https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/blog daily 0.75 2022-09-24 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/blog/blog-post-title-one-tkyw2-g4xhy-r4lz3-se9wz-p5xbw monthly 0.5 2020-07-21 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/blog/blog-post-title-one-tkyw2-g4xhy-6tr9a-zyczj monthly 0.5 2020-07-21 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/blog/blog-post-title-one-tkyw2-tgxac-pw4p5 monthly 0.5 2020-07-21 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/blog/blog-post-title-two-yrkr2-y5ext-8nhfm monthly 0.5 2020-07-21 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/blog/category/E-mail monthly 0.5 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/blog/category/Resources monthly 0.5 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/blog/category/Facebook monthly 0.5 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/testimonials daily 0.75 2022-09-24 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/testimonials/blog-post-title-one-as5pf-2hxm2-bzhfx monthly 0.5 2020-07-21 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/testimonials/blog-post-title-two-mzwwm-cjnz4-pf3fc monthly 0.5 2020-07-20 https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/what-is-montes daily 0.75 2022-11-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/ae4f6037-9f16-454f-93c8-2d84eb90157f/Screenshot+2022-09-27+at+19.06.23.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/71c28f8e-4315-4888-99a4-2780740395c6/Cards+%26+Counters.JPG What is Montessori - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/431bc2ca-5208-4811-aaca-9e974199bbaf/Screenshot+2022-09-27+at+19.06.30.png What is Montessori - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/0329a4ec-8272-4c5c-9c8e-e763869a1d2c/Screenshot+2022-09-24+at+10.18.23.jpg What is Montessori - FINE MOTOR SKILLS — Another big focus in our classroom are activities specifically designed to develop fine motor skills. Strong fine motor skills are essential to complete tasks such as writing, cutting, using a fork or spoon, zipping, buttoning and tying shoe laces. All of these are critical tasks for becoming independent & productive members of society and essential preparation for primary school. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f73e91f7-0ded-4c2d-af29-0d11c7bbb03f/Screenshot+2022-09-24+at+10.19.41.jpg What is Montessori - EXPLORING OUR SENSES — Children learn by exploring the environment using all of their senses. Lots of modern toys are geared to this, but we think that many overload our children with too much information - there are shapes, sounds, colours, textures & smells all mixed up together. Of course all of these qualities are important to explore, but we like to do this by giving our children learning activities that focus on one particular aspect or quality at a time. This focus really helps give children a stable base from which to start classifying their world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/a7e83a22-968d-4742-bdfd-67bdc08f95c9/Screenshot+2022-09-24+at+10.20.58.jpg What is Montessori - PROBLEM SOLVING AND NUMERACY AND REASONING — Many adults shy away from maths. We think this is partly because they did not get enough chances as young children to explore mathematical ideas and concepts with hands-on materials. We have an extensive maths-based toolkit of fun learning activities to practice sorting, sequencing, matching, shapes, amounts & patterns. In tandem with this, our more formal maths curriculum gives our children many different opportunities to work out and really make sense of numbers & operations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/ccafb9d8-86cb-48a3-822f-03e969fedd74/Screenshot+2022-09-24+at+10.22.54.jpg What is Montessori - LANGUAGE SKILLS, READING AND WRITING — We want to create a rich language environment for our children. Group & individual discussions using open-ended questions give children the chance to express opinions, formulate ideas and practice different speech patterns as well as new vocabulary. Fine motor activities prepare for writing. Rhyming songs & ‘I spy’ games develop phonemic awareness. We watch our children carefully for signs of readiness before we formally introduce reading & writing. When we do so, we are firm believers in using phonics. Children start by matching little objects to beginning sounds before sounding out and writing easily de-codeable words using our moveable alphabet. It seems that children find it easier to write with pre-made letters because sometimes writing by hand is still quite tricky. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/431bc2ca-5208-4811-aaca-9e974199bbaf/Screenshot+2022-09-27+at+19.06.30.png What is Montessori - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/63ebbcba-6daa-4161-92ec-8be3bbdbf515/Screenshot+2022-09-27+at+19.05.59.png What is Montessori - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/ae310525-b1e5-4485-af23-38506cf10b8d/Screenshot+2022-09-27+at+19.06.06.png What is Montessori - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/contact-and-locations daily 0.75 2023-03-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f00839ac-5609-4668-bc0e-14841d43cfd1/5+Flag+Bunting+Transparents.