About Our School and Nursery

Choosing the best education for your child

You can be sure of the best possible start for your child right here at The Montessori Nursery and School.

We are Edinburgh’s longest-established Montessori childcare provider for children ages 2.5 - 6. With over 35 years of specialist education under our belt, you can be confident that your child’s outlook will be shining bright after a warm, happy and nurturing early years experience here.

Our Montessori primary school opened in March 2023 in response to demand from our families to continue their children's Montessori education with us.  During their  inspections, our approach to  teaching, learning and assessment, and also curriculum have been praised  by Education Scotland.

New to Montessori? Or a firm advocate of the philosophy already? Either way, our director Trish and her team will ensure your child thrives at our exceptional nursery and school while supporting them to develop their full potential:
  • Well-established with a reputation for excellence
  • A Care Inspectorate rating of ‘very good’ in  all four areas
  • An Education Scotland rating of "Very Good"
  • Highly experienced staff teams; all university educated
  • Above average adult to child ratios of 1:6 (25 children max per day).
  • Set in lush church grounds, with a calm indoor space and free flow to outdoor learning environments
  • A strong, happy and engaged multicultural  school    community
“The Montessori Nursery is a wonderful learning environment in a fantastic light, open space with incredibly dedicated, supportive and responsive teachers.  Both our sons are flourishing at the Montessori Nursery and we love the use of nature and outdoors as a part of their daily lives. We feel part of a special community of Montessori families in Edinburgh and feel very lucky to have found such a great nursery for our boys.” - Kate Buchanan-Jack, parent

​"Our son spent several happy and fulfilling years at The Montessori School, where the nurturing environment, dedicated teachers, and Montessori philosophy helped him grow into a confident and curious learner. The smaller class sizes allowed for meaningful teacher-student relationships, and we truly believe the school laid an excellent foundation for his transition into high school in August 2025. We’re very grateful to the team at The Montessori School for the care and commitment they showed throughout his time there."   MB & JSN, parents

​What is a typical day at The Montessori Nursery?

Wondering what activities children do at our Montessori nursery? Watch this video for an idea of a day in the life of our students:
Time
Activity
8.15 - 9am
  • Arrive and say hello to friends and staff!
  • Get ready for the day and self-register: Hang up coat  on personalised pegs, change into indoor shoes/slippers, and select and post name into the basket. ​​
9 -11.45
  • Children are then free to choose an  activity from a wide range of options including: sensorial, practical life, cultural,   language and maths activities  beautifully presented in our indoor and free-flow outdoor classrooms. Curious young minds are  nurtured, inspired and gently guided by highly qualified, experienced and dedicated staff. Children select, work with and then tidy away their activity once completed. 
  • Art,  music, cooking, drama and nature activities, as well as opportunities in French and Spanish, are seamlessly woven into the children's daily experiences with us.​
10.30
  • Children have the opportunity  to help prepare snack each day. We serve a rolling snack where children can come to eat when they are ready, thereby  ensuring  those deeply engaged and focused in an activity are not unnecessarily  interrupted.​​
11.45
  • Circle time (multilingual songs and music, movement, story, discussions, register)​
  • Daily outside free-play is an important part of every day for us, so at this time the children get ready to work in the vegetable garden, enjoy outdoor energetic free play, head out on a berry pick, or a walk to the woods or  the river.​
12.30
  • Some children go home at this point, others have a calming story followed by lunch.​
  • Afternoon guided activities include  nature club, drama with a specialist, music and movement, Spanish with a specialist, cooking, and art activities.​.
3pm
  • Hometime
We are open between 8.15 am and 3.00 pm on Mondays to Thursdays, and 8.15 till 12.30 pm on Fridays during term time.