Welcome to Colourbox Montessori School where we are committed to nurturing and inspiring your nursery age child. We encourage your child to explore and develop their unique talents and to discover that their views and decisions are valid and respected.
Since Colourbox Montessori School first opened in 1993, the school has evolved and grown to offer 83 places for children who enjoy a stimulating and fun-filled day within our self-contained buildings - convenient for Newmarket, Cambridge and surrounding villages.
One important reason for the success we enjoy in developing the enthusiasm of your pre-school child, is based on our strong belief that you are your child's first and most important teacher. Working together we will help your child to develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially - enabling them to embrace life with eagerness and confidence. We also aim to create a community of families who can learn from each other and provide a strong base for their children.
Our Mission statement:
Our mission is to implement the philosophy, practices and curriculum of Dr. Maria Montessori and her method of education.
The Childcare Act 2006 establishes that all providers of early years education are required to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage so that children are working towards meeting the Early Learning Goals by the end of the reception year. To this end, we have prepared a Montessori environment that is calm, engaging and responsive to each child at all stages of development.
Our goals:
- To promote and encourage the optimum intellectual, social, physical, spiritual and economic development of children through a contemporary Montessori approach to education for children from 3 months to 5 years.
- To maintain a fully inclusive Montessori School that does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, creed, sexual preference, gender, national/ethnic origins or ability in either its admission or employment policies.
- To provide and maintain a well-equipped, safe, and purposeful learning environment, staffed with fully trained and caring personnel for all families in the Newmarket area and surrounding communities.
- To educate the community as to the value of the Montessori philosophy of education and act as a resource within the broader professional educational network.
Our staff take their training through the Montessori Centre International . The Montessori Schools Association has established an accreditation board (The Montessori Evaluation and Accreditation Board - 'MEAB') which assesses schools who wish to show that they fulfil the requirements of an authentic Montessori School. Colourbox successfully undertook this accreditation in January 2011. I would welcome the opportunity to show you and your child around our nursery and you will see why the children are
'Excited about learning, excited about life'!
Susie Norman
Principal
Susie Norman trained at London's St. Nicholas Montessori College where she gained a distinction in the 0 - 6 International Montessori Diploma. She is active within the Montessori community, as an Area Teaching Practice Tutor for the London Montessori Centre and is also a Montessori Schools Assessor for the Montessori Evaluation and Accreditation Board. In 2011 Susie also undertook training with the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors to become an independent Educational Assessor. Colourbox is a member of the Montessori Schools Association (MSA) and The National Day Nurseries Association.
You can view Montessori St.Nicholas's 'Reach' brochure here :
We hope you enjoy this video by the MSA with Tana Ramsay. * Please note, we have employed a specialist company to provide much of the content for this website. By doing so, we hope the site is always up-to-date and interesting. Whilst all content supplied is relevant to parents with young children, we cannot guarantee that it will accurately reflect the Montessori principles we employ at Colourbox. We feel that this is a perfectly acceptable compromise and hope you agree! *