Testimonials

Choosing a nursery for my son was very nerve racking and at times a worrying time. Time was passing by and the realisation hit me that I was actually going to be sending my little boy somewhere where I would be leaving him for a few hours with people that I didn't know. I knew what I wanted for my son quite early on. I wanted a warm and friendly environment, not too many children, caring teachers/key workers and above all a nursery that actually looks and feels like a nursery. I went along to an open morning and met Mel Simpson and her staff and I was blown away. The children's artwork/craft pieces were dotted around the nursery, children were looking at books in one corner, another child was quietly sitting on his own setting up a tea set looking extremely content and then other children were happy to tend to the vegetable patch in the garden. All my boxes were ticked. This is what I wanted for my son. He has now been going to the Village Montessori for the past five months and he loves it which means I'm an extremely happy mummy. Seeing him happy to put his coat and shoes on without a fuss is amazing and hearing him at bedtime asking about going to nursery the next day is such a positive thing. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Village Montessori to anyone.

The Village Montessori is a wonderful Montessori school and the staff show true dedication and joy when it comes to the teaching of the children. Our son Thomas, has really enjoyed attending the school where he is provided with an environment with rules, gently guided by the staff, while still enjoying the freedom of choosing what work to learn. It was amazing to see such a positive impact after such a short period and we watched Thomas blossoming into an independent, creative, courteous little boy. The Montessori materials are exceptional! Even myself as an adult, i find them intellectually stimulating and interesting. They are clean, safe, and conducive to the children's maximum growth in all aspects - academically, socially as well as emotionally. The dedication to the children's well being, personal and academic growth is well achieved in this wonderfully well rounded Montessori setting. Living in an area where we are spoilt for choice for when it comes to Pre-Schools we seem to have chosen one of the best.

As my son kisses me and sends me on my way each morning I leave him with peace of mind in the knowledge that he is in this very special, safe, calm place. At the Village Montessori there is this overwhelming feeling that each child is truly understood, heard and respected as a unique individual. I find this incredibly important. I feel very lucky that my son is having this opportunity, this start and that he is attending such a wonderful nursery. I cannot express enough my utter disappointment had he not been offered a place.

My son (age 3) recently started at the village Montessori and is absolutely flourishing. It is a pleasure to bring him in the mornings - he confidently knows the routine for his shoes and coat, and then tells me it's time for him to do some "work" and asks me to go! He chats frequently and contentedly about the teachers and classmates. I am so interested to see his growing social awareness as he develops beyond parallel play and now invites children over for play dates. The Village Montessori has provided a wonderfully calm and nurturing environment for the children to develop skills and confidence, at this wonderful age as they gradually transition from toddlers to school children.

Both my children have attended the Village Montessori where they have been extremely happy and given a wonderful start to their education. When my youngest was about to join, her older brother reassured her that she need not worry since it was the best and most fun school he had been to. The Village Montessori has developed them to be independent little individuals, show respect for others, have the confidence to talk to adults and other children alike and who are inquisitive and not afraid to ask questions. I particularly like the way in which before being asked to perform a particular task, such as writing, they will unbeknownst to them have learnt the skills necessary to perform that task, for example - they will have done other activities which develop the muscles necessary to hold a pen and have the necessary control. The Village Montessori is a very caring and supportive environment which instills confidence in you as a parent too.

We wanted to say a heart-felt thank you for all the love you have shown to Henry this year and of course for all your hard work with him. I first came to visit The Village Montessori in May 2011 when I was pregnant with him and as soon as I walked through the door I knew that it was the place I wanted my child to begin his education. We feel incredibly blessed and privileged that he has had the opportunity to spend a year in such a wonderful nursery – thank you for letting him be who he is, for celebrating his idiosyncrasies and warmly and firmly helping him to become a more considerate and thoughtful little boy. Thank you also for really trying to understand who he is, and for letting him share that with others. As for me - you know, I would love for Henry to have another year with you but I think that this is very much the beginning of my Montessori journey, I feel as if I have found a place which shares my vision for my and other children, so thank you for introducing me to everything I know you hold dear.

