About

Taking its name from its original location in the heart of Blackheath village, The Village Montessori moved to the Kingswood Halls in the mid 1980s.

It has always been a sessional nursery, with children attending five sessions a week, either in the morning or afternoon, during term time only, once they are rising three years old.

The current proprietor, Melanie Simpson, took over the nursery in January 2000 with another member of staff when the previous owner retired. Taking on sole proprietorship in 2003, Melanie works as a full-time teacher alongside three other members of staff. It has always been nursery policy to engage only staff who are fully qualified Montessorians and to have a staff to child ratio of 1:6, which is greater than the legal requirement.

The setting offers teaching practice placements to no more than three part-time Montessori students and all members of staff are involved in their mentoring. We work closely with Montessori Centre International for training and providing practical guidance/lecturing. Several past parents have gone on to take the Montessori teaching qualification as a result of their children attending The Village Montessori.

The outdoor environment is particularly valued at the nursery. Melanie has overseen significant change in the outside area, working with the Woodland Trust to establish a traditional hedge, which provides a variety of habitats for insect and bird life. The children plant and maintain the vegetable beds and we do not use chemical fertilisers or pesticides. The artificial turf was laid in July 2013.

The nursery is committed to its role as a centre for the local community. Many children attend from the immediate vicinity but also from neighbouring boroughs.

In 2020 The Village Montessori was awarded ‘Good overall with outstanding education’ by Ofsted.

In July 2023 The Village Montessori was awarded Collaborative Montessori Accreditation.

The Village Montessori uses pioneering software called 'My Montessori Child' that helps Montessori nurseries to deliver the best possible educational experience for young children.

Developed in collaboration with over 200 Montessori schools around the world, My Montessori Child comprises two parts: a teacher system for observations, to ensure that your child's learning is fully supported in accordance with both Montessori principles and internationally recognised frameworks of child development; and a secure website that parents access to share in the many ways their child is growing and flourishing at nursery.

Personal-data protection policy for The Village Montessori, registered in the United Kingdom at Kingswood Halls, London SE13 5BU.

ABOUT THE PERSONAL DATA WE USE

On our website, we ‘control’ and ‘process’ (store and display) selected images of unnamed children who have attended the nursery. This is done for the exclusive purpose of showing prospective parents who visit the website what their child’s future experience at the nursery may be like. The photos were taken and posted on the website with permission of the parents or carers of the children shown at the time that the website was published. From time-to-time new child photos are added to the website and written consents are obtained from the child’s parents or carers to store and display them.

THE VILLAGE MONTESSORI PROMISES

* To use children’s photos on the site only to illustrate typical nursery experiences
* To retain photos only for as long as they are needed for their intended purpose
* To fulfil the requests of parents or carers to delete their child’s photos from the site.

VIEWING, CORRECTING OR DELETING DATA

Any individual parent or carer, in respect of the displayed photos of their child, may require the permanent deletion of any of the photos of their child. Individuals should please put their request in writing (see contact details below). The nursery’s managers will then instruct the web development agency who operate the site and a response and schedule of action will be provided to the requesting individual within 30 days.

CONTACT DETAILS

The Village Montessori, Kingswood Halls, London SE13 5BU Melanie Simpson (Data Protection Officer for The Village Montessori)