Overton Montessori School
accredited montessori
nursery school
for children aged between two and six years
About Us
Independence and Freedom
There is a happy, calm, friendly atmosphere within the Children’s House where the children learn life skills and prepare themselves for their future. They discover the joy of learning through hands-on experiences and exploration within a secure environment. Watering the plants, washing up, splashing in puddles, buttoning, counting beads, making up words and painting a wall can all be part of a morning for a child.
We make the most of our idyllic rural locations through daily access to a large garden ideal for parachute games, nature trials, sport, aeroplane impersonations and having fun. Visitors from the community; from musicians to policemen, and artists to dentists as well as regular outings to local farms all help the children find out about their world.
Our Mission
The Children’s House (Hampshire) Ltd. provide child centred environments where independence is encouraged, individuality celebrated and children are given freedom within boundaries to follow their interests. Children are prepared for tomorrow’s world through learning life skills, developing creative thinking and a love of learning as well as being encouraged to love themselves and the world around them.
Book a visit
We welcome visits from prospective parents and those with an interest in how a Montessori school works. Please contact us to arrange a show around.
What is Montessori?
“Only through freedom and environmental experience is it practically possible for human development to occur” (Montessori, The Absorbent Mind)
Reception Year
Preparing for Life
At The Children’s House creative and independent thinking and learning, self- motivation, respect and interest in the people and our world and the ability to communicate with them, are all encouraged, together with a sound basis in literacy and numeracy. The Montessori curriculum is based around your child’s needs while meeting and often going beyond the requirements of the early years’ foundation stage and the national curriculum.
Children are able to start with us from 2 years of age and stay until they are 6/7. These are the years when the child has the greatest capacity to learn; and what happens here lays down the foundations for all future learning.
Our Teacher to Child Ratio is 1 : 5
Children who stay with us in reception are in a small class with staff qualified and experienced in both primary and Montessori education. Continuity is ensured as the child builds on what they have already achieved and learned. There is no testing, instead continuous observations and evaluation of each child’s progress is made. Parents are able to have daily access to their child’s own website to view records and observations made. Each child has an individual work plan, supporting individual needs. Children have daily individual literacy and numeracy time with a qualified teacher. Children learn French through weekly French sessions. Other languages are also often used. Science, history, geography and culture are all enjoyed daily throughout the year.
As every child is entitled to the education grant until the term after they turn 5 and as we also accept all types of childcare vouchers, staying with us is affordable especially when you consider the benefits for your child.
These are just some reasons to consider joining us or letting your child stay on with us through the reception years. To find out more do visit us or simply call Sharon on 07748 642166.
Our Team
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Sharon Jagged Manager, Director and SENCOSharon is passionate about Montessori education having originally trained soon after she left school. Vastly experienced, she has taught in both Montessori and traditional settings. Her understanding, enthusiasm and knowledge about children with special needs has led her to work as a special needs support in primary schools, as a child minder and as our setting’s SENCO. Sharon joined us in September 2007 and has been a senior member of staff for us for the last few years. Sharon became manager for The Children’s House in 2016 as well as our senior SENCO and works full time, splitting her time between both settings. Sharon is married with 2 children and enjoys spending time in Spain with her family.
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Clare Albert Administrator
Clare is our administrator who gained her PA experience in property and executive search in London. She is a stickler for detail and keen to assist where she can. Her older son Leo, was at Overton Montessori, The Children’s House, and loved it so much that he still wants to pop in to visit everyone when he can. Her younger son, Gabriel will hopefully be joining in 2022 and is keen to see how wonderful it all is. Clare’s free time is spent with her family and two dogs in the great outdoors.
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Juels Marsh Assistant Montessori Teacher
After working in publishing for many years in London, I then did my Montessori training in Winchester in 2007. I have worked in a Montessori setting since then. I feel it is such a privilege to be giving young children such a fantastic foundation in the Montessori environment before they continue their journey onto school. I have two children Olivia and Edward who have both experienced a Montessori setting, and I could not have asked for a better start for both of them. I enjoy spending my spare time with my family in France.
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Julia Bywaters Deputy Head and Safeguarding Officer
I was first introduced to Montessori many years ago when I was an Au Pair in the USA. Seeing how wonderful this methodology of teaching is to young children and the head start it gives them in preparation not just for their school life but life in general made me want to do this for my own children one day. Twenty odd years on all three of my boys have been to Montessori nurseries (my youngest attended both settings of The Children’s House even doing his reception year there), and can say with pride how confident and happy they are at school.
I am a qualified personal trainer and worked part time in the Basingstoke Sports Centre for 8 years. I also have a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Before I became a qualified teacher I worked in marketing as a product management for 15 years before being made redundant. I completed my Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy approximately 3 years ago and have been working at Overton Montessori ever since! I am also hoping to start my Forest School qualification soon.
In my very spare time I love gardening, going to our family home in France, walking my pug Frank and occasionally going to the odd car festival or formula one event.
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Fiona Assistant Montessori Teacher and SENCO
I originally trained as a physiotherapist and worked in this capacity until I had my first child. I have always enjoyed being around children, and over the last few years I have become more and more involved in childcare. Both of my daughters have attended Overton Children’s House, and had such a wonderful time that I jumped at the chance to work in this setting. I am hoping to further my experience and understanding of Montessori theory with training in the future. In the meantime, I am thoroughly enjoying my time at OCH and SCH, and gaining much experience there.
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Virginia Clover Montessori Teacher
In 2009 I retrained as a Montessori Teacher having worked as a wedding and portrait photographer for ten years in London and as a PA for a variety of companies including art galleries (Tate Britain), book publishers (Macmillan), surveyors and accountancy firms as well as entrepreneurs and a national newspaper.
I studied History of Art at Manchester University and I have had two portrait exhibitions in London, one for the Olympics in 2012 and one for the Millennium.
My training was with the Montessori Centre International in London. I thoroughly enjoy working with children and the Montessori ethos of following the child as well as preparing an aesthetically pleasing, ordered environment for them.
Having grown up in Canada I enjoy an outdoors lifestyle, camping and walking as well as adventurous holidays abroad. I hope to bring this curiosity in nature and the world and its different cultures to into my teaching practice.
