Programmes
Four prepared environments, four to seventy-two months
Each environment is designed for what that age genuinely needs. Children move on when they are developmentally ready, not on a fixed date in the calendar.
4 months – 2 years
Infant & Toddler Community
A calm, home-like environment where babies and toddlers move freely, feed and sleep to their own rhythm, and begin the practical life work that builds independence.
- Adult to child ratio
- 1 adult to 4 children
- Session times
- 8am – 4pm · full or half day
What children take with them
- Free movement, crawling, pulling up and confident walking
- Self-feeding, drinking from a glass and beginning toileting
- First vocabulary in English and Arabic through naming and song
- Secure attachment with a consistent key carer
- Gentle care of self and of the environment
A typical day
- 8:00Arrival, health check and settling with a key carer
- 8:45Breakfast at the low table, served by the children
- 9:30Free movement and practical life work cycle
- 11:00Garden time — sand, water and shaded exploration
- 12:00Lunch, nappy care and rest
- 15:00Songs, books and sensory exploration
- 16:30Snack, garden and gradual home time
2 – 3 years
Pre-Casa
The bridge into the Casa years. Toddlers refine coordination and language through pouring, sorting, dressing frames and grace-and-courtesy lessons.
- Adult to child ratio
- 1 adult to 6 children
- Session times
- 8am – 12pm or 4pm
What children take with them
- Independent toileting, dressing and hand washing
- Extended concentration on a chosen piece of work
- Confident sentence-level speech and early phonemic awareness
- Grace and courtesy — greeting, waiting, offering help
- Care of plants, animals and shared classroom materials
A typical day
- 8:00Arrival, self-registration and morning greeting
- 8:30Breakfast prepared and cleared by the children
- 9:15Montessori work cycle — practical life and sensorial
- 11:15Group song, story and Arabic circle
- 11:45Outdoor garden and gross-motor play
- 12:45Lunch together, then rest for full-day children
- 14:30Half-day home time · afternoon enrichment continues
3 – 4 years
Casa dei Bambini / Primary
The full three-hour uninterrupted work cycle across all five Montessori areas, guided by trained Montessori teachers in a mixed-age community.
- Adult to child ratio
- 1 adult to 8 children
- Session times
- 8am – 12pm or 4pm
What children take with them
- Sustained independent concentration across a three-hour cycle
- Writing readiness through sandpaper letters and the movable alphabet
- Number sense to 1,000 with the golden bead material
- Geography, botany, zoology and cultural studies
- Collaboration, conflict resolution and leadership within a mixed-age group
A typical day
- 8:00Arrival and independent settling into the classroom
- 8:30Three-hour Montessori work cycle begins
- 10:30Rolling snack, prepared and served by the children
- 11:30Line time — sharing work, songs and grace and courtesy
- 12:00Outdoor classroom, garden and physical development
- 13:00Lunch, then rest or quiet reading
- 14:30Home time · enrichment clubs for full-day children
4 – 6 years
Kindergarten / Foundation Stage
The kindergarten years bring the Montessori elementary bridge together with the British Early Years Foundation Stage, preparing children confidently for Year 1.
- Adult to child ratio
- 1 adult to 10 children
- Session times
- 8am – 4pm
What children take with them
- Fluent early reading, comprehension and independent writing
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with concrete materials
- Scientific enquiry through observation, recording and discussion
- Arabic language and Islamic studies as required in the UAE
- A completed transition portfolio ready for Year 1 entry
A typical day
- 8:00Arrival, journal writing and morning register
- 8:30Extended work cycle — language and mathematics
- 10:30Snack and shaded outdoor break
- 11:00Arabic or Islamic studies with a specialist teacher
- 12:00Cultural studies, science experiments and project work
- 13:00Hot lunch and social time
- 13:45Music, art or physical education, then reflection and home time
Beyond the work cycle
Enrichment woven into the week
Specialist sessions sit inside the school day rather than being sold as extras, so every child takes part.
Art & atelier
Open-ended materials rather than templates — clay, watercolour, collage and printmaking, always process before product.
Music & movement
Weekly sessions with a specialist: rhythm, pitch matching, percussion and folk songs in English and Arabic.
Physical development
Gross-motor work in the movement studio and the garden, with a yoga and balance programme from Pre-Casa upwards.
Arabic language
Daily Arabic with Ministry-licensed specialist teachers, taught through Montessori material rather than worksheets.
Islamