River House Montessori School

I second that! I recall raving about the school to everyone I met when we moved to West India Quay. My sister sends her two children there and the kids enjoyed it. The truth of the matter is the school is not maintaining its integrity. I would refrain from sending your child here. Private isn't always better especially in this case. The school does not have air conditioning, in the summers they literally open windows and send children home early. The school celebrates holidays what feels like every other few weeks. More importantly the attention to children is limited. The Montessori is built on the poor foundations. The Montessori approach is inspired by the work Dr Maria Montessori, Italy's first female doctor, who created a revolutionary pedagogy over 100 years ago. Maria Montessori actually said that children need play time and that they need to use their imaginations more. The casas' that she started were in the slums of Italy. The poor children there needed the reality part as they were always using their imaginations. They had no toys etc and were used to pretending for everything. It's not like that today. This approach is outdated and no longer valid yet parents (as did my sister) bought into the private schooling Montessori. *Most use of Montessori materials strictly adheres to fairly rigid and methodical use. *At the same time, individual freedom is encouraged while creativity is often curbed. As long as materials are used systematically, creativity with them is discouraged; there can be a lot of "we don't do it that way, we do it this way" in a Montessori classroom. *Individual learning is preferred while social interaction is discouraged, whether intentionally or not. Arguably preschool, more so than any other level, is the environment for the most formative social learning; kids are not only learning how to interact with others, but understanding their place within a community. Often, time in a Montessori class are spent either alone with materials, or in a circle group led by the teacher. *The positive language approach. The Montessori will limit your child's ability to express themselves in any negative means. Saying words such as bad, no, naughty and silly is are not allowed. *Unjust criticism. I recall having a meeting with one of the teachers here, I think she was the head. I am not sure if she still attends but she was a horrible women who told us that my niece was "completely unaware of the world around her" and she was "very aggressive with other children". A description that does not remotely resemble the child. During our conversation I found that if any situation requires the head or teacher to intervene in any way or form, it is seen as a chore and the criticism follows. *Blame the parent. You will find the school will blame the parents for everything. This school will not take responsibility for anything. The term loco parentis is thrown out. The legal responsibility of a person or organisation to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent. *No photos allowed and stay away. You are not allowed to take photographs of your own child. You are encouraged not to turn up early to collect your child; god forbid you see the lack of attention your child is getting. The "way" of this Montessori is different to the reality of the world. It is ironic. The same schooling approach you seek to avoid, draws you in to it and finds its way into your pocket, then repays you by not teaching your child and not taking responsibility. I advice is to stay away but do your own research and draw your own conclusion. 100 year old approach is a little out dated for my liking. This review is based on past experience with the school. specifically 2013-2015. Emma

My kids have started their pre-school here. I am already very impressed with the focus my twins are getting from their teachers. They are absolutely lovely and very patient with kids. My big thank you for all their efforts.

I loved this place because It was and will always be my primary school and I loved it there. People were always so nice,teachers, kids and even parents so I absolutely love this school

Superb!