The Montessori Place

If Captain Fantastic was an Outstanding Ofsted school in the UK, he would be The Montessori Place.

Our two boys, now 8 & 7, have both been at The Montessori Place in Hove since they were around two years old and we have been very happy with all aspects of the school throughout this time. We came across the school largely by chance as we live nearby, so we knew little about Montessori principles at that time but we've become convinced it's a very good approach to learning. We like the strong emphasis on nurturing and encouraging children's innate curiosity and desire to learn, rather than forcing them to follow strict subject timetables in the drive to pass exams. The children have a lot of choice as to what they do on any day at school but in practice this never seems too laissez-faire because the teachers (guides) know the individual children very well and are extremely accomplished at gently and subtlety piquing their interest and nudging them towards any subjects that they might be neglecting. So we like the Montessori approach, but what we like most about the school is the incredible dedication, ability and genuine care consistently demonstrated by all of the guides. The result is that our boys enjoy going to school, we know they're safe and well looked after, they come home enthused about what they're learning and they've got great role-models in their teachers.

Fantastic education and care from a dedicated team of professional and very friendly guides