Welcome to Children's House Montessori, Preschool and Home Education Enrichment, a learning community 2-11 years in Birling Kent

1. Listen to our welcome children's House song.
2. Written by Elizabeth, a 13 year old former pupil remembering Children's House.
Together we grow, each voice is heard. In our Montessori home, every child is heard, everyone loves school when the world feels right.

Nestled in the beautiful historic village of Birling, Kent, Children's House Montessori is based in the charming village hall beside the church - a building originally opened as the village school in 1894.

Today, it continues its educational legacy as a warm, inspiring place where young children begin their love of learning. We proudly serve families in Birling, West Malling, Snodland, Leybourne, Aylesford, Larkfield, Kings Hill and surrounding Kent villages.

A High-Quality learning community focused on Education, Care and Confidence

We are a term-time, independent sessional preschool and home education enrichment for children aged 2 to 11 years, offering far more than childcare. At Children's House Montessori, we provide a rich education built around the individual child. Where children are known, valued and inspired.

Our mission is simple:

To give every child the very best start to their educational journey, so they develop confidence, curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.

We achieve this through the renowned Montessori approach, combined with exceptional teaching, nurturing support and enriching experiences every day.

A Strong Community Feel

Children's House Montessori is more than a preschool - it is a caring community where children, parents and educators work together to help every child flourish.

We believe children learn best when they feel safe, valued, connected and part of something special.

Traditional Values, Modern Excellence

While many nurseries now focus on large-scale, multi-site childcare models, we have chosen to remain proudly independent and focused on quality over quantity. This also allows us to build strong, meaningful partnerships with families. We believe that working hand in hand with our parents are at the heart of a child's success.

Supporting Home Educated Children

We are proud to also welcome home educated children who would benefit from part-time sessions in a nurturing, educational setting.

Many home educating families choose us for:

Social interaction and friendships
Small group learning experiences
Structured activities alongside home learning
Confidence building and independence
Access to specialist subjects such as Science, Art, Yoga and Coding
Outdoor learning and Forest School
Preparation for future school transitions if desired
Flexible term-time sessions

We understand that every home educating family has a unique approach, and we work respectfully alongside parents to complement your child's learning journey.

Why Families Choose Us

Exceptional Staff Ratios & Qualified Teachers

We maintain a strict limit on places of no more than 20 children a session alongside a ratio of one qualified teacher for every 4 children. This means that every child receives the attention, encouragement and personalised support they deserve.

This allows us to provide:

More individual attention
Stronger relationships with the children, team and parents
Better focus and learning outcomes
A calmer, happier atmosphere
Greater confidence for quieter children
Personalised support for every stage of development

Families often choose us because we offer the personal feel that larger settings cannot.

Many of our team are fully qualified teachers in early years, primary and secondary, giving children the benefit of expert education in a unique caring environment.

We believe children thrive best in a calm, personal setting where they are truly known, valued and nurtured.

A Holistic Curriculum That Develops the Whole Child

Our Montessori curriculum supports every area of development:

Physical development
Intellectual growth
Language and communication
Emotional wellbeing
Social confidence and mental health
Independence and resilience

Inspiring Activities Included in Fees

Children enjoy a wide range of exciting enrichment opportunities at no extra cost, including:

Forest School
Science
STEM Lego
Cooking
Yoga
Music
Phonics
Art & Creativity
Lego and Play Therapy
First Aid Classes
Coding
Freeflow Outdoor Learning (constant access to outdoors)

French and Spanish are also available.

Session Times

We are open term time only, Monday to Thursday 9:30am - 3:30pm and Friday 09:30-12:30.

A Preschool and Learning Community you Can Trust

Your child is precious - and we never take your trust for granted.

At Children's House Montessori, every decision we make is centred around giving children the strongest possible foundation for school and for life.

Book a Visit

We would love to welcome you to our community and show you what makes our setting so special.

Send me an email

The secret of good teaching is to regard the child's intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination. Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorise, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his innermost core. By offering the child the story of the universe, we give him something a thousand times more wonderful and mysterious to grasp with his imagination, in a cosmic drama no fable can rival. Montessori, 1989

We are highly qualified reflective practitioners, which means we are always looking at how we can do things better, for the benefit of the children we nurture and to improve ourselves. Child observation based upon a solid understanding of child development theory enables us to lay solid foundations for our children's education. We take no more than 20 children in a session with a ratio of 1 qualified teacher to every 3 or 4 children.

We believe strongly in close partnership with our parents because as Maria Montessori said "parents play a critical role in their children's education. Education begins with the parent, in the home at birth the parent is the child's first and most influential teacher".

Childhood happens only once and a Montessori education ensures that your child will make the best of theirs. Children from a variety of cultures and backgrounds all over the world have benefited from a Montessori education and your child can as well.

Children's House Montessori is successfully led by the highly dedicated and inspirational Head. The Head is exceptionally passionate about creating a nurturing and enriching learning environment that follows the principles of the Montessori philosophy. In addition to this, she is a strong advocate of being an accredited Unicef Rights Respecting School, a scheme that aims to empower children to understand and communicate their rights and to have strong aspirations in life. The Head is fully supported by an experienced and committed team; together they bring a wealth of attributes in providing a rich and exciting range of learning experiences. All staff members have high expectations of children and are closely attuned to each individual child's interests and development. Adults and children build trusting and respectful relationships, which creates a nursery where children are confident and independent learners with extremely high self-esteem and a positive approach towards learning. Partnership with parents is outstanding. Montessori Assessors report

Read our Early Years Foundation and Montessori (Guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage in Montessori settings) and MEAB (Montessori Evaluation and Accreditation Board - School Accreditation).

The highly experienced and ambitious manager is an inspiring leader. She works very closely with enthusiastic and well qualified staff team to maintain the high quality of practice. Children are highly respected and listened to. From the start they form extremely secure emotional attachments with nurturing staff. They offer limitless support to children and families when required. parents refer to staff as supportive, attentive and amazing! Ofsted