What happens at a Montessori nursery open day?

By the team at Dawmouse Montessori — a Fulham Montessori nursery that has cared for local families since 1975.
Last updated 16 Sep 2026

A Montessori nursery open day is simply an invitation for you to see our beautiful setting as it really is, with the children in it and the day underway, and while every nursery runs theirs a little differently, ours is a relaxed morning in which you can meet the team, walk through the rooms, watch a Montessori session in progress, and ask us anything you like, with no appointment, no pressure, and no need to know the first thing about Montessori before you arrive.

What actually happens at an open day?

Rather than an empty building and a brochure, our open days let you see the nursery working – the children absorbed in their morning, the staff moving quietly among them, the outdoor space in use – so that you come away with a true feel for the atmosphere rather than a staged one. We welcome you to watch for as long as you like, with no phones or cameras, but encourage you to take the time to observe how the children lead the way, and then picture your own child somewhere in the middle of it all.

Who will you meet, and what is worth asking?

You will meet the people who would actually be caring for your child, which is really the point of coming in person, and there is no such thing as a silly question, though parents most often want to understand how a Montessori day is structured, how children settle in, how the practical side of funded hours and admissions works, and simply what our team is like – all of which we are far happier talking through face to face than by email. It is worth reading a little about our team before you come, too.

Do you need to book, or can you just turn up?

For our open mornings, please book using the form on our contact page so that we can confirm if there’s space to accomodate you, and know who we’re expecting. Ideally we like to do visits at 9.30am. If you would rather have a quieter look around at a time that suits you, a private visit is just as easy to arrange and often lets us talk in more depth about your own child, and either way there is no obligation waiting on the other side of it, since plenty of families look around two or three nurseries before they decide and we would always rather you chose us because it felt right than because you felt hurried.

What if you cannot make the open day?

Then a visit on another morning does exactly the same job, because what matters is meeting the team, and seeing the setting alive rather than the particular date on the invitation, so we keep our open day and visit details current and you are always welcome to book a time to come in whenever the term allows.

What will you actually see happening?

The real thing, unstaged. On a typical morning you will catch the work cycle in full flow – children choosing their own activities from the prepared shelves, a snack table they help themselves from, and the quiet concentration that surprises most first-time visitors. Depending on the day you might find a music class, a French lesson, or Coach Patsy’s sports session out on our pitch. Our rooms are mixed-age and each is led by a Montessori-qualified teacher, so you will see older and younger children learning side by side, and more often than not our principal, Miss Claire, who trained here before she came to own the nursery, will be somewhere in the middle of it and happy to talk.

If you would like to see a Montessori open day for yourself, come and join us. Just reserve a place or arrange a visit at dawmouse.com and meet the team in person.