Michelle's Montessori

We are amazed how smoothly our daughter’s settling went through. She used to be a bit shy and sensitive, and dislike any environment changes. But for Michelle’s, she fancies the environment so much since the beginning. Each morning, she could not wait to be sent to Michelle. As our daughter is a bilingual, her language development seems relatively slow, but since she started with Michelle, her English improved significantly quicker. Not only in language, but Michelle also support her on emotional, behavioural and cognitive developments as to build a solid foundation for her future.

My son had a spark with Michelle the moment he met her. Having faced lockdown since he was one year old, he had had almost no contact with people other than his parents for a year, so we only knew him as a somewhat shy boy, often hiding behind us. This changed once he started attending Michelle’s Montessori at the age of two. Since then, we have all had a wonderful adventure, watching him grow and thrive in so many ways. His time here has given him inspiration, insight and self-confidence – along with firm friends and fond memories. Every member of staff is also amicable and nurturing for every child. All the children are well-spoken, respectful, good-mannered and articulate, so play-dates with them give us spaces to have proper parents' conversations. Our son has also learnt to value himself, others and the environment. It comes from the nursery with a balance of student-led independence, with respect and care for others, listening and learning, and having teachers as great role models to look up to. He is encouraged to try and learn new skills or concept with engagement and enthusiasm with thanks to close observation and understanding of the right timings with his interests. I certainly did not expect a child to create his first short illustration story book at the age of 3 and we believe the high adult ratio has contributed to this. His own personal interests have been integrated into some group activities in the setting which gave him the joy of sharing, but also showed us how creative, thoughtful, forward-thinking Michelle has been for children. She always ensures that parents are fully informed of any new and pivotal developments within the nursery and what our children have been doing on almost daily basis. She would certainly be there for us when we want to speak to her. His emotional connection and trust towards Michelle has combined with her methodical and reasoned approach to form a foundation for his onward development. We’d like to thank Michelle and her team for being inspirational guides for our son, and also for us. We feel confident that he has been given the best possible start to his education and personal development through his time at Michelle’s Montessori.

We placed our daughter in Michelle's after being at home with us for over a year during the start of the pandemic. We were anxious about her settling in but we needn't have worried! She has absolutely loved going there since day one and everyday since. She has always been treated with the utmost respect at Michelle's. Learning in such an environment where her independence and opinion is valued has given her such confidence. Aside from an understanding of the basics in numbers and literacy that are required, Michelle has fostered our daughters particular interests in arts&crafts for example. She has provided an environment the focusses on developing great social skills and taking the time to help the children understand and express their feelings. Our daughter has become surprisingly good at navigating various social situations (including teamwork, negotiating skills or simply & clearly expressing her emotions and needs). She has also grown to become such a courteous child, our family and friends often comment on this. We have all formed great relationships with the staff and the other families, it's become a lovely community as well as a Montessori setting. We will be sad to move on but feel assured that we have given our daughter great foundations at Michelle's.

My little girl started at Michelle's in September and every single step has been the most positive experience for both of us, I couldn't have hoped for more! I was nervous about how long it would take her to settle in as it was pretty much her first experience of childcare outside of our family. It took only two days before she was running down the driveway desperate to get inside. Michelle is so nurturing and knowledgeable and has the child's best interests at the forefront of every part of the day. Since starting we have also seen a huge benefit to our home life thanks to the Montessori approach and Michelle's consistent expectation of behaviour. No more kicking and screaming when we have to leave the playground, no more melt downs when she doesn't get her way and continued progress in language, fine and gross motor skills and problem solving. It has been amazing to see her independence and confidence grow and how much she has learnt in just a few months. As a parent the most wonderful feeling is being able to leave your child with someone who you have complete confidence in.