Born in 1870, Maria Montessori was the first woman to qualify as a medical doctor in Italy, before stepping into the field for which she is so well known: child development and education. She was a scientist, a free thinker, an orator, an educational visionary and, perhaps most importantly, a champion for children.

Maria Montessori pioneered an approach to education focussing on a child's natural desire to learn and their immense capacity to absorb information when given the freedom and independence to learn at their own pace, particularly in the early years. Her deep commitment to children and her belief in their potential and uniqueness empowered her to develop a method that appreciates how children's learning processes differ from those of adults. Maria Montessori's insights on child development have been enormously influential all over the world, both through what has become the Montessori movement and through mainstream education, which has gradually adopted many of her practices.

Montessori emphasises learning through all five senses, not just through listening and watching. It's learning by doing. Children in Montessori classes learn at their own pace and choose activities from hundreds of possibilities based on their own interests and strengths.   

Montessori is designed to help all children reach their fullest potential at their own unique pace.