Our School

Nurturing and equipping children from the age of 3 to 18 for a life of learning and a world filled with possibilities.

Contemporary education. Traditional Montessori values.

Nestled on the hill in leafy Kingsley, on Whadjuk Country, surrounded by native bushland and overlooking Lake Goollelal, our school is Australia’s longest-running Montessori school. What’s more, we were the first in the world to offer the International Baccalaureate.

Today, we remain true to the Montessori philosophy, focusing on the holistic development – physical, intellectual, social – of every child.

We carefully prepare our learning environment to promote curiosity, resilience, independence, and connectedness, to self, to others, and to the natural environment. Montessori materials are designed so that the child receives instant feedback about their progress as they work, allowing them to recognise, correct, and learn from an error – without adult assistance. Putting control of the activity in the child’s hands strengthens their self-esteem and self-motivation as well as their learning.

Children are internally motivated to work until the task has been completed and they leave the work feeling invigorated not exhausted as adults do. If the work is appropriate to their developmental plane and they have had the freedom to choose it, they will work happily and intensively paying attention to every detail. Observation is important as the adult makes this judgement and responds accordingly.

Our mixed-age classrooms mirror real life, creating a supportive culture that fosters empathy, mutual respect, and leadership.

Moreover, we tailor our ever-evolving programs to fire your child’s imagination and nurture a lifelong love of learning, and equip them to thrive as confident, capable young adults in a world filled with possibilities.

Our purpose is to treat every child as an individual and nurture every aspect of their development, providing the guidance, inspiring the curiosity, and fostering the knowledge, resilience, and love of learning they need to thrive.

We cater to children aged 3 to 18 in mixed-age classrooms; from pre-primary education to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (a globally recognised tertiary entrance qualification).

Mantra

Our mantra is: Help me to do it myself.

We believe, as did Dr Maria Montessori, that it is important for children to have the opportunity to do work for themselves, and adults should not do for a child something that the child can do themselves. When we take the time to show the child how to do something and have the patience and care to wait, our time, guidance, and encouragement show the child that we trust them and that we have faith in their ability. When we do the task for the child, we teach them that they can’t do it, that they are unable and inadequate, and they learn dependence, inferiority, and weakness.

Never help a child with a task at which [they] feel [they] can succeed.”

– Dr Maria Montessori

Structure

Our structure is as follows:

• 3 x Pre-Primary Classes (ages 3 to 6 years)
• 3 x Lower Primary Classes (ages 6 to 9 years)
• 3 x Upper Primary Advisories (ages 9 to 12 years)
• 1 x Lower Secondary Cohort – Divided into two academic classes (Years 7-8 and Years 9-10 and ages 12 to 15 years)
• 1 x International Baccalaureate Cohort (Year 11 and Year 12)

The Montessori method is designed with and for your child, providing the structure, freedom, and guidance they need to learn at their pace, in a way that fosters respect – for self, for others, and for learning.

The importance of cursive handwriting.

Recent neuroscience and psychology research shows us cursive handwriting enhances brain development and function.

Handwriting activates multiple areas of the brain – areas associated with cognition, language and working memory. The brain develops ‘functional specialisation’, integrating sensation, movement control, and thinking.

Cursive at all levels:

• At the pre-primary level, all children learn to write in cursive script, using cursive sandpaper letters and movable alphabets to master letter symbols and double sounds.
• At the lower primary level, students continue with developing control and legibility and learn more about how to lay out their work, and they are introduced to many different styles and requirements of writing.
• Once at the upper primary level, children begin to develop their own individual styles and can experiment with calligraphy.
• By the time the students get to lower secondary, they have developed their own individual style of writing, and most of them still prefer using cursive.

Child Safety

We support the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, which means that we have created a culture, adopted strategies, and have taken action to prevent harm to children.

Find out more:

Child Safety

To consider the school as a place where instruction is given is one point of view. But to consider the school as a preparation for life is another. In the latter case, the school must satisfy all the needs of life.”

– Dr Maria Montessori