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/90db9dbf-5f5e-4c96-b624-d6639958118e/Forest+School+Polaroid++%281714+%C3%97+2125+px%29.png Contact & Locations https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f00839ac-5609-4668-bc0e-14841d43cfd1/5+Flag+Bunting+Transparents.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/307426b8-4d61-4a9d-9ad0-6910ed509374/Classroom+Polaroid++%281714+%C3%97+2125+px%29.png Contact & Locations https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f00839ac-5609-4668-bc0e-14841d43cfd1/5+Flag+Bunting+Transparents.png https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/home daily 1.0 2023-03-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f00839ac-5609-4668-bc0e-14841d43cfd1/5+Flag+Bunting+Transparents.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/68fea92d-f9b9-4f80-93a7-a1bfd19f742e/Chestnut+Outdoor+Counting.JPG Home - Cotswold Montessori Preschools Independence Concentration Respect Self-Esteem “...even grown-ups want to stay & play!” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f00839ac-5609-4668-bc0e-14841d43cfd1/5+Flag+Bunting+Transparents.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/1db64aa8-aa60-4cf6-bbc6-8c0211cc5c21/Our+Locations+Polaroid.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/4b8ff3ed-f9d7-4076-88b1-9f101f9ce6d3/New+What+is+Montessori+Polaroid.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/fc26a965-9a86-4341-a708-ea330d707448/New+Our+story+so+far+Polaroid.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/aa4bb6e8-24c2-404f-9616-6a3788009fd3/Collage+Homepage.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/c9ba6f16-54af-4d3b-bcbb-98d40de7bc36/Barrington+Bunting+Polaroid+%281%29.png Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/643fc0b0-f906-417c-8ee5-6ae42d63f9a3/Guiting+Bunting+Polaroid+%282%29.png Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/contact daily 0.75 2022-09-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/5fa8b7d4-f959-4839-95d0-c3d9fef0906c/Montessori+Map.png Contact - Contact us Cotswold Montessori Nursery School 3 Home Buildings Great Barrington Burford Oxon, OX18 4UR. Tel: 01451 844350 Email: info@cotswoldmontessori.co.uk Please call us, email, or fill in the form below…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/d39fcdd5-51f8-4830-8de1-85922087ec5c/Screenshot+2022-09-27+at+19.06.16.png Contact - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/our-story-so-far daily 0.75 2023-04-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/aaad9de8-6273-4dfd-a9b1-bad83f57aafd/Bella+Water+Sponge.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f6cdda2d-4f7b-42b0-9fc9-84b727e6afbe/Best+Friends.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/9f8d1f57-48dc-46c7-9b30-97a8bdfa8df5/Bubble+Painting.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/5984fd17-d02d-4e5a-83f0-4decd6a43800/Buckle+Dressing+Frame.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/d25fbece-4c50-4f9a-99e4-8f8cbb6cbedf/Bug+Viewer.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/c45cec8c-e359-470a-9acd-0ad221bc482b/Buttercups.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/68852211-5112-4948-85c0-711eddb0f471/Beginning+Sounds.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/39e7e98f-d71c-42e7-be4a-6c5736c7ca15/Cards+%26+Counters.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/a6b75415-1a29-485f-a3e8-01c81fe37d7f/Climbing+frame.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/20482933-96eb-44e3-a513-46b7d0fe5165/Colour+Box+3+%26+Globe.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/0145ec6b-486c-49db-a50a-824019d76667/Colour+Box+3.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/77ead142-c3cb-494d-9539-94b68a3493ae/Colour+Matching.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/95c7599b-e32a-4d68-8a83-be81859c6682/Continent+Globe+%26+Puzzle.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/b98703ae-97cc-403a-a3b9-3cf9a2290778/Counting+11-20.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f4623409-6527-401e-8e87-0b66e5e20fc4/Cows.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/c78e7409-0468-40ae-aebe-54a974ccd954/Cutting+with+Scissors.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/6feb65db-4d25-4dcd-9b94-a3d23480d3f9/Digger.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/7d976b9e-4de5-4d58-84fe-fe2466275b77/DSCF0082.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/ed9ebe81-4352-4826-8771-8dbf6c8e3412/Firework+Art.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/5624899a-5a58-4974-91e7-9c11a7fd025d/First+Words.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/6ab09283-7216-46b6-a38a-9d05f6560c5e/Fish+Project+Table.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/7eb126e0-d976-4692-b5e4-8c25becf8129/Flower+Arranging.