Smiles Montessori Newhall 3.04

About Montessori

Maria Montessori

Dr Maria Montessori was born in 1870, and 26 years later went on to become the first woman in Italy to become a qualified doctor. After qualifying she was appointed assistant doctor in a clinic within the University of Rome, to work and observe children in a scientific manner. Without the usual pre-conceived educational ideas, she was able to create new techniques of education, which would emphasize the ‘unique’ development of each child. This has led to the Montessori Approach believing strongly in spontaneity and independence whereby the child is encouraged to select their own activities to explore and manipulate for themselves.


Research into this approach has shown that the earlier a child learns to interact with others, the more developed their social skills and confidence is in the future. A Preschool of good standing – like SMILES Montessori – has been proven to aid greatly in the development of the child. “All children have an innate desire to learn”, this philosophy enthused by Dr. Maria Montessori, is practised by the whole nursery through three traditional Montessori principles. These are:-

Observation
Individual freedom
Preparation of the environment

These three principles guide teachers to “control the environment” and not the child. To look at the child as an unknown entity or being and allows the child’s true nature to freely emerge.

Our Story

Smiles Montessori Newhall first opened its doors in June 2013. We currently hold a 'Good' Ofsted rating. Training is always ongoing with the staff so that current legislation and ideas are always at the top of our agenda.
At present we are in a temporary building whilst our purpose built nursery is being built also in Newhall. It will most definitely be a state of the art building when completed and we hope to open the doors in 2016.

The Owner Julia

Julia Jeffrey is the owner of both our sites she has always had a passion for working with early years, Julia has always been committed to life long learning and is part of many groups within the community to help raise standards. Julia has gained all her qualifications including a Degree in Early Years Education, Early Years Professional Status and the Montessori Diploma. She has been working in the sector for over 20 years and has played a key role in the ongoing success of both nurseries. Julia leads and manages the current team effectively and is a great motivator, displaying a shared sense of direction, pride and energy.