (MSA) National Conference. Attendees included Mike Waters, from QCA, the Trustees of Montessori St Nicholas, the National Council of the Montessori Schools Association, members of both MEYF and MEUK, the keynote speakers for the Conference and members of the team involved in the project to change Gorton Mount primary school into a Montessori state school. The dinner was held in a beautiful private residence which was kindly loaned to us for the evening. Many good connections were renewed, new connections made and everyone left feeling inspired about Montessori and the MSA Conference the following morning. The evening was summed up by one guest’s comment: ‘We had an extremely good evening with superb food and wine in a lovely place and were made to feel most welcome by everybody. Such interesting and enthusiastic people in the MSA too!’
The Montessorian of the Year Award 2005 was won by Georgina Hood. A mother of four and owner of the three PaintPots Montessori schools in south and west London, Georgina is dedicated to the Montessori ethos. Georgina works tirelessly to promote Montessori. She is currently the Regional Chair for the London Region of the Montessori Schools Association and is part of the team working to convert Gorton Mount Primary School into a Montessori School. Her other interests include working with several primary schools in Kenya. Georgina was unable to attend the Early Years Educator Awards Dinner to receive her award so was presented with it at the start of the Montessori Schools Association National Conference in front of almost 300 fellow Montessorians. She dedicated the award to all the hard work put in by all the Montessorians across the UK.
On Saturday 24th September Montessori heads and teachers came together at The Downs’ School/Brockwood Nursery in Colwall, Malvern for the inaugural meeting of MSA Region 5. Although covering a large geographical area there are only 24 schools in the region. The venue was excellent and a detailed programme gave everyone the opportunity to meet, share and discuss current issues in the Montessori movement. Hosted by MSA Region 5 Chairman Bella Barron, who is Head Directress at Brockwood, the meeting began with a welcome and introduction by Liz Sharpe, Chair of the MSA National Council. This was followed by an address by Montessori St. Nicholas Chief Executive, Philip Bujak, who explained the roles of the MSA and the Montessori St. Nicholas charity and reported on the progress of the MSA over the last year since it was launched. This was followed by a talk from host Bella Barron on Montessori and the Foundation Stage Curriculum. The morning was rounded off by a tour of Brockwood Nursery, which was appreciated by everyone. In the afternoon, delegates took part in an open discussion session and a workshop undertaking a SWOT analysis on the Montessori movement led by Liz Sharpe. This led to lots of positive discussion and some really interesting ideas being put forward by the group. The date of the next Region 5 meeting will be Saturday 4th February 2006.
It might have been one of the only really warm evenings this summer, but still over 50 Montessori teachers gathered at Paint Pots @ St John’s Hyde Park in southwest London for the summer term Region 10 Teachers’ Meeting. The keynote speaker was the renowned Montessorian, Kim Simpson (pictured). Kim, who has owned and run two Montessori schools in south-west London for over two decades gave a powerful speech on the theme of: “The Child Becoming Whole . . . The Freedom To Be Myself”. Despite the heat, she kept her audience enthralled with the content of the speech, which was described as amazing and fantastic on feedback forms. A condensed version will hopefully be reproduced, in a forthcoming issue of Montessori International magazine so it’s content can reach a wider audience.
The MSA London region recently held a Teddy Bear’s Picnic in the gardens of Montessori St Nicholas. The children all brought their teddies either by coach, or walking through Hyde Park. The day was a huge success with the children talking about it for several days afterwards. After a picnic lunch in the shade of the trees, everyone was divided into groups to go on the bear adventure. The adventure included storytelling and singing, a book corner where the children read a story to their bears, a treasure hunt where they collected different coloured sticks, a bear habitat exploration area where they could learn all about the different types of bear, an obstacle course where they were going “On a Bear Hunt”, a teddy picnic mat full of crockery, teapots and teddy bear biscuits and an art area (pictured)where we were all given a bear puppet to dress and decorate. The day was rounded off with a puppet show. It was a beautiful sunny day enjoyed by children and bears alike.
