The Montessori Method is an educational approach, developed by Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor and educationalist. The fundamental premise of the method is that everyone is an individual with a desire to develop at their own individual rate following their own inner needs and interests. Accordingly the method employed in a Montessori school seeks to provide an individual learning experience for each child which promotes physical, social, emotional and intellectual development to help them achieve their maximum potential.

Children need to experience the world about them in a concrete and practical way before they are able to progress to a level of understanding about abstract concepts. In the Montessori classroom the children use exercises from practical life such as sweeping, polishing, pouring and spooning to develop their powers of concentration and their dexterity.

Recognising that young children learn through their.senses the method includes an extensive range of exercises with materials that are designed to stimulate the senses. These help to develop the child's perception and ability to isolate, discriminate and classify fine differences between objects, sounds, materials and tastes etc. Children progress to the more academic areas of the curriculum once they have mastered a range of skills developed though the practical life and sensorial activities.

The benefits of the approach manifest themselves in each child's ability to concentrate, their sense of responsibility, high levels of self-esteem, and an appreciation for other people and the wider world.