Montessori Partnership

We have had one member of staff on the primary course - she is now coming towards the end of her 2nd year. It has been a well run, organised course - always willing to give more information if asked. The Saturday mornings have been tough - as our staff member works full time at school as well - but she has been very well supported by Helen. Would recommend them for any Montessori Training.

After undertaking my birth to 6 diploma with Montessori Partnership, I returned to them for my Elementary (ages 6 to 12) diploma. The depth of discussions during the courses, as well as the academic rigour required, enhanced my practice in the classroom. The passion of the trainers and examiners, and their attention to detail, pushed me to engage deeply with Montessori philosophy. The community of practice promoted by the Montessori Partnership has led to rewarding professional and personal relationships.

I can only give The Montessori Partnership a great Thumbs Up!!! I was searching for a course which would support me in deepening my understanding of the Montessori Method. As I was obliged to retrain as an Early Years Educator to be able to work in Scotalnd, I looked for courses accredited by the SSSC. I chose to study with the Montessori Partnership and delighted that I did. At the Partnership I found a group of committed professionals: an organisation with a clear purpose, honest, with visible and consistent leadership and a competent, knowledgeable, well experienced and encouraging team of tutors and administrative support, everyone there to support you on your Montessori journey. Personally, I am grateful to the Partnership for the openness and understanding, as well as flexibility, which I was met with - in a variety of situations, during my four years of part-time study. Being a mature student, a nursery manager, mother in a family of five people and with more than 25 years of professional engagement in the world of Education, I could not have completed my course without this approach from the Partnership :) .What I truly appreciate about the teaching and mentoring at the Partnership, is that the course is developed so that you, as a student have space to find your own “style”, your own form. The assignments given are for you to develop your understanding of the Montessori theory, reading her original texts (translated into English) and how to use the didactic materials as Montessori herself intended them to be used. These elements are at the core of your studies, but embedded in the engagement between student and the Partnership, is the trust in you! You are free to be who you are, to express yourself and be creative in your own way – as long as you can relate it to the Montessori philosophy and theory in a way that makes sense and proves to benefit the life of the child. I loved this; the fact that there is no right or wrong answer, that all we do is express our thoughts and ideas on the subject matter, and share them with someone who has been there before us. This is what allows us to grow together and to bring Montessori’s teachings into our time. The set-up of the course, with regular student webinars and practical workshops also offers you the opportunity to make friendships and create a professional network to nourish you as you move further on your path.To anyone considering doing the course I would say: Go for it, be prepared to put blood, sweat and tears into it and you will harvest in abundance of practical skills in teaching the Montessori Children’s House curriculum and preparing and maintaining the learning environment. You also learn and gain insight into many useful practical tools and ways of implementing the Montessori Method when setting up and/or managing a nursery school. All this together with exploring and developing understanding of child development through the lens of Maria Montessori and how to nurture stability and joy and the child’s potential as a human being through him/her manifesting his/her inner aspirations.Elena 2023, Montessori diploma course Level 8 (Scotland)

I am enjoying my Montessori Diploma course with the Montessori Partnership a lot. The course is very thorough and detailed. It is well structured and organised. The workshops have been a very enjoyable experience. All in all I have learnt so much. I have progressed as a person and I feel I am learning everything I need to know as a Montessori Teacher. I would highly recommend this course.

Montessori wrote, “The real preparation for education is the study of one’s self...It includes the training of character; it is a preparation of the spirit.”The Montessori Parntership’s SCQF Level 8 Montessori Diploma encapsulated the sentiments in this quote for me absolutely. I trained as a state teacher and had taught for a number of years where I delighted in my own teaching: researching, creating, and trying out resources for my pupils – always looking for something new, innovative, or pupil-specific. It was exhausting, looking back at it. As I journeyed into the Montessori Method, expertly guided by the Montessori Partnership, I discovered that my passion was really for children’s learning (rather than my teaching) – supporting them as they learn, providing or highlighting opportunities where they can direct their own development, trusting the child to learn at their own pace, and admiring and learning from them myself. The Montessori Partnership showed me how these elements can come together in the Montessori Method.The SCQF Level 8 that I completed was split into three parts: coursework, which focused on Montessori and her philosophy; teaching practice, where I experienced her principles in real-life in a community of children and adults; and a materials workshop which explored in detail the Montessori materials which should be found in every Montessori nursery environment.The coursework was eye-opening for me. It put into words what I had long felt about education but was unable to articulate. Each Unit explored another element of Montessori’s philosophy or principles and included reading her original works, explanations from a group of highly skilled and very experienced Montessori practitioners, and then writing assignments including an end-of-unit essay. I had a specific tutor assigned to support me through this part of the course. She was in a different time zone, which created a little difficulty from time-to-time, but any issues I had were taken seriously and responded to quickly which I appreciated, and it was a wonderful opportunity to learn from a Montessorian in another culture.The teaching practice will remain a golden memory for me. There were a lot of tasks to complete during my experience, which could have been overwhelming, but I had great support and advice from course admins, other students, and my onsite teachers which meant that I was able to structure my time there well and felt successful. Two marked observations were done by the Head of Course. Helen was wonderful – I felt completely at ease, and there was a definite air of her being there to support my learning, rather than of criticism and learning. (OFSTEAD, take note!)The materials workshop was without a doubt my favourite part of the course. I experienced both weekend sessions and the two-week summer intensive. All the tutors I watched brought so much wisdom and interest, and linked-up the learning from the philosophy, principles, and practice - really weaving together all of these elements so that I was able to internalise and integrate them. There were so many ah-ha moments, it truly was a fantastic experience.I would highly recommend the courses run by the Montessori Partnership. They are a dedicated, inspiring, true-to-Montessori group of practitioners who really care about authentic Montessori education. The course I took is a detailed, in-depth, personally challenging course, but despite the hard work required, from my experience, I can say that it is absolutely worthwhile and life-changing. In it, I studied myself as well as Montessori, and my focus is no longer on my teaching but on children’s learning. I have been prepared so that I can support children in their learning without feeling the need to perform unnaturally to engage them; to place pressure anywhere in the curriculum; to trust and honour that the child’s life, where they are right now, has intrinsic value; and that my role as a Montessori teacher is not to lecture or take control but to “observe and gently guide”.