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/cf353ddf-673e-4642-a7b7-e6c95808fe59/Found+Treasures.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/46645f23-1c52-43c7-b506-65784fd9163b/Garden+Jumping.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/70e55fa6-a7d1-4292-ac53-3923aa96ba5f/Geometric+Solids.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/9d88f411-a264-4407-b28c-17fb7fe335a1/Girls.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/3b8bca13-409d-4d89-bb48-06ed8a6bd5e8/Grating.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/214f18bd-401d-4102-b6b5-27cfab110007/Hammering+%282%29.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/bdf50d2d-8ded-4052-b5af-e4050705b670/Happy+Birthday.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/bb7cfe6e-33eb-4278-b0a0-9c0b917c7652/Helicopter+Number+Landing+%26+Car+Number+Parking.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/ddfe2a8b-0d01-4a27-a153-2d4a42142392/Jelly+Gunk.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/01c90bfb-c139-445f-87ba-2e6fb9e66d67/Knobbed+Cylinders.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/63788377-ce10-4b15-8ac5-f4ae2817942e/Land+Water+Air.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/134c1a76-2104-465a-b4f6-4757100b4c59/Letter+Puzzle.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f8a7272d-6492-45fe-b429-c446d2d9e3aa/Lifecycles.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/ffa2ec13-772e-408c-98cc-f624fd8f46c0/Looking+for+bugs.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/82e415eb-1925-49cc-a9dc-da0664f512d9/Magnetic+Number+Counting.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/72a56865-d971-4648-819f-4c6b2de89007/Magnets.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/74b3dc33-4a47-460c-b41f-f4fcf54dd2d5/Making+Snack.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/d112d518-081e-43a0-998a-4c157520d281/Minibeasts.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/046ce374-7b49-46a1-8e1e-41b400551f94/Mischief+Makers.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/7c13df2e-699a-40a3-a084-aefe2f61e7c4/Mosaic+Board.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/e62e63f0-c044-4d7b-a533-8e575553b71a/Name+Tracing.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/bdcd6288-d25e-434e-9935-40f6a1aa01dd/Nature+Table.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/ca8cfdf3-b0d7-4d04-ae94-e09e2d2a337a/Nature+Walk.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/4721bd9d-70b9-47cf-a7b2-59a63e60140a/Number+Writing.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/6883d54c-dae1-4541-a2f6-5b3c0717d837/Outdoor+Play.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/b05efb25-ada9-4b45-9f04-f7f8250edd23/Outdoor+Sensory.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/51a673e1-32e2-4bba-9070-3577e9bca3ff/Outdoor+Shade.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/0308d4e8-3ba6-40c3-848c-8e029f29f8e8/Patterns.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/26b70a4f-a791-4d3f-be3a-35eb71eefb88/Pavement+Paint.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/2097506e-be5a-4f56-8aca-6fb587a19e74/Pouring.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/eadb74ed-1b64-430d-ba43-142d642a59f3/Reading+xx.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/0e247a5c-2b10-4e8c-9215-f43ade8ffff7/Row+your+boat.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/41acc261-1fbd-4350-b2b3-065112dd4a70/Ruminant+Neighbours.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/fac92db8-3277-48c9-a3d0-df296777bed3/Safari.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/d18d61f4-69b5-4d8e-9b97-547989652a80/Sandpaper+Letters+xx.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/22df34c2-aeea-4ca4-83df-01d9fb4d4e91/Sawing.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/02513017-1e26-4343-9a02-cbd73ab60655/Scooping.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/71888ba7-4e3b-4973-a50c-577659b61419/Screwdriver.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/59189f93-3819-4222-b66d-f3329d245455/Seguin+Board+A.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/4d1fcc4e-f18c-45f4-8ef3-581012e859de/Shaving+Foam+Spectacle.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/69ca0e25-613d-4b13-8265-04b8f8743f09/Snowman.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/159d0696-0f05-494d-90b7-56e50f99f0ea/Spiders.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/1051761f-8cfd-48ef-a31f-16ef19b5b309/Sports+Day.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/097a9e6c-97dd-466a-a570-d439950203c2/Spring+Nature+Table.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/abcd82ab-c74f-4183-9983-32059013e48a/Stilts.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/b3ea9653-921a-4913-acc1-cc587fcc06a1/Sweeping.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/0822b907-3f31-46a2-9dcc-b96c28a710bc/The+Montessori+Picture.jpg Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/8c2fd0cf-e3b8-4a34-9e92-fd400bdaabcd/Tiny+Snail.