Our approach
Why Montessori?
The Montessori approach fosters independence, freedom within limits, and respect for each child’s natural development. This philosophy recognises each child as an individual, so learning is tailored to their unique needs, interests, and abilities. We nurture every child in our care to flourish and develop a lifelong love of learning, embracing each child’s individual journey.
At Dawmouse children are welcomed into small, supportive groups led by experienced Montessori teachers. Within our carefully prepared classrooms, children are encouraged to explore independently and choose from a wide range of Montessori materials. This child-led approach fosters confidence, independence, attention, and a lifelong love of learning, with teachers guiding and supporting each stage of their development.
Our spacious outdoor playground offers children daily opportunities to play outside, while developing gross motor skills, engage in imaginative play, and enjoy fresh air – an essential part of early childhood development. In addition, our indoor gymnasium ensures that children remain active and engaged throughout the day, whatever the weather.
Daily Life
8:30 - 9:00 am
Children come into the classroom independently, hang their coats, and get themselves ready for the day. From 9-11, the children have free play in the classroom, giving them time to work with the Montessori materials as well as participate in messy play, role play and art activities.
11:00 am
The children are invited to participate in an active learning session, which takes place in our large private playground. The teachers set up activities that focus on refining gross motor skills. These activities can include balancing, negotiating objects, and throwing and catching objects.
12:00 pm
All children sit with their class group to have lunch, promoting grace and courtesy, table manners and opportunity for discussion amongst their teacher and peers. Children are encouraged to bring in a healthy lunch and use the correct crockery at the table, waiting for their peers to be ready so they can eat together.
1:00 pm
Children going home after lunch will get ready with their coats and bags, and sit at their table waiting for their grownup to collect them at 1:00pm. There is an opportunity for parents or carers to have a quick chat with the teacher at this time.
Afternoons
The afternoon sessions run from 1:00 to 3:30. As the sessions normally have a smaller number of students, children can benefit from additional one-to-one learning that can be adapted to their individual needs and interests. Each day, we focus on a different area of learning, with time to work with the Montessori activities from the shelf and together as a group. We have time to look deeper into the various topics and provide opportunities for role play, outdoor time and art activities. Dawmouse has a flexible pick-up time to suit the needs of the families.
Preparation for big school
While we aim to follow the Montessori method of ‘follow the child,’ we do help children get ready for future mainstream schools. In their last year, teachers help children with literacy and numeracy, while still incorporating the interests of each child in their learning. Using the phonetic sounds, children are encouraged to trace letters and numbers in the correct way while learning to read and recognise letters and numbers. We then move on to spelling out words, introducing reading, and some addition, subtraction and simple multiplication.
