ONE of the hardest decisions for any parent is which nursery to choose as their child embarks on their first experience away from home.
It is a choice made more difficult by the knowledge that as the two-year-old turns into a three- and four-year-old their needs will change.
Bix Montessori — recently awarded “outstanding” by Ofsted because of its beautiful location, highly qualified staff, extensive resources and high staff ratios — is able to respond to all of these changes.
The most important thing for a two-year-old is to form a strong bond with a key person who can make them feel safe away from home.
Bix Montessori has exceptionally small classes and your child is also welcome to have as many home visits and pre-starting visits as they need.
At Bix Montessori, staff not only hold the regular Montessori Early Childhood Diploma (for three- to seven-year-olds) that other Montessori nurseries do, but also a very rare Infant Toddler Montessori Diploma (for nought- to three-year-olds), meaning they truly understand how to create a Montessori environment for these two-year-olds.
The open space provided by the beautiful position on Bix Common with access to our woodland Forest School. and free-flow garden at all times allows the development of the motor skills which are essential for refinement of movement.
Space is equally important to the three-year-old who is learning to socialise and to extend their independence.
Child development research is increasingly finding a link between the problem-solving skills produced by outdoor activity and the later development of maths and literacy ability. Bix Montessori children learn to help each other, to take responsibility — through care of their environment, each other and their many animals — and to make guided choices about learning activities.
Equally important for both three- and four-year-olds is to offer the variety and stimulus which develops a curiosity and love of learning. With science, cooking, woodwork, gardening, yoga, pony riding and care, and Forest School available five times a week, in addition to the detailed Montessori curriculum, each child can find activities they enjoy and in which they are confident — the essential basis for the development of self-esteem. They are also constantly extending their knowledge.
The continuing small classes and individualised learning, in addition to qualified staff who have worked in primary schools, means that over the last three years many parents have chosen to keep their child at Bix Montessori for reception.
The school is open from 9am to 4pm, five days a week. To find out more, call owner Sophie Jackson on 07795 168293 or email sophie@bixmontessorischool.co.uk
