FAQ

The membership will provide your school with benefits including:

Listing on the MSA database of schools (website)

Discounts on training

Access to:

• a reduction on price of tickets for the MSA conference
• accreditation for your school
• the MSA forum
• the Help Line

Free copy of Montessori International magazine

Opportunities to attend local Montessori meetings organised by your regional chair

Networking opportunities at national conference and local meetings

Representation by your regional chair at the Advisory Council meetings and by the National Chair and members of the Charity Senior Management Team at national level

Yesthe Montessori primary school group meets regularly and offers specialised training for heads and teachers from primary schools.  The group is managed by the MSA – appointed Primary chair. To view the MSA Primary page, click here

Yes within the MSA is a Childminding network that  meets termly and manages their Facebook page and provides opportunities for meetings in different childminding settings around the country.  To view the MSA Childminder’s Network page, click here

Yes, it would be an ideal time to join the UK Montessori community with opportunities to:

• Engage in continued professional development
• Network within your region and nationally
• Have access to discounts on books and conferences
• Participate in the MSA Forum
• Receive Montessori International magazine

Yes, it would be an ideal time  to join the UK Montessori community with opportunities to:

• Engage in continued professional development
• Network both within your region and nationally
• Have access to discount on books and conferences
• Participate in the MSA Forum
• Receive Montessori International magazine

There is no one specific organisation responsible for Montessori education.  Dr Montessori did not protect the Montessori name in her day and as a result there are many Montessori organisations around the world which represent the Montessori communities in individual countries and continents.   Usually these organisations are linked with Montessori teacher training colleges and  societies.   These are privately owned, usually by charities or education trusts and in addition to the teacher training they also offer membership for their graduates and associated schools as well as continued professional development training and quality assurance schemes for associated nurseries  and schools.

For example the Montessori St Nicholas charity (MSN) was established in 1946 by Phoebe Childs and Margaret Homfray with the permission of Maria Montessori. The Charity represents Montessori at Government level and also owns the following organisations which provide services for the Montessori community:

Montessori Centre International (MCI) (formally Montessori St Nicholas training College and London Montessori Centre) is the only Montessori teacher training programme in the UK to offer the nationally recognised Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy, Birth to Seven (Early Years Educator) and a Foundation Degree in Arts (Montessori Early Childhood Practice)

Montessori Schools Association – a membership organisation for Montessori teachers which offers listing for all member schools and professional development training (in partnership with MCI), national and regional networking opportunities for members, and a quality assurance scheme for its schools managed by the Montessori Evaluation and Accreditation Board (MEAB).

The school will have an industrious yet calm atmosphere, children will be engaged in many different activities, some working alone, some in small groups, some will be learning inside and others in the outdoor classroom.

The environment will be well organised both inside and outside and the teachers will be part of the learning provision in which children lead the learning.   To find out more please click here

Many schools are deeply committed to offering high quality Montessori education which is validated by their participation in a quality assurance scheme such as MEAB.

The principles which underpin both approaches focus on the child, the learning environment and the relationships within it in promoting childrens learning and development. The synergy in the principles ensures that Montessori early years education works well alongside the EYFS without losing its key focus on following the child. To find out more see The Guide to the EYFS.

Unfortunately the name ‘Montessori’ for schools and pre-schools was never made copyright by Maria Montessori when she started her work, and some people are legally free to use the name irrespective of what goes on in their nursery or school.   However the current regulation of early years provision requires the nursery or pre-school to meet the standards as set out in the EYFS, which safeguards minimum standards in quality of delivery.   It is always good to check out the settings Ofsted report alongside any other reports, such as the MEAB accreditation report, to ensure that the setting is committed to delivering quality provision.

As all the Montessori schools and nurseries operate as separate business the Montessori Schools Association and Montessori St Nicholas do not have any oversight of their financial and management arrangements.

The  How to Prepare for Accreditation  page gives full details of what to do and think about. Read this along with the Step by Step Accreditation process  page.  Please note that you need to join the MSA as a school member in order to be eligible for MEAB accreditation.