‘Montessori isn’t an exclusive club’

Philip Bujak has a dream. The chief executive of the Montessori St Nicholas
Charity hopes that one day every state primary school in the country will
have a Montessori teacher on their staff. But with only five state primaries
using Montessori practices in the UK, he knows he has a mountain to climb.

"It is an accident of history that Montessori schools are private in this
country," he says. "Anyone who knows anything about Montessori
will tell you it's not just for the private sector. It's a method of
teaching that should be available to all. We were founded in the slums of
Rome: the Montessori method works best with children who want to learn, who
are not necessarily in a place to be able to learn."

Pioneered by the Italian physician Maria Montessori in 1907, the method gives
children the freedom to learn at their own pace and to choose topics that
hold their attention. It is popular in Scandinavia and in the US, and is
usually applied to children under six. There are 631 registered private
Montessori primary and nursery schools in the UK – but Bujak is keen to
shatter the perception of an exclusive club.

He has started a number of initiatives to bring Montessori back to its roots,
one of which seeks to help practitioners to develop their careers outside
the private sector. The organisation began a two-year foundation degree last
September, validated by London Metropolitan University. On completion, and
after a six-month, full-time teaching placement, students can join the third
year of London Metropolitan's early childhood studies BA (Hons) course, with
access to Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) and Postgraduate
Certificate in Education (PGCE) programmes.

"Many teachers want a life-changing experience and come on to the course
to convert to Montessori," says Bujak. "We also wanted to try to
improve the skills of our own workforce, and we wanted a qualification
accepted in the state sector that would allow them to work in a state
primary. We hope eventually that state schools will go out and advertise for
a Montessori teacher, so that each state primary can have one Montessori
specialist on staff."

via www.independent.co.uk