Engagement With Parents
We believe it is crucial that parents and the teachers caring for children work together. Parents should feel comfortable about exchanging information and discussing things that will benefit their children. Therefore, we have an open-door policy, where parents can speak to us on daily basis. These conversations should be either with the headmistress or the child’s key teacher.
Since, working in partnership with parents is very important, we strongly encourage parents and caregivers to let the child’s key teacher know about what your children do with you at home, such as how confident they are in recognizing numbers and letters, counting, writing their name, talking about what they can do or talking about their favourite character, speaking to people that they are not so familiar with or about their understanding of a story. Parents can use the provided “WOW” cards to write about their child’s achievement. We create ample meetings and events where parents can interact with Montessori staff to make with feel connected with their child’s progress. The following are examples of these collaborations.
1. Parent – Teacher Meeting
Each child has assigned a “key teacher” who is responsible for the child’s care, development and learning, as well as takes a careful note of the child’s progress (Learning Journey). Parents get regular information about their child’s development in a form of home learning diary (where they can write own comments and possible questions regarding their child’s learning).
During each academic year the nursery offers two individual parents’ meetings with a key teacher followed by a written developmental report, that is based on what the key teacher and other staff caring for the child, have observed over a period of time. One meeting takes place by the end of Autumn Term and the other at the end of the Summer Term. The school also, offers settling in meetings (followed by a written report) and 2-year progress check. Parents receive a copy of all the reports, including information of how to support the child’s learning at home.
2. Coffee mornings
We always invite new parents for a coffee mornings/welcome session before their children start attending to our nursery school.
During that session the children have the opportunity to play together and get familiar with the new environment as well as meet their key teachers, which will help to make the settling in period easier. Also, parents will have the chance to meet the headmistress and speak to the key teachers, exchange important information about their children likes and dislikes, as well as meet other parents.
3. EYFS
At the beginning of each academic year, we run workshops for parents where we explain what is Early Years Foundation Stage, why this stage is important in their child’s education and how we link the EYFS with Montessori approach. During these sessions we also provide parents with useful information regarding planning, organising activities and outings for the children, as well as undertake discussion with parents.