St Andrew’s Montessori awarded “outstanding” by Ofsted for second time in succession

St Andrews Church, which houses the school (Image: Marcus Maschwitz 2011)

The school, housed in St Andrew’s Church, Thornhill Square, caters for children aged two to five. Its last outstanding award came in 2011.

Deputy head Nicola Byrne described the result as “absolutely terrific”.

“It really is a testament to the wonderful team of teachers we have here,” she told the Gazette.

“I feel like it really is reflective of the school, and is a validation of everyone’s hard work over the past few years.”

The inside of the church at St Andrews (Image: Marcus Maschwitz 2011)

Ofsted ranked the school “outstanding” in every area of the inspection, which included leadership, teaching quality, behaviour and outcomes for children.

The report found teaching was “inspirational”, with kids “happy and extremely well cared-for in this nurturing environment.”

Ms Byrne was keen to pay tribute to parents as well as teachers.

“We feel the success of the school and the high level of education achieved is as a result of not only the teachers’ commitment but also a strong ethos of working in partnership with our amazing parents,” she said.

“We are so fortunate to have families that share our vision of a healthy and balanced education, resulting in happy, confident children who wholeheartedly believe learning is fun.”

St Andrew’s Montessori was founded in 1996 with the Montessori philosophy, which does not believe in the setting of external goals. As such, the children are not tested and are instead allowed to develop at their own pace.

The philosophy also embraces the environment and children are encouraged to learn through nature.

For more information about the school, the Montessori method of teaching and to see a copy of the Ofsted report, visit saintandrewsmontessori.com