Green Gables Montessori primary school

[elusis]

Hi,

Anyone have any experiences with Green Gables Montessori Primary school in Wapping? I'm considering registering my son for Reception there. I like the Montessori emphasis on nurturing their pupils' personal development, however I'm a little unsure just how well academically he'll be prepared for secondary school.

Would love to hear from anyone about this school.

Thanks

Hi Elusis,
we will post your question on Facebook and Twitter.

My son is in reception there. I have mixed feelings about it, the school is very new so there are a few teething problems with it. There is no outdoor space at all so the kids get half an hour in the park daily which is not enough. They have homework every Friday which is normally two basic activity sheets. Each child works to their own pace. There are 20 kids in reception, one very warm and sympathetic teacher and one teaching assistant. They take on a few volunteers to help too which I don't like.

My son does piano and French which cost more. He learns Spanish too but the teacher speaks fluent in reception so it is free. They have pe on a Monday and drama on a Wednesday.

Two things that got up my nose this year, we had to buy their so times for their Xmas play. We also had to buy Xmas present to give to them so Santa could give it to them. A week earlier they had enterprise week where they made profit making and selling items. They should have used that money for costumes instead it went to the school to buy supplies. Which I thought was wrong. They get enough money in fees. There school has not reached capacity yet. There are pre school, reception, year 1 and year 2 classes and the year 2 class is mixed, they go up to 9 years old in there.

The school is okay, really nice inside and lovely teachers but I don't think it is worth the 840 a month without the grant and 654 with it. The montessori philosophy is great but my son is behind some of the state school kids. So I will be removing him and home schooling from January.

The school fees are very expensive and the school is under residential flats. There are better cheaper Montessori schools in the area that offer a better curriculum

I agree very expensive in comparison to The Pier Head school , the children follow The National Curriculum combined with Montessori

My child used to be in Reception there. He had a great teacher and we were very pleased with the atmosphere and progress while she was there. But then she had to go abroad for a few months due to family commitments and the school refused to let her come back despite so many of the parents wanting her back. It was the wrong decision in my eyes - and many others - as a few of us left after seeing the new teacher was not as personable and did not put in as much individual effort with the children.
Also there were many touches that left with her - she would do a personalised newsletter for us every Friday, and after that they never gave us one - just some poor generic school newsletter.
In my opinion the management is weak. We pay so much to send our children there and don't get much in return. I am now very happy with my son's new (state) school. He is back to the standard he was at when the good teacher was at Green Gables.
Consider all your options well.
Good luck.

I have read mixed reviews about this Montessori school and just wanted to share my experience. I have been very fortunate for my three children who have all gone to this Montessori from the age of 2 years upwards. It is a very loving and caring place and I have never had a problem with my children not wanting to go there. They love it so much that even when they were ill they were still wanting to go. All of the staff are very committed and hardworking and the facilities are excellent. Yes you do have to pay fees for going there but it is definitely money well worth spent and is on par with other childcare facilities within the area. There is a lovely calm environment when you go there unlike other schools that I have visited. My children when they reached 5 years then left to go onto Green Gables Montessori School and my eldest child is leaving this term as she will be going to senior school in September. I know that she will miss going there. I would thoroughly recommend that you go and visit and then you will be able to make up your mind for yourself. Everyone that I recommended Green Gables to have never had any problems and are very happy.

I would like to add a review here as I think the review's posted do not do justice to the School. My daughter studied here for 2 years and has loved it. Academically I am so impressed with the curriculum, my daughter is only 5 and tops the reading requirements set by the national standards. Her mathematical skills are equally good where she is able to do multiplications and fractions. I am not a pushy parent and even don't complete the weekend homework, this progress is completely down to the teachers in the reception class. She also comes home excited to talk in detail about Shakespeare (only men used to act in his time-even female roles), Henry Ford and mass manufacturing of cars, the big bang theory and the intricate workings of the human ear (a boy in her class has a hearing aid and thus the entire class learnt about the ear)!!! She loves learning and loves this school, what this school does is makes learning fun and if that is what you are looking for your child, this is an excellent choice. I do recommend parents to visit this school and judge for themselves. I am moving to Singapore and thus have to take my child out this school but if I was still in this country, I would have loved for her to complete her primary education here. Hope this review helps...

I have a son at the school, and would say the Montessori ways work hand in hand with the academic subjects following the national curriculum. My son is like most of the children at the school above average through the work they do, all the children also help and encourage each other which is lovely. The teachers are always available along with the headmistress to speak to which is better than dropping at a gate and once a term finding out how they are getting on. The school offers swiming lessons, they use the facilities at shadwell bason for sailing and rock climbing once they are in primary. The school offers extra tuition for the 11 plus with a special tutor for free if this is the direction your child is looking for. They have recently started teaching the recorder which is noisy but fun. Hope this helps. I would also like to add all the children who have left at 11 have gained access to good schools and are doing very well.

Five years on from my original post and thank you for all the replies! As it happens I did end up sending my son here and he is very happy and doing really well in all his subjects and activities. When he first arrived he was a shy child but the teachers gently coaxed him out of his shell and he is now a self-assured little boy, with the confidence to step out of his comfort zone when circumstances call for it. The other kids were really welcoming too. The previous poster makes a very pertinent point about the availability of the teachers - it's really valuable to me as a parent to get that regular feedback and a really strong sense of how my child is progressing.