Oxford Montessori Schools

Every school it seems is 'child centered' these days. Every maintained schools, even the most formal independent school. We don't just 'talk the talk' because we think parents want to hear it. We build children's rights, right into the structure of the school...

Participation means giving children a say in their education, listening to them and involving them as much as possible in school life. It means valuing their opinions and ideas and giving them control over their learning. We hope you find this site useful and are inspired to take some of the ideas back to your school. When children have a say in their education they not only exercise their rights they also:

• Achieve more
• Have improved self esteem
• Get on better with their classmates and teachers
• Contribute to a better school environment, with better discipline and a culture where learning is a shared responsibility

So, we have a...

• a participative structure
• children have a vote and a voice
• teachers have a vote and a voice
• we always think could a child make this decision have we tried?
  
• a participative curriculum
• children's developmental needs and phases are recognised
• we appreciate the extent to which a child can make real decisions about how they spend their time at school
• the democratic school model
• best practice for schools in the 21st century as defined by Save the Children's Participation in Schools Programme