The Renowned Montessori Method of Education comes to Marbella

Welcome to the first post on the Marbella Montessori School's blog.

My name is Ann-Marie and I am the owner and Principal of Marbella Montessori School. I moved to Spain in 2006 with my husband, Mike and children, Alex and Melissa to start a new life following the fire of our beautiful thatched cottage in Suffolk, England. I had owned and run two very successful schools, Barn Hall Montessori close to Chelmsford and Sunflower Montessori in Brentwood, Essex since 1996, assisted with the setting up of Lexden Montessori Kindergarten in Colchester and also been an external tutor for the London Montessori Centre assessing students in numerous Montessori schools through out London and Southeast England.

My interest in the Montessori Method of Education first began when my son visited a local Montessori Kindergarten close to our home in England. I was astounded at how this differed from the usual structured nursery school and the noisy and chaotic playgroup where the emphasis is on the use of plastic toys and equipment. Instead the classroom was beautifully furnished with wooden child sized furniture, unusual brightly coloured wooden objects and a clam, purposeful environment with all the children 'playing' with strange and unusual activities. I immediately enrolled Alex into the kindergarten and was determined to learn more about Montessori. I enrolled on a part-time Foundation course at St Nicholas Montessori Collage in London and obtained my International Diploma in 1996 shortly prior to opening Barn Hall.

In my career I have found a great disparity of standard of Montessori schools where some offer a very much watered down version of the principles and physiology with the sole intention of profiting from the name 'Montessori' whilst the better ones being run far closer to what Marie Montessori had originally intended providing freedom of choice, respect for others and fostering life long qualities of self confidence, esteem, independence and a true love of learning.

It is this true Montessori Method of Education in tandem with the English National Curriculum that I aim to provide to children of all nationalities in Marbella and the surrounding area.