I once asked Mel (Melanie Simpson, owner of The Village Montessori), "how do you do this difficult job every day?" She responded "I do this because I believe in it". That is what The Village Montessori nursery is all about - a lovely team who believe in the Montessori method, in loving children, and helping them develop naturally with good manners and to be themselves. The beautiful garden of the nursery gives the best opportunity to the children to explore nature, do gardening and lots of other physical activities. Shahryar and I believe it has given our first son, Leo, the best foundation to be independent, considerate, happy and himself. We are very excited that our second son, Max, started at The Village Montessori in January 2016. We are happy to be back being part of the big "The Village Montessori" family.

Making the decision of where to enrol your little ones in their first experience in education can prove to be unnerving. As parents it was vital to find an environment for our children that would both reflect and hopefully enhance on our home/ family structure.I'm happy to say that we quickly became part of the "family" and not a day went by that the children weren't raring to get to nursery. Mel and her team were truly incredible and we were very impressed with the way in which our children were nurtured and developed. We believe that our daughters were fantastically well prepared for their entrance into primary school and life in general, developing them into sociable and highly self-confident children where still to this day they continue to utilise their Montessori methods. We feel our choice to send our children to The Village Montessori was by far the best one we could have made and would of course highly recommend it as a wonderful choice. The fact that our niece is currently there and enjoying every minute is testament to this."

Ted joined The Village Montessori just as he turned three and his new baby sister arrived. Not only was the nursery a wonderful place for him to grow, play and learn, it was also a sanctuary for me - a sleep deprived, anxious, exhausted mum. Ted thrived in the relaxed environment, did a lot of art and a lot of digging, and I was supported by the teachers at a time when I was really struggling. Now the baby has grown into a bubbly three-year-old, Martha, and she’s at the nursery. Ted is envious, telling her: “You’re so lucky to go to nursery - all you do is practice drawing and playing”. He has no idea how much he was learning too, and how that helped him have a great transition into primary school. Both children are enthusiastic about learning and curious about the world thanks to their Montessori start in life.

The Village Montessori was an absolute oasis for my child and I from the moment we set foot in the garden one sunny Spring day to meet Mel with Helen and Ann the guinea pigs happily squeaking whilst the children experimented with water play. This atmosphere continued within the nursery room and what a joy to be freed of the world of plastic and logo-ed children's life we are now all bombarded with. My child learnt to think and act for herself without me 'helicoptering' over her and a thoughtfulness about the World around her from Mel and her team of excellent teachers. A great all round nursery.

This is a fantastic nursery. I sent my 2 youngest children here, a girl then a boy. I watched them grow and develop into confident and kind children who obviously felt empowered by the way they were treated in the nursery setting. Whatever they showed an interest in, someone was there to talk to them about it and encourage them to explore it further. Mel and her staff have created a nurturing atmosphere in which each child can develop at his or her own pace. They are encouraged to express themselves and they learn social skills from some of the activities such as circle time when children are encouraged to tell the leader something and the others listen. Watching Mel and her team in action made me a better parent. I cannot recommend this nursery highly enough and only wish I had discovered it for my first born too.

We cannot speak highly enough of the Village Montessori and the wonderful experience it gave our two children. The school is special for many reasons but the primary one being the great care and expertise of the Head and the deeply thoughtful way that Montessori principals are ingrained in the life of the nursery. Children are given so much scope to follow their interests but all within a strong framework of learning to care for and work with each other. They are constantly introduced to new and stimulating activities but also allowed to linger and concentrate on those that captivate them and the staff are amazing at giving them just the right amount of guidance and support so that they can then go on and achieve things on their own.Both our children benefitted enormously from being able to discover their own path at the nursery and they learned a great deal of self initiative and new skills. They also appreciated the wonderfully quiet and green location, the emphasis on learning about nature and other enriching activities like music, dance, craft and physical activities. In short, the school provides a wonderfully calm, caring, enriching introduction to the world of learning (in the widest sense) and as such helps children make that very crucial transition from home to school.

Our two sons attended The Village Montessori from 2006-2010. They had a wonderful time; learning life skills alongside a quietly academic approach to traditional teaching which allows the child to lead. Mel and her team teach the Montessori Principles in a fun, imaginative, kind and gentle environment. Our sons are very different in character and aptitude. The school intelligently manages equal development and experience for all sorts of kids. Both boys thrived, and the experiences they had, working with a staff whose teaching qualifies as excellent by all measures, have enabled them to continue thriving through Primary and into Secondary school. They see learning and school as a fun place where interesting things happen, and that opinion was formed at The Village Montessori.

I have four boys who have all attended the village Montessori over a period of 10 years. The staff may have changed in this time but the ethos never has. Every child is treated as an individual; they are all empowered to become independent and proud of their achievements. This is a nurturing environment and all of my children loved it there, they still talk about it and remember it, school has never quite lived up to their time there. This is a true Montessori, which follows the principles, your children will be taught to do things for themselves, be given a strong sense of self, enable them to communicate and express themselves all whilst playing and having fun! The Village Montessori is run by Melanie Simpson, she is passionate about each child and wants them all to develop at their own pace and achieve goals which are personal to them. I would highly recommend this Montessori.

The Village Montessori was our son’s first experience of being away from us in an educational setting. As an only child he was excited to be part of his class and his enthusiasm for Montessori increased further every day.
He learnt respect for others and their work at Montessori as well as nurturing confidence in his own ideas and projects. Still today when “inventing” something he will often say, “Mel would love this!”.
We felt a strong sense of support and community at The Village Montessori. Our son knows he belongs to this community and is welcome to go back and visit. The Village Montessori is a very important place to our son which he clearly cherishes in his heart. We are hugely grateful to Mel and her team of wonderful, talented teachers. He couldn’t have had a better start.

Our daughter attended the Village Montessori for two years from age 3 to age 5. During this time she grew and matured tremendously, thanks in no small part to her teachers and the Montessori environment which encouraged curiosity, respect for others and a love of learning and exploration. The Village Montessori provides a space that is warm and secure for young children attending school for the first time while also helping them develop good habits and an understanding of how their behaviour affects others. The mixed-age setting is a wonderful learning opportunity; during her second year at the Village Montessori my daughter enjoyed the chance to be a leader and to help younger children.

Both of our children had the good fortune of joining the Village Montessori for a year prior to their reception year at Junior School. It was a great experience for both of them. Having that interaction with other children, learning some of the basics that they need when joining Junior School, which has now put my Children who are in Year 3 and Reception year in to a position of great confidence, one of the main attributes a child needs for future life.

The biggest testament of course was the fact my Children really enjoyed and loved being at the Montessori School , Mel and her team are really caring people who look after the Children and care for them like their own. I would not hesitate to recommend the School to any parent considering to send their child. You will not be disappointed.

The Village Montessori has been the perfect start to my daughter’s transition away from home. From a child who was a perennial ‘watcher’, rather than a joiner, the step away from spending all day with me was always going to be a big one. Mel worked with the child that was there, content to let her develop at her own pace without ever pushing her. Now, after a year and a half at Montessori, she is almost unrecognisable. She takes risks with her learning, has confidence in her own abilities and the transition to school has been relatively simple. She has been so very happy at the Halls - it’s a remarkable setting that has created so many wonderful memories for us all.

We had always wanted our daughter to go to Village Montessori, based on its excellent reputation locally. What really drew us in was the beautiful space around it. We knew she would be outside working and playing in a lovely garden, a rarity in London. So many nurseries are about holding the children. This was about developing them. We’ve seen our daughter grow assertive, independent and confident. Based on play and encouraging her own decisions. We also loved Mel’s pragmatic, no nonsense attitude. Providing a great steer for their little minds.

We had our daughter and our son in The Village Montessori.
When we sent our daughter to the nursery without any single word in English, we didn't know if she would be comfortable enough in the new environment with completely new people. It was a miracle for us to see how our daughter became more confident from day to day and how her inner interests grew. After first adaptation period every single day she was going to the nursery with big enthusiasm.

With our son, we had completely different concerns. He was pretty developed physically and required a lot of activities and obvious boundaries and structure. The nursery has provided a safe environment for physical and mental development. At first, he was also struggling with the language as he was not able to speak English, but over time he first started to speak English clearly and confidently. He was always eager to play with other children and soon he started to show his leadership by teaching the other children how to behave in different situations and how to play new games.

The whole teachers' team was very professional and supportive. As parents, we were able to get advice regarding anything even not related to the nursery.

We are happy to be part of a warm and supportive community of parents who have a similar view on bringing up children.
It was a very special time for our children in The Village Montessori.
We hope our third child will be in this nursery as well.

A & AZ