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/c6c5c919-d8ef-4238-b1b9-b7292cb02e0d/Transferring+Water+with+a+Pipette.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/673bf744-8f77-4e41-a27b-9cb742eaf909/Walking+on+the+LIne.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/e57e96f9-89ce-4ce2-9c8e-d2a175a0eb09/Washing+Hands.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/c7026e3c-f932-4005-a172-cda42446863e/Washing+Up.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/8f7778c0-042d-42c0-b95b-1fa806e9c934/Writing+Practice.JPG Our Story So Far https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/5ad43d6c-beb7-4d02-959f-c2c9af5ae830/Bourton+Home+School+Polaroid+%282%29.png Our Story So Far - Our Story So Far… What is known today as ‘Cotswold Montessori School’ started out in 2009 as a small ‘Home School’ Montessori environment in the conservatory of our principal, Ailsa’s home. There were only two children on the roll, her youngest son and the daughter of family friends, then both 2 years old. The little home school (which you can see in the adjacent picture) was OFSTED registered to allow Ailsa to complete her teaching qualification as the next closest school where this would have been possible was over an hours’ drive away and not in reach. The school, as we know it now, opened its doors in Sept 12, in a ‘pack-away’ rented village hall location with one member of staff, opening 3 mornings a week with 6 children on roll. Over the past decade, it has grown and now employs 14 members of staff, in two purpose-built or converted locations, 5 days a week from 8am – 5pm, year-round. Both schools are now oversubscribed with an average of about 45 children on roll per year. It is extremely important for us that our staff are trained in Montessori theory & praxis but it is difficult to find childcare professionals with this experience or qualification here in the rural Cotswolds. Because of this, we have developed a modern, applied, ‘hands-on’ Montessori Teacher Training programme which we run annually for all our staff and other interested parties nationally. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/fees-and-admissions daily 0.75 2026-02-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f00839ac-5609-4668-bc0e-14841d43cfd1/5+Flag+Bunting+Transparents.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/0308d4e8-3ba6-40c3-848c-8e029f29f8e8/Patterns.JPG Fees and Admissions - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/interesting-stuff daily 0.75 2023-01-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/fb86b1a9-a78d-44b9-9f11-97c800d922a7/Cows.jpg Interesting stuff - Interesting Stuff Like our little people, we love to learn. There is SOOO much interesting stuff out there and when we find something we think you will like or find interesting as well, we will share it here… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png Interesting stuff - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png Interesting stuff - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/what-is-montessori daily 0.75 2023-03-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/f00839ac-5609-4668-bc0e-14841d43cfd1/5+Flag+Bunting+Transparents.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/c48e653b-b36c-4cc9-b071-14485e44fbe5/Sweeping+Polaroid+%281%29.png What is Montessori - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/45f6d4c9-5f4d-4927-a945-b5ce936e2af3/1+Classroom.JPG What is Montessori - Classroom A typical Montessori classroom is plain and uncluttered to help create a calm and relaxing work space. Activities are set out as complete units on open shelves and broken down into areas of learning. Tools, implements & cleaning utensils are child-sized and help children to become independent as they can do things for themselves and children are helped to keep their classroom neat & tidy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/2ee7fb03-df11-4af9-a2a4-e296ccf70955/Shoes+%281%29.png What is Montessori - Everyday Activities Probably the most important activities in a Montessori nursery classroom. Children love copying everyday activities they witness in their homes and communities. For adults tasks such as ‘opening & closing jars’ or ‘washing dishes’ might all be routine, mundane tasks to be completed as quickly as possible. Children, however, want to do this type of work to learn how to do things for themselves and to be like grown ups. