Montessori education for all?

Montessori education origins

It is well known that Maria Montessori, an Italian scientist, medical doctor, and educator, first founded an approach to education in the early twentieth century. However, it is perhaps less well known that Dr Montessori began her work with young children in a disadvantaged community, setting up a school in a newly built social housing estate in the San Lorenzo district of Rome.

“Many years ago Rome was a capital that was rapidly developing, which manifested itself in frenzied building activities… One of the few spaces left was bordered on one side by old Roman walls and on the other side by a cemetery… This San Lorenzo Quarter was talked of with abhorrence and seen as the shame of Italy.

At some stage, another bold building society took on the challenge to renovate the buildings and allocated the flats to married couples. There were some 50 young children who lived unsupervised in these buildings…The solution found was to gather them all in a room during the day and they looked for a someone who would be willing to work with the children.

I was approached as a medical officer of hygiene to take an interest in this work. Before I could agree I stipulated that certain conditions needed to be met in the way of hygiene, food and sanitation.

Although the lot of the poor was taken seriously, the children had been overlooked. There were no provisions for them, no toys, no teacher, nothing. I managed to find a woman of forty years whose help I asked, and who was willing to take charge of the children.   It was on the 6th January 1907 that this room was inaugurated… It was from then that the real work began.”

(Maria Montessori, 6 January 1942)

Today there are approximately 20,000 Montessori schools around the world, including 3,000 in the U.S.

Notably, in several countries, including in Thailand, the Netherlands and Austria, Montessori education is a feature of the public education system, in early childhood, primary and, to some extent, secondary education phases. However, it is something of an accident of history that in the UK, Montessori education has been offered primarily by private providers of early childhood education and care.

Montessori schools have traditionally been associated with affluent areas, and there is a (mis)conception that this approach is the preserve of ‘middle class children’ (BBC, 2016).

A significant proportion of Montessori settings are clustered around London and the South East of England and this may well be as a result of a long history of London-based Montessori training providers. However, there is a geographical spread of Montessori provision and a number of nurseries and pre-schools who subscribe to this pedagogy operate across the UK, including in more socio economically disadvantaged areas

The impact of early education

There is a longstanding body of international evidence, particularly from the US, which finds that early childhood education and care provision has a positive impact on young children’s outcomes across a range of skills and abilities (Heckman 2011; Waldfogel 2006).

These findings are also reflected in key studies in the UK. Pre-school provision can have positive impacts on early childhood cognitive and non-cognitive skills, and this is particularly true for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, when quality is high and provision is accessed at a young age and for a sustained period (Melhuish and Gardner 2020).

However, whilst there is a growing body of European research in the field, very little is known about the provision of Montessori education in more economically disadvantaged areas in England. In particular, there is no research that captures the voices and experiences of educators and parents/carers from these areas about the perceived impact of a Montessori preschool education. 

Social Mixing

Choice of preschool education differs significantly in England from the process of applying for a primary or secondary school place. Much early education is offered by the private and voluntary sector in a ‘mixed market’ of provision (Archer and Oppenheim 2021).

As such, catchment areas and other admissions criteria seldom exist and parents choose provision for their child which best meets their needs and the needs of their child (Lloyd and Penn, 2012).

As a result, children may access early education beyond their immediate community and may, as a result, attend settings with a different social mix of children than they might otherwise do. However, there are few studies which consider the nature, extent, and impact of social mixing in early childhood settings in England and none in relation to Montessori settings. 

As a result I am planning to undertake a small scale study to address two identified gaps:

• Lack of knowledge about provision of Montessori education in socially disadvantaged areas in England
• Lack of knowledge about the social mix of children attending these settings.

Revisiting Montessori’s original work, her rationale, and her commitment to all children is timely. It has reinvigorated my commitment that all children should have the opportunity to access a Montessori education. It’s a matter of social justice.

I look forward to reporting back on the research. In the meantime, do follow the Institute on Twitter @Montessori_LBU and our weekly sharing of resources #MontessoriMonday

References

• Archer, N. & Oppenheim, C. (2021) The role of early childhood education and care in shaping life chances. London: Nuffield Foundation.
• BBC (2016) Fit for a prince? Montessori schools tackle 'middle-class' image
• Marshall, C. (2017) Montessori education: a review of the evidence base. npj Science Learn 2, 11
• Melhuish, E. and Gardiner, J. (2020). Study of Early Education and Development (SEED): Impact Study on Early Education Use and Child Outcomes up to age five years. London: DfE
• Montessori, M. (1946) On this Day: First Casa dei Bambini
• Waldfogel, J. (2006). Early Childhood Policy: A Comparative Perspective. In K. McCartney & D. Phillips (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of early childhood development (pp. 576–594). Blackwell Publishing.