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Montessori Teaching Training

Who was Maria Montessori?

Montessori teaching is based on the work of Maria Montessori. In the 20th century, she was one of the most influential pioneers of educational theory relating to young children.

She was born in 1870 in Italy and was a pioneer in more than one area, being the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome as a doctor of medicine. This led her to become interested in children with learning difficulties, those probably termed 'special needs children' today. She approached the challenges of education as a scientist rather than as an educator or philosopher. Working with many young children she used the classroom as an educational laboratory in which to observe them and to try out new ideas and techniques. Her method is founded on a warm and secure environment in which children can most easily absorb information.

It has proved enormously successful throughout the world. Her methodology uses a practical approach within a carefully planned learning environment. Her philosophy centres on the freedom of the child. She believed that children were by nature motivated to learn and, if provided with stimulating activities appropriate to their stage of development, they will absorb knowledge without effort. Renowned throughout the world, her portrait was until recently published on Italian bank notes!

Why do we use Montessori?

We use it because it is effective. Alongside other methods and techniques, it has a proven successful track record in the early years of child development in maximising each child's own abilities. It provides a very solid foundation and academic base for children right at the start of their school life.

Ours is not the only school in England that uses the Montessori method: see, for example, the interesting article in The Independent. There was also some interesting coverage in the national press on 29 September 2006 about a study of the effect on children of education by the Montessori method: see The Times, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail.

Why train as a Montessori teacher?

Many teachers have recognised the benefits that the Montessori methods can offer young children and have therefore added a Montessori qualification to their existing teaching degrees etc. For others considering a teaching career and focused on the Early Years development stages, Montessori training offers an entry to teaching via a teaching qualification that is recognised and taught in many countries around the world.

Many Montessori-qualified teachers go on to add additional teaching qualifications to teach older children or specifically to address special needs such as dyslexia. The techniques and philosophy of Montessori remain relevant for teachers addressing any stage of a child's academic schooling.

Aims of the course

  • To introduce students to and teach them the Montessori method
  • To develop and extend their teaching abilities and proficiency within the Montessori method
  • To prepare students thoroughly for the course leading to the Foundation Certificate or to the International Diploma of the Montessori Centre International (MCI) (www.montessori.uk.com)
  • To provide extensive and relevant classroom experience with children aged 3 - 7
  • To enable students upon qualification to teach classes as Montessori teachers

Structure of the course

The course is over a single academic year running from the beginning of September to the middle of July. Students are required to be present at the school five days a week from 8.15am to 4.30pm (5.00pm on one of the days) but with breaks in the morning and at lunchtime. Leave of absence is allowed during the week marking half term and during the Christmas and Easter school holidays.

Students spend much of their time in the classroom working alongside a qualified teacher and are given additional time for study. In order both to provide experience with a wide variety of age groups as well as access to the personalities of different teaching staff, students move to a different classroom each half term. Students follow the Montessori Centre International (MCI) distance learning course, which for the Diploma entails fourteen essays and compulsory attendance at three Saturday morning seminars.

The requirements for the Foundation Certificate are considerably less demanding. A weekly lecture in the theory and a weekly practical seminar are given. During the second part of the year students are required to prepare a teaching practice file with structured assignments.

Students must also complete 420 hours of supervised teaching practice. During the course of the academic year students are required to attend a two week workshop at the MCI and to sit two examinations, one in the use of practical materials and the other in the theory of the Montessori method. Following a satisfactory assessment by an assigned tutor the International Diploma is awarded.

Student bursary and other fees paid by the school

Students receive a basic bursary of £450 monthly from the school, payable on the last day of each month from September 2010to July 2011. In addition to the basic bursary, a discretionary termly bonus of up to £550 may be awarded, at the discretion of the headmistress, subject to satisfactory attendance on the MCI course and conduct at the school and an end-of-term interview with the headmistress in December, March and July.

To qualify for this discretionary bonus a student must provide evidence at regular intervals that:

  • The student is up-to-date with all assignments for the MCI
  • The student's spoken English is of a high standard (or the student is taking measures to improve his or her command of the language)
  • The student's punctuality and attendance record are both very good.
  • A contract incorporating these and other details is exchanged between the school and the student.