This year has seen the unveiling of the MSA National Training Programme. Participation in heavily subsidised training opportunities is one of the new member benefits available to MSA members. A programme of nine Regional Training Days was devised and members have been meeting colleagues from around their regions, networking and benefiting from a wide range of training activities in places such as Glasgow, London (pictured) and Bristol. The training is currently offered at three levels including Business Management for Owner/Managers and a Montessori Skills Workshop for classroom assistants or anyone wishing to brush up on their Montessori Skills. For more information click here. Feedback from the training is very positive and the MSA are currently putting together the training programme for 2005-06
The MSA Eastern Region (R9) held its third Teacher’s Meeting in April at Norfolk Lodge Nursery and Pre-prep school. The theme of the day was “Extending Montessori in the Primary Years”. Marianne Clarkson, Chair of Region 8 kicked off the day with an interesting presentation showing how the Montessori child, environment and teacher were different in the primary classroom in comparison to Montessori pre-school. Ruth Bloomfield, who owns and runs The Maria Montessori School in Exeter, was the second speaker and gave a very personal account of her experiences of founding the school and seeing it grow over the last 18 years. After a delicious lunch, Ruth shared with delegates Maths and Language materials that she has developed specially for primary children in her school based on the Montessori principles. Marianne led a workshop on the central importance of the Great Lessons in Montessori primary education and gave a spirited demonstration of the First Great Lesson using practical experiments to provide concrete impressions of The Big Bang and the creation of the Universe and planet Earth; some attendees will never view talcum powder in the same way again! The MSA continues to go from strength to strength in this region. This is just one example of the positive comments on feedback forms: “At last! An Association to help Montessori nurseries and pre-schools by supporting them. This has been long overdue. Thank you.“
The first meeting of the MSA Southern Region was held on 26th February at Dorton House conference centre, Sevenoaks. The topic was ‘Montessori: Going Up the Ages’ and 65 members attended to hear the keynote speaker, William Johnson M.A. from Hull-Jackson Montessori Magnet School, Nashville, Tennessee. The Hull-Jackson School upholds Montessori principles and practice, is completely state funded, and over-subscribed. Marianne Clarkson (the chair of the MSA region) had the opportunity to visit the school a year or so ago, and was very impressed with their work. William’s talk covered the story of how the school came to be set up, and the day-to-day practices and operations of the 6 to 9 programme, including ensuring the work cycle was supported, that learning was managed and children’s progress recorded. After lunch, William led a workshop on the Primary maths materials, demonstrating, for example, the chequer board, tube and rack division, and many other presentations used on a day-to-day basis. Marianne led a workshop on the central importance of the Great Lessons, and demonstrated the first of these, using the science experiments which normally accompany it. There was also an exhibition of Montessori Primary materials made by current students taking the Primary Course at the Kent & Sussex Montessori Centre.
The National Council of the MSA have announced that the 2005 National Conference will be held at The Business Design Centre in London on Saturday October 1st 2005. Once again the conference will link with the TSL Early Years and Primary Teaching Exhibition and delegates will be able to visit the exhibition during their lunch break. The theme this year will be ‘Creativity’ and we've lined up two big names in Montessori Early Years education as our speakers - Marlene Barron from West Side Montessori School, New York and Peggy McClatchie from St Nicholas Montessori College in Dublin. Come along to hear them open up new dimensions in creative learning in Montessori classrooms. We also have a choice of creative workshops where you can learn more about music and movement, childrens' yoga and story telling/acting. Booking forms have recently been sent to all MSA members. If you would like further booking forms, please contact Caroline Delacombe by e-mail on caroline@montessori.org.uk or phone 020 7584 9987. Places are limited so apply now to secure your place.
The theme for the evening was Moving Montessori Forward in the World of the Early Years. Liz Sharpe, new Chairwoman of the MSA spoke knowledgeably about all the high-level changes taking place in the Early Years and then set five key questions for attendees to think about and discuss in their smaller breakout groups. These included discussing how all the different strategy changes had affected schools and where attendees thought Montessori schools fitted into the ‘Big Early Years’ picture. Attendees also debated issues surrounding the Montessori qualification. Passionate discussion resonated around the room! The event was a big success. One Montessorian noted on her feedback form: "The whole evening was very inspiring “ and another wrote that what she enjoyed most was “Simply being around other Montessori teachers, feeling passionate about what we do again”.