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/93011ccd-9b5d-4615-9d79-297e63c5f796/Snack+Table+%284%29.png What is Montessori - Snack Table Grown ups who come to see our schools are often surprised that we use real glasses and plates in our snack area (albeit very sturdy ones). We do this because, firstly it is much nicer drinking from glass than plastic. Secondly, using real glass shows our children that we trust and respect them. In turn, we help them understand that these materials have to be treated with respect so as not to break them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/7ea47726-7bae-454b-add1-f005d9e9a63e/Creative+%282%29.png What is Montessori - Exploring our Senses Children learn by exploring the environment using all of their senses. Lots of modern toys are geared to this, but we think that many overload our children with too much information - shapes, sounds, colours, textures & smells are all mixed up together. Of course all of these qualities are important to explore, but we like to do this by giving our children learning activities that focus on one particular aspect or quality at a time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/148a361a-a1bd-4fd4-978b-bdc781d2c30e/Outdoor+Numeracy+.png What is Montessori - Numeracy Many adults shy away from maths. We think this is partly because they did not get enough chances as children to explore mathematical ideas and concepts with hands-on materials. We have an extensive maths-based toolkit of fun learning activities to practice sorting, sequencing, matching, shapes, amounts & patterns…even grown-ups want to stay and play. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/5e0de981-d48b-4716-aeb3-5cd81f72c47d/LMA+Literacy.png What is Montessori - Literacy We want to create a rich language environment for our children. Group & individual discussions using open-ended questions give children the chance to express opinions, formulate ideas and practice different speech patterns as well as new vocabulary. Fine motor activities prepare for writing. Rhyming songs & ‘I spy’ games develop phonemic awareness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/3ddb1b83-049d-4e55-af2e-0c21e711c043/7+KUW.png What is Montessori - Cultural Activities All the above areas of learning focus on helping our children to acquire skills. This area of learning uses all of these skills to let our children acquire knowledge. Here we focus specifically on what is most important in our own environment, society & culture. Every year have at least one dinosaur enthusiast (paeleontologist) or someone who loves construction (civil engineer)! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/a6b4f96b-a61f-4ce2-9a9c-7c0feb6b4cab/Creative+%281%29.png What is Montessori - Creative Area Of course it's nice to take things home that look good on walls and that are instantly recognizable for what they are supposed to be. We like making these sorts of arts & crafts in our group sessions but this is not what our creative area is all about. Here children have free access to a great variety of materials & media and can explore them free from the preconceptions of others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/3fa1acce-b01b-420a-b954-7607b4965db4/10+Blocks+Imaginative+Play.jpg What is Montessori - Imaginative Play We have taken inspiration from the Steiner/Waldorf philosophy of education for our block & imaginative play area. Here we have beautiful large wooden blocks, natural materials like pine cones & shells and large colourful silk scarves & a wooden clothes horses for den building. A little bit less Steiner but nevertheless lots of fun we also like to throw in some realistic animal figures or toy cars from time to time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/0a92211d-24fc-41f0-ba27-401f66b6e7c2/11+Outdoors+Gross+Motor.JPG What is Montessori - Outdoor Play Kicking, climbing, running, throwing and any other forms of physical expression are just as important for our children as learning to count or write. Both schools have large, safe, enclosed gardens where we can do all of these sorts of things without too much restraint. Otherwise we like to provide open ended play resources that allow children to use their imagination in their play. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/5948e14b-5333-414c-9a82-4361a329e734/Reading+Area.png What is Montessori - Quiet Area ‘Working’ is hard work. When it all gets a little bit too much we have lovely little corners with some cushions or a little sofa. Rules here are slightly different - the code is mostly for peace & quiet. There are books, blankets and we also have a CD player with music and short stories. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/0b92c5e4-a7cd-4e10-92a2-b6135cfc5f9f/12+Peace.jpg What is Montessori - Peace Learning to live in harmony with fellow human beings without feeling that you are losing out is a difficult skill to master, even for adults. We want to give children the tools to help them sort out their own squabbles. To do this we use sand-timers to make sharing and turn taking easier, floor mats to demarcate work spaces so everyone understands who is working with what and feeling pebbles to explain how we are feeling when our emotions run a little high! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://www.cotswoldmontessori.co.uk/work-with-us daily 0.75 2023-02-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/01d752d3-73ee-4238-b0ae-869b82b1ac92/Screenshot+2022-11-06+at+12.03.16.png Work with us - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/632ebd14c651f96138978164/db9cb3b9-b5b6-49a7-85d9-f83ba2a0c892/Screenshot+2022-10-03+at+08.17.28.png