There are no kitchens at Prospect House so lunch is not provided here. To compensate for this, students at Prospect House receive an extra £40 per month, bringing the total of the basic monthly bursary to £490 for students at Prospect House (lunch is provided free of charge each day during term time to students at Bassett House and at Orchard House).

Whilst technically taxable, in practice, unless the student has income from other sources, no tax is deducted because everyone is entitled to tax-free income of £6,475 in the tax year (which runs from 6 April in one year to 5 April in the next). If the student has paid tax on pay received between April and August before starting the course, this is likely to be repaid automatically over the autumn term. National insurance contributions (effectively a payroll tax) would be likely to amount to between £173 and £198 over the 11 months of the course.

Other fees paid by the school

In addition the school pays the fees (a total of approximately £3,100) charged by MCI for:

  • The distance learning course (approx £950)
  • The teaching practice assessment (approx £750)
  • The workshop (approx £800)
  • The examination fees (approx £260)
  • All lectures and seminars (approx £350)

Thus the basic bursary and the study fees are together worth approximately £8,060 in addition to which a discretionary bonus of up to £550 per term (£1,650 over the academic year) may be awarded.

Additional benefits

The student will obtain invaluable “hands on” experience of working in the Montessori classes of a leading co-educational independent school. In addition, the student benefits from:

  • Mentoring by an experienced Montessori teacher on the school's staff
  • The opportunity to compare notes and share experiences with other students sponsored by the school
  • The provision of stationery, use of computers and access to a photocopier for the completion of essays. (Essays may of course be hand written.)
  • Hot drinks at breaks (and, at Bassett House and Orchard House, lunch)

Support in finding a teaching job for the following academic year (although a job cannot be guaranteed)

Entry requirements

Students must enjoy being with children! They are expected to have good standards in literacy and numeracy and a good command of spoken English. Successful students in the past have not been solely those with degrees, A levels and GCSEs but encompass those with a wide range of backgrounds and experience. However, the individual achievements of the candidate are always taken into account.

Where does Montessori training lead?

Montessori-trained teachers work in schools all over the world. Many go on to add further teaching qualifications, such as a diploma in the teaching of dyslexic children or adults. A number use the Montessori diploma as a qualification to start a university course in teaching (e.g. a Bachelor of Education honours degree or similar, such as that offered by the University of London's Institute of Education). Studying for this can either be full time at university or by completing such courses on an in-service basis as the teacher continues to teach in a school. Of course, the entry requirements for each university and its degree courses vary but a number of staff at House Schools group have followed these routes with great success.

Here is what two recently qualified Montessori students who are now full time teachers have said about the Montessori course:

"The Montessori course provided us with a thorough insight into teaching. We had the opportunity to work alongside qualified teachers in a structured Montessori environment, gaining first hand experience of working with children of different ages. It has therefore encouraged and enabled us to further our teaching careers."

Early Years Foundation Stage (children aged 3 to 5)

Montessori teachers work principally with children aged 3 to 5; in the UK this is known as the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Since September 2008 the qualifications of adults who work with children in the EYFS have been strictly regulated by the government and every qualification has been awarded a level dependent on the complexity of the course of study. To have sole charge of a class or a group of children larger than 8 any teacher or child care professional must now hold a Level 6 qualification. The International Diploma is graded as Level 4 and the Montessori Foundation Certificate is graded as Level 2. Prospective students must therefore be aware that they will need to undertake further study after finishing the course to enable them to have sole charge of a class larger than 8 pupils.

Application procedure

We offer Montessori teacher training at House Schools Group. You can download a copy of the student prospectus to read off-line.

Please complete an application form. (You can download Acrobat Reader free of charge from Adobe's website.) You should print out the form and send it to the school of your preference together with a recent passport sized photograph and a curriculum vitae. The address of each school can be found at the bottom of the application form. If you have questions you would like answered before completing an application form, please contact the relevant school you are interested in.

Candidates may then be invited to meet children and staff in their chosen school, during which there will be an opportunity to discuss the course with the headmistress. Candidates may be asked to spend 20 minutes on a short exercise.

Successful candidates will be required to pay a deposit of £250 to the school to secure their place. Subject to satisfactory attendance during the year and successful completion of the course, this is refunded at the end of July at the same time as the school pays the final instalment of the bursary and, if awarded, the bonus for the summer term.