Fascinated by the Montessori concept and wish your child could continue there for longer? These 20 Montessori schools in Bangalore with higher classes may be the answer.
If you are especially happy with the progress that your child has made in a Montessori, you might be keen for this development to segue into the adolescent and teenage years. Here are 22 Montessori schools in Bangalore that extend the Montessori learning environment to the higher grades.
All of us know Montessori environments last till age 6 but did you know that when Maria Montessori was in India, she started formulating Montessori for the elementary level all the way up to the university level? Her ideas exist only in writing, as she could not implement them completely or make material to support them but the Montessori elementary program transitions the child from working independently to working in groups or in pairs.
Children learn to make group decisions and to share resources. They seek education outside the classroom and in nature. From 12 to 18 years, children in the Montessori set up are called ‘Erdkinder’ or ‘children of the earth’ and these years are treasure chests of practical knowledge that equip children with skills for actual living. As envisioned by Maria Montessori, these skills include everything from farming, pottery and carpentry to knowledge of how to sell produce and a practical knowledge of economics and geography.
The Montessori system does not believe in grades or standards or classes as we know them. It is based on age groups and this is how most Montessoris define the age groups:
0 to 1.5 years : Infant2
1.5 to 2.5 years : Toddler
2.5 to 6 years : Primary
6 to 12 years : Elementary
12 to 18 years : Erdkinder
Deepa Kamat, Founder of Atreya Vidyaniketan, also runs the elementary Indian Montessori Training courses and says that in India, elementary education comes under government purview and that there are restrictions on land area, permissions and documents. Material making is also important, as manufacturers don’t produce Montessori material for the elementary program and beyond. Deepa who makes her own material says, “Math is easy to make but Chemistry and other subjects need a lot more work, research and timelines because content can vary from one Montessori to another and the material should be child-centred. The onus of making material lies with school.” The elementary Montessori program brings a sense of continuity and progress for the child who is fresh out of the wondrous primary Montessori program.
Here are 22 Montessori schools in Bangalore that explore older Montessori environments
1. Atreya Vidyaniketan, Basaweshwara Nagar
Atreya Vidyaniketan offers the parents of the Primary Montessori children a choice – either opt for an Elementary Montessori set-up or CBSE. They will offer Montessori till 10th Grade. The elementary program offers multi age grouping and also keeps in mind the changing needs and psychology of the child. There is more content, there are more subjects, no text books and a hands-on approach that Montessori is known for, one that is stress-free. The school has lower and upper elementary programs and will keep adding classes.
2. Golden Arch Montessori, HSR Layout
Golden Arch Montessori offers Montessori up to elementary (or grade 5). Curriculum is imparted through stories and there are activities that children do based on these stories.
3. The Earth School, Cooke Town
A pure Montessori for children until age 12, the Earth School consists of a closely knit community of teachers and parents. The Elementary program consists of two three-year cycles and sees the children strengthen relationships with their peers and the teachers. Children discover their places in the world by delving deeper into concepts and topics and nurturing their imagination. They slowly transition from working with concrete material to abstract thinking.
4. Aira Academy, Banashankari
Prayag Montessori’s Elementary Montessori program wing is Aira Academy. It offers a Montessori environment till grade 3 and will graduate to grade 4 next year, when it will shift to its Banashankari campus. It plans to expand to the higher grades and will offer CBSE for higher classes.
5. ILM Montessori, Koramangala
ILM’s Montessori program extends all the way up to grade 4. Apart from exercises of practical life, the program includes broad-ranging explorations of language, arithmetic, botany and zoology. Geometry for instance sees actual wooden shapes used by the child to learn about plane figures and solids. In ILM’s elementary set-up, children can either work on their own or in groups and pairs.
6. Valiants Academy, Kanakapura Road
Located on 5 acres of land in Kanakapura Road, Valiants Academy is spacious, airy, thoughtfully planned with a full range of Montessori material and well-trained teachers. The Valiants Academy follows the CBSE curriculum in a holistic manner.
The Elementary Montessori Program at the Valiants Academy is for children between the ages of 6 and 12, who come from a Montessori background. It is specifically designed to meet the needs of a child who has entered a new imaginative, social and creative phase of development.
The Elementary Montessori Program is built on the foundations of the primary program. While traditional curriculum delineates what a child is supposed to learn, in the Montessori approach, we want a child to be able to learn everything! Therefore, the Elementary Montessori curriculum is only limited by a child’s imagination. The starting point for all courses are impressionistic and scientific stories of cosmology, astronomy, earth science, geography, chemistry, physics, biology, history, language, math, music and art.
Also read: Choosing CBSE: Go beyond the pros and cons
7. Sishu Griha, Indiranagar
Sishu Griha is a Montessori in the pre-primary section and then continues into skill-based learning at the primary level, technology-based learning in the middle and high school levels. The Montessori spirit still continues to the higher classes, even though the school follows the ICSE curriculum.
Also read: ICSE,IGCSE and IB Schools Admission Guide
8. Headstart, Sarjapur Road
A pure Montessori till age 6, Headstart follows the IGCSE board in the 10th but the Montessori way of enquiry remains, even as the school has its own team of researchers designing their syllabus.
