Term-time drop-and-leave
Tutor and Forest School sessions
Join us as we embark on a journey to foster a love for learning and exploration inside and outside the classroom.
Welcome
Our personalised sessions provide a unique opportunity for children to learn and grow in a natural environment.
Grounded in fundamental Montessori principles, we promote a hands-on, child-centred, common-sense approach to teaching and learning. Children learn practical, real-life skills, such as cooking and economics as well as academic subjects.
Situated in acres of exclusively private woodland adjacent to Windsor Great Park, we support our Landowner, Anne Martin, in her quest to preserve and protect her natural woodland site.
Our Approach
Nature-Centred Learning
Exploration and Discovery
At Phoenix Montessori, we focus on nature-centred learning, allowing children to explore and discover the world around them. Our approach encourages curiosity, creativity, and a deep connection to the natural environment.
Target Setting
Tailored Approach
Alongside our drive to care for the environment and the living things in it, we work on academic achievement. Our Montessori values mean each child is valued as an individual, with their own unique targets and aspirations. We cherry-pick the best of the Montessori and National Curriculum targets and objectives to create a bespoke work plan for each child.
Environment Conservation
Maintenance, Protection and Growth
We assist in the maintenance of a diverse, healthy woodland habitat for a huge variety of fauna, flora and fungi, so can often be found with our gloves on and sleeves rolled up, sawing and chopping broken boughs and branches, cleaning the ponds and topping up feeding and watering stations.
Alternative Provision
A Variety of Opportunities
We recognise children may not attend a mainstream setting for a variety of reasons, including parental choice and family lifestyle, as well as barriers created by ADHD, autism, PDA, EBSA and SEND to name but a few. Our small, mixed-age group sessions allow us to make reasonable adaptations to reduce the impact of such barriers. We also support children with EOTAS.
Tasks and strategies to promote confidence, self-esteem and self-regulation are constantly woven into each day. These strategies are helped by creating opportunities for children to make autonomous choices, deciding when they take rest, movement or snack breaks, and the order and manner in which they approach their tasks.
Child-centred Learning
A unique approach
We believe that how a child feels as a learner greatly influences how they behave as a learner. Safely wrapped in a culture of love, compassion, kindness, responsibility and respect, children explore, investigate, make choices, make mistakes and learn the value of thoughtfulness, insight and wisdom.
Disclaimer
Please note: Blacknest is a working conservation site, with attached inherent risks. Children will have the opportunity to use real tools for jobs they undertake and risk everyday childhood dangers such as splinters, falling and tripping, cuts and grazes and stings. There is also a pond onsite and Forest School activities, such as whittling and fire-striking, occur regularly. Parents must be confident their child can manage such everyday risks with the regular support and supervision tutors provide.
