17ALDERLEY DAY NURSERY |
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019
with dignity and respect for both our
children and their families.
We are also seeing changing consumer
attitudes affect parent expectations.
Consumers today demand unlimited
transparency from all their vendors
– their nursery included. While some
parents trust us to look after their
family’s best interests, others seek
regular reassurances regarding their
child’s day-to-day experiences. Staff
are therefore trained to manage their
available time with parents, and to
respond individually to each parent’s
communication needs.
Since young children are now under
pressure to meet age-related goals,
virtually all modern parents look
for above-average results. In line
with Montessori principles, we aim
instead to nurture a child’s love of
learning in whatever direction he or
she is inclined. Our progress reports
to parents focus on the processes of
learning, rather than on checklists
and outcomes. We are careful to
avoid communicating comparative
or quantitative assessments, and
instead look for individual growth and
personal bests, as well as emerging
areas of activity to nurture.
This more sensitive approach to
early years is clearly working for our
families, with many of our follow-on
schools praising the confidence and
independence that characterises our
Montessori children.
Protecting time with children
Challenges and changes threaten
to take teachers’ time away from
the children. To maximise contact
time while meeting our statutory
reporting obligations, we have
embraced advanced technology for
use by teachers and parents. Our My
Montessori Child online education
management system transforms our
efficiency at record-keeping and puts
detailed information on EYFS progress
at our fingertips. At the same time, it
helps us to stay faithful to our values
of child-led education and respect for
each child’s individuality.
Used at non-Montessori nurseries
as My Nursery Child, this unique
activity-centred system is, like us, a
values-based enterprise, supporting
child-led learning without pressurising
children or their parents. It generates
an in-depth, individualised website for
each child that parents view regularly
at home, providing them with non-
judgmental insights into their child’s
current interests, and suggesting
activities at home that reinforce their
child’s recent learning at school.
I believe what has mattered most
throughout our success is our
adherence to a strong set of values,
and our reliance on those values as we
adapt over time to change. Teachers
who feel that positive values are
driving the organisation will thrive
there. Visiting parents who sense the
presence of values will trust us to
look after their child. Children who
are exposed to nurturing values will
absorb and live them. As a business,
we also need values to guide our
decision-making, from day-to-day
choices through to big strategic
transformations, ensuring that we’re
always ready to face new challenges. A teacher uses the
My Montessori Child
system to record a
child’s progress with the
“number rods” activity
I believe what
has mattered
most throughout
our success is our
adherence to a
strong set of
values, and our
reliance on those
values as we
adapt over time
to change
“
“
Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett
Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles
