Maria Montessori School

Maria Montessori School has grown since 1964 into a three-site London community with a clear Montessori pathway. Children move through Children's House and Elementary before the adolescent years, which are based in Hampstead, while younger pupils attend the Bayswater and Notting Hill settings. The co-educational 12 to 16 programme is therefore part of a longer educational journey, but it has its own distinctive rhythm and purpose.

The adolescent community is organised as a Place of Study and Work. English, mathematics and Spanish sit alongside humanities, science, creative expression and practical occupations, with pupils encouraged to connect ideas to the world beyond the classroom. Work with the land, community projects and small-scale enterprise form part of the preparation for adult life. The programme also supports GCSE study in English, mathematics and double science, with Spanish DELE examinations available to interested pupils.

Learning is collaborative and deliberately practical. Mixed-age environments, seminars, workshops, research tasks and individual or small-group tutoring sit alongside an extended community journey and a Spanish exchange. During X-Term, pupils choose and plan a subject of study, including the associated trip and funding work. This blend of independence, shared responsibility and hands-on activity makes the adolescent phase feel unlike a conventional timetable of disconnected lessons.

Applications are made directly to the school, which has no boarding or Sixth Form provision. Prospective pupils can visit and observe a classroom before applying. The latest inspection outcome was Good, with Outstanding judgements for early years provision, behaviour and attitudes, and personal development. For secondary-age pupils, Maria Montessori offers a specialist route centred on the Montessori method rather than a standard subject-by-subject school model.