The trustees are delighted to announce the appointment of two new full time members of staff : Caroline Delacombe is the new Schools Communications and Marketing Manager for The Montessori Schools Association. All MSA members, be they individuals or Schools, can now contact Caroline in the MSA office at any time on either caroline@montessori.org.uk or by telephoning 0207 584 7101. Caroline is a graduate of Exeter University and has worked for the British Heart Foundation for the past 9 years as Donations Manager. Caroline looks forward to getting to know as many Montessorians as possible, helping schools in membership of MSA and promoting Montessori. Sarah Goddy joins the charity staff as our full time Administration Assistant. Sarah joins us from having worked at Reuters and Mary Kay International.
The First National MSA Conference was a greater success than expected. Some 220 Montessorians from across the UK came together to network, exchange ideas and have some good laughs! Delegates enjoyed the opportunity to hear Margaret Hodge speak for the first time ever to a Montessori audience, to have in-depth discussions on Ofsted with Wendy Fidler and learn new approaches to Learning through Sensory Integration by Mel Randall, OT. Here some of the feedback we received from our members:
"Great day, very informative. It was great to meet with other
Montessorians." A big thank you to all our volunteers, staff and delegates who made it all possible. We are very proud to have taken the Association so far in such a short time. As a result of the conference, we just welcomed our 400th member in November! And last but not least. Next year's National Conference will be held on October 1, 2005. The theme will be CREATIVITY! So mark your calendars now! Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis! More details to follow in the next MSA News section of Montessori International and on our website.
The Mall Galleries were abuzz with action last week as the first ever Montessori Art Exhibition, entitled 'Inside our School' got off to an exciting start. Over 100 parents, teachers, children and VIPs came to view the fabulous art work and watch a collage come to life before their very eyes as part of the evening's living exhibition. Since then, schools have been participating daily in workshops and the walls are nearly covered with inspired works of art! Two slideshows of the event are available by clicking on the links below (once you are in a slideshow, please use the 'previous' and 'next' links at the bottom to view all photos):
MSA members are also able to download the photos and save them onto their computers by visiting the forum - click here. We are currently also producing a DVD of the exhibit and one of the live workshops which will be made available to members for a small fee of £10. Should you wish to procure one, please contact Deana Fries directly on 0207 584 7101. Watch this space for further announcements! We would like to give a huge thank you to all our sponsors who made this exhibition possible -- Triodos Bank, Holmwoods Term Time Credit, Berol, MA Education, Over Taylor Biggs Solicitors and Dixon Wilson Chartered Accountants.
The Early Years Educator, national conference was held once again in Birmingham this year. The conference provided early year professionals with an opportunity to meet and exchange idease. Delegates also enjoyed a wide range of high profile speakers talked on subjects across the Early Years world, including Richard Dorrence from CACHE on the future of qualifications. The culmination of this two day conference was the national EYE Awards evening, held at The Botanical Gardens. The Saturday evening awards dinner was hosted by Ros Bailey and amongst the awards presented on the night to a packed audience were Special Needs Professional of the Year and Montessorian of the Year. 
Both awards are sponsored by The Montessori St. Nicholas Charity and Charity Chief Executive Philip Bujak presented the following awards. Special Needs Professional of the Year: Amita Morton (far right) of The Morton Montessori School In Chesham, Buckinghamshire. Montessorian of the Year 2004: 1st Prize: Lesley Milmine (second from left) of Chives Montessori School, Henley Suffolk. 2nd Prize: Sam Sims (far left) of The Willow Park Montessori Day Nursery, Ipswich
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Region 10 held their Spring Term Teacher’s Supper Evening on 10th February. Over 65 owner/managers, teachers. classroom assistants and students from around the London region braved the winter weather to attend the event which was kindly hosted by Greg Mcdonald and his team at Rolfe’s Nursery School in Notting Hill. 
