Frequently asked questions

Are we really Montessori?

We really are Montessori. We use, and respect, the method and philosophy of Montessori and we have a wealth of Montessori equipment. We have matched the Montessori curriculum beautifully with the Curriculum for Excellence as well as the Pre Birth to Three. We are always open to new ideas and will adapt anything that we feel complements the way we are already teaching and ensures that our children do fulfill their potential.

How many children are there in a class?

In our Baby/ Toddler room we have a maximum of nine babies with three staff. In the Active Toddler room we have a maximum of nine toddlers with three staff.

In the Montessori classroom our children are not split up into classes, they are vertically grouped from the ages of two and a half to five years old. They each have a group teacher who will liaise with you, as parents, about your child’s progress. Although children may look to their group teacher for guidance, they are not restricted to her and may ask any teacher for help. The approximate ratio of teachers to children is 1:6 in the morning session and 1:5 in the afternoon session.

Are children told what to do and where to go?

When parents are shown around the school, they often ask whether children are in particular places, or carrying out particular activities, on instructions from a teacher. In the Montessori system, the children are introduced to activities and equipment as and when they express an interest or when teachers consider them to be ready. They are then free to choose any activity and may do it as often, or for as long, as they want. They are encouraged to put the equipment away tidily when they have finished and may then move on to another exercise of their choice. The primary role of the teacher is to act as a guide, introducing the child to the equipment within the environment and encouraging him or her to use it

When do you teach them letters and numbers?

The simple answer is “When they are ready, and not before”. For example, teaching a child how to write if he doesn’t yet know how to hold a pencil is doomed to failure. Most of what goes on in a child’s development at this age is to do with motor skills, concentration, confidence, socialising and becoming aware that learning is great fun. Only when those are firmly in place, and providing the child is beginning to show an interest in numbers and letters, do we introduce him to the relevant equipment. At that stage progress is likely to be rapid. Putting pressure on a child before he is ready (whether at home or at school) usually leads to the loss of any enthusiasm for the subject

How can we get involved?

Each term the school does one or more projects. These may involve places around the world, cultural festivals, scientific or biological activities and so on. Parents who would like to contribute to these projects with ideas or equipment or artefacts are very welcome to do so. Occasionally we may ask a few parents to accompany us when the children are taken on an outing.

Why can’t I have my deposit back?

In line with most other private nursery schools we operate a strict policy of not refunding deposits if the terms of the contract between the school and the parents are broken – for example, if less than eight week’s notice is given for the removal of a child or a child commits to join the school but then doesn’t. We need to plan several months in advance in order to run the nursery efficiently and the deposit helps to persuade parents to make only those commitments that they expect to be able to keep.

How does my child qualify for a commissioned place as an eligible 3 year old at the Killearn nursery?

• Mulberry Bush Montessori is in Partnership with Stirling Council
• A child attending Mulberry Bush Montessori is entitled to a commissioned place, the school term after their 3^rd birthday.
• Parents are required to complete an application form for a commissioned place, which we can provide, and if your child is also to attend a local Education Authority nursery, or any other nursery in addition to Mulberry Bush, you will be required to submit an application to each provider. We must be notified if your child attends another establishment in addition to MBK.
• Stirling Council will send a ‘code’ via the postal service to each eligible child, each term. This code must be brought to the nursery in order for us to submit it electronically to Stirling Council. Only once this has happened children will receive their invoices with the commissioned rate applied to their fees. It is therefore very important that we are kept up to date with address and contact details for each child.
• Stirling Council offers free hours
• They are not to allocate funding
• These free hours are given to eligible children throughout the year, from August to August of each year, as an all year round centre, that includes the 3 terms which are an integral part of the year fee structure, from the first fee date following a child’s eligibility until the child leaves for school
• The amount of funding that each independent sector nursery, such as us, receives from Stirling Council is dictated by the ability of each nursery to meet the six Quality Standards set by the Council.  Funding for the running of our centre comes from two sources; the majority from fees paid by parents and a small percentage from Stirling Council through Partnership.  We use the total amount of funding from Stirling Council for commissioned places and more through fees, to invest in the centre as a whole to ensure that the quality of our provision is consistent throughout all the age groups, thus ensuring all parents and children benefit through the partnership scheme
• This forms part of our terms and conditions with parents.
• The funding MBK receives as a Partnership Centre does not match the fee rate and so the paid for hours are adjusted accordingly
• Children can receive a maximum of 5 commissioned sessions of 2.5 hours each up to a total of 475 hours, allocated to either a morning or afternoon period. Children who are attend Mulberry Bush all day are entitled to a maximum of 2 of their commissioned places per day.
• Our fees and the provision of the free hours are agreed & approved by Stirling Council each year as part of our working partnership with the authority.

How does my child qualify for a commissioned place as an eligible 3 year old at the Yorkhill nursery?

We have not been given the total number of places by Glasgow City Council for the eligible 3 & 4 year olds enrolled with us at Yorkhill. GCC have given us a ceiling on the number of places that we can award to eligible 3 & 4 year olds. At the time of the website going live, we await further guidance from GCC on how to distribute the funds to parents in the light of there being none.