The active parent led group of children attending Brighton & Hove’s Montessori school, who have been campaigning for the establishment of a state funded Montessori School in the city, have enthusiastically welcomed the new coalition government’s announcement to promote the reform of schools.
“More than an enthusiastic welcome”, proclaimed Kristin Magnuson, Chair of the B&H Montessori PTA, “We positively applaud this approach to parental demand. For years, parents have been clamouring for the establishment of a genuine, inclusive and cohesive approach to education. We really do hope that this signals a new era in parental led school establishment. We have already seen the success of inclusive state funded Montessori schools in such diverse areas as Manchester, Essex and Blackpool and would welcome one to Brighton”.
The government published their five-year programme for government on Thursday 20th May. Section 8 included the following points on education:-
We agree to promote the reform of schools in order to ensure:
- that new providers can enter the state school system in response to parental demand;
- that all schools have greater freedom over curriculum; and,
- that all schools are held properly accountable.
About the Montessori approach
The Montessori approach allows children to learn through understanding, rather than through being told. From this understanding a child is able to develop confidence and a joy in learning. By understanding how children learn, Montessori teachers provide the child with tools and opportunities tailored to the way they experience the world around them. At the same time, there is a strong physical dimension to many Montessori activities.
What all these elements have in common is that they provide the building blocks of future learning, hardwiring a child’s capacity to engage with new material and information and providing the tools with which to manipulate it.
In short, nurturing the 21st century citizen.
A well respected teaching philosophy established by Maria Montessori in early 20th century Italy, the Montessori method has spread worldwide and continues to be an excellent educational and social environment for children. In essence, the Montessori method places the child, rather than the teacher at the centre of his or her own learning with an emphasis on the child’s inner potential rather than externally pre-defined (teacher led) targets.
Learning the Montessori way is, literally, learning for life.
Contact details: Daisy Cockburn
info@brighton-montessori.org.uk
+44 (0) 1273 702485
Join the campaign for a state Montessori school on Facebook.
To sign up to the state school campaign, join twitter on http://twitter.com/theMSF.
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