9. Seven Senses Montessori, Indiranagar
In the Seven Senses Montessori, the elementary program is offered for children up to the age of 12. The child’s sense of curiosity is cultivated and they start graduating from the ‘what’ and ‘where’ to the ‘why,’ ‘how,’ and ‘when.’ Deeper questions of the universe are examined by the child through the lenses of different areas – history, geography, maths, geometry, botany and art.
10. Akshara Montessori, Yelahanka
Akshara Montessori offers Montessori up to grade 4 and offers CBSE curriculum all the way up to grade 10, although it is not affiliated to the CBSE board and students take the NIOS exams. There are no blackboards. The children prepare their own notes and are encouraged to learn on their own from books and other material.
11. Roots Academy, Banashankari
Roots Academy offers ICSE but it brings in much of the elements of its primary Montessori program into the curriculum even for the elementary level. With classes till grade 6 and growing, its children are encouraged to understand the world through nature and even visit construction sites to find out how houses are built. Independent thinking and enquiry is encouraged in the higher classes.
12. Touch International Montessori School, HBR Layout
TIMS accommodates children all the way up to 9 years in its Montessori environment. The onus is on expanding the child’s world view and in identification, classification and research on everything from art and literature to history, geography and biology.
13. Incarnations Montessori, Jayanagar
Incarnations Montessori is a pure Montessori that has both primary and elementary Montessori environments. An IMC certified Montessori House of children, Incarnations will keep adding higher learning environments as the kids grow older. It will offer IGCSE for 10th and 12th standard examinations, says Akshaya GMR, Directress at Incarnations, “We follow a 100% Montessori approach and this will continue all the way up for the older children as well. The reason we opted for IGCSE is that it is a very flexible certification and can be adapted to any methodology, especially Montessori.” Incarnations is planning to come up with a larger campus on Kanakpura road in a few years.
14. Anweshana, HBR Layout
Photo courtesy Yanamala Kiran Mai.
One of the oldest Montessori schools in the city, Anweshana Montessori offers this system for children up to age 10 and has been offering elementary Montessori education for many years. Steered by the vision of its founder, Mrs. Bharathi, Anweshana is so well-known among residents in North Bangalore that the waiting list for admission is long, sometimes taking almost a year to clear up for a vacancy. The elementary environment sees children work on everything from Botany and Zoology to Geography and they are encouraged to look at themselves as part of the world at large. Older children, while continuing the use of Montessori material, also use research from books, field trips, experiments and documentation. The Montessori is located in an expanse of greenery and the children have a large area to play and explore.
15. FloMont, Indiranagar
Founded by Shahista Ismail, FloMont is the sister concern of the Florida Montessori Center (International Teacher Training Institute). FloMont will keep expanding its environments to accommodate older children and will offer IGCSE for 10th and 12th exam certifications. To find out more about their lower elementary curriculum, click here: Flomont Elementary Programme
16. Gurukul, Avalahalli
Gurukul follows the ICSE curriculum and provides Montessori up to class 4. The Montessori (pre-primary and primary) is affiliated with the IMA. The Primary Environment is divided into 3 separate environments- Mallige, Sampige and Sevanthige. Each environment has 3 teachers working in it. Each teacher works with her own mixed group of about 20 to 25 children across Std I to IV.
17. Vidyanjali Montessori, Hebbal
A CBSE affiliated school from 4th to 10th standard, Vidyanjali offers Montessori till age 9. Math, language, history, geography, geometry, zoology, botany, art and music are introduced through the Montessori approach.
18. Samskrithi Academy, Whitefield
Founded by Sunitha Vasanth, Samskrithi began as a Montessori for the pre-primary and primary children. In 2013, the Samskrithi Academy was set up to offer successive Montessori environments, presently till age 12.
19. Chitrakoota, Kengeri Ring Road
Chitrakoota follows the Montessori approach in the pre-primary, primary and elementary sections and then adopts the CBSE curriculum for higher classes. It still follows the Montessori methodology in terms of encouraging independent enquiry.
20. Nurture Montessori, Kasturinagar
Located in Kasturi Nagar, Nurture Montessori has children up to 9 years of age and takes inspiration from the Montessori approach in many things, including the mixed age group in the environments and learning through discovery. They actively seek the parents’ participation in the child’s education, including understanding and acceptance of the Montessori method. Nurture does not have a web site, at present. For more information, please call them at 080-6579 0512.
21. The Mutha School, Banashankari
The Mutha School’s Elementary program combines 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades in multi-age classrooms. Their academic curriculum also aligns with the Edexcel Primary years frameworks and goes above and beyond potential. Hands-on math, science and language arts are the cornerstones of our comprehensive Montessori-based Elementary curriculum. Integrated cultural studies, including history and geography, promote global awareness and 21st-century skills. For more on the Mutha School, do check out our article on their elementary program.
22. Golden Bead Montessori, Richmond Road
Golden Bead is a Montessori School for children between the age of 2 1/2 years (Pre-Primary) and 12 years (Primary). Started with the aim of providing a healthy environment for children to engage in interactive learning, the curriculum is carefully prepared by trained Montessori educators. In Golden Bead, the environment provided is to facilitate thinking, imagination and creativity to remove the fear of learning and to foster a confident child. To find out more about them, you can set up a visit by calling the numbers listed on their web site. Golden Bead is true to the Montessori philosophy. They also have open spaces for children to play in and a small playground.
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