Did anyone go to a Montessori primary school when they were young?

[Waterwipe]

I know they’re not common in the UK, but more common in other countries.

Curious to know if anyone went to a Montessori primary school and how they found it?

(Considering sending DC to one, but not sure whether or not an ordinary secondary would be a shock after.)

My son went to one in Rome, from 2.5 yrs to 5 when he went to an English school,so a Kindergarten rather than primary.He really flourished there and it certainly made his transition to a 'regular' English school and formal learning so much easier.

I grew up in a town with a Montessori primary. All the kids that came out of it were calm, mature, confident students. And they seemed to integrate into mainstream fine. They'd been taught to work on their own anyway, so bigger classes didn't seem to daunt them. I was friends with a few and I was always impressed with how easy going they were.

I wouldn't hesitate to send mine, assuming the school had a good rep.

This is very useful! Montessori was always my ideal, but have always wondered how you’d integrate to an ordinary secondary after!

My first school was a Montessori school. My mum and dad were both in education and big fans of the ideology.

Unfortunately It didn't suit me, and I hated it. I think you also have to be really careful to check out the individual school, because some can be Montessori by name, but not so much in action!

My friend went to a "free school" which I think is a similar concept (apologies if not!). His mum chose it and when his dad (who apparently worked shifts all over the place so wasn't too involved with the kids' education) realised what was happening he pulled my friend out. Friend couldn't read or write until he went to a mainstream school at age 9. He still struggles with mental maths and fairly basic spelling as he missed some pretty critical years.

Saying that he's currently doing his PhD so it's hardly held him back (but equally he's highly intelligent and you'd expect him to have been reading way before 9!)

Suspect it was a bit of a collision of multiple issues rather than purely down to the school (I assume they weren't reading at home?), and perhaps the school wasn't a good one. But he'd go nowhere near those schools again!

He is pleased he learned to knit. But that's about it.

I went to a Montessori school in the States from age 5-7. I liked it and it has significantly shaped my interest in personalised education (I'm now a primary school teacher).
My parents weren't impressed with it though. Apparently I used to get all my work done as quickly as possible so that I could "goof around for the rest of the day " (my words) 👍

That school doesn’t sound great for your friend, flipperdoda, but the ideology sounds quite Steiner rather than Montessori (Steiner you don’t learn to read or write until age 7).

Gosh how tricky.

I don’t like very strict schools, and around here the schools are very strict and the kids all get tutored. I would like to find another way - preferably one where my children develop a love of learning, rather than an endurance of it (which seems to be the case with the strict schools and tutored kids in my neighbourhood! Though they do do academically well at school!)

I used to work in one. And my son went there as well. One of the biggest things I found was the children learnt at their own pace. When they are ill they don’t just miss a week of school they just start up where they stopped. This means they learn it properly and not rushed on to anything else.

If they are visual learners this is a wonderful school for them as even in the older classrooms they still use equipment rather than a pen and paper.

It teaches them to be self sufficient as they are in charge of their learning and making sure they have done their own work ( this is monitored by the teacher as well but at a distance )

The emphasis is on them , independence and learning how it suits them.
When my son finally went to high school he was in an English class. He was the only one who knew his nouns , verbs etc etc in the entire class.

As other posters have said it doesn’t suit every child. But if you have a very visual child or a high flyer and want them to move on and not be held to the rules of a normal classroom somewhere like that is good. Personally I saw every single child flourish and lots of parents saying there was a massive difference in their children.

I have worked at a normal state school and the Montessori one and I preferred the Montessori one all the way. My son was in a state school when I started working there. I moved him a few months later. He changed massively and suddenly loved school again.

My two went until they were 7. It was a very positive experience.

Yes - I went until i was 11. It was amazing to attend. We did the most amazing projects and special studies. Academics were really high other people (not me) got scholarships to amazing secondary schools. I am periodically hit with spasms of guilt that 7 and 5 year old don’t get the same opportunities.

Oh wow I’m really excited about the prospect

I love the idea of them because I wish I’d gone to one, to be honest!

I did! It started off as a standard primary but changed when I was about 7. I stayed there until was 11yo.

It was amazing! Sadly it's no longer a Montessori school but it was a fantastic experience. I loved my time there.

That’s so good to hear vanillandhoney!

How was your transition over to senior school? Was it a shock or did you feel well prepared?

@Waterwipe my son was fine moving from the primary school to the high school. I prepared him for the fact that he will not just be able to get up from his seat whenever he liked or just get up and go to the bathroom.
The concept of a time table was a bit weird at first but he adjusted fine and really quickly.

Sadly the primary school has just opened a high school. A few years too late but if it had been open we would have kept him there

I didn’t but I sent my children to one and they loved it.

I went to a montessori nursery until age 5. I think it gave me a good start in my education. I then moved to a not great school and crappy comp but have always done very well academically.

I went to a Steiner school which has some similarities I think. I know there are concerns with the philosophy behind Steiner and for that reason I wouldn't send my own children to one but none of that filtered down to me when I was at school. I loved my time at the school, it felt like a really idyllic childhood. We learnt at our own pace and equal priority was given to things like nature walks, picking mushrooms/fruit, etc and tending vegetable patches. We had a lot of freedom, there wasn't pressure to be at a certain level at a certain time. I left to attend my local comprehensive for secondary and it was a bit of a culture shock but I wasn't behind academically and got top exam grades and went on to a good university so it didn't affect me academically. I do think Montessori/Steiner is often chosen by parents who are interested in and prioritise education so good outcomes may well be a result of that.

My daughter went to a Montessori primary school until 7. She loved it, especially the social and pastoral side. She still speaks fondly about the happy memories and has kept several good friends. By 7, she was ready to move on and settled quickly into a more formal prep school. She did have some 'catching up' to do and found the homework a shock but caught up quickly and has done well academically. At her school, children often transfer out by Key Stage 2, but those that stay tend to settle well into their secondary schools, although tend not to know other kids as the Montessori is tiny.

I did, let me know if you have any questions. Only went to Montessori primaries when I was young (we moved once and I attended a different one).
I’m a big fan of them. I think they’re great for both kids that need more help in certain subjects and great for the really smart kids at risk of being bored. They foster independence and even though I never had homework, I did not struggle with this at high school. If anything the Montessori kids were a bit better at planning independently.

Hi @Waterwipe - I can't remember it really bothering me! About six children from my class went to the same school though which probably helped and I never struggled academically 😊

To PP's - please don't compare Steiner and Montessori. While a couple of the principles may be similar they're also vastly different and not the same thing at all.

Thank you all! This is so helpful. I thought they looked great and would suit DC very well. Really interested to hear your personal experiences.

But agree that I don’t see a lot in common with Steiner, except that they’re both well-known “alternative” type schools. But think the similarity (from what I understand) ends there, really. Might be wrong?! But that’s what I got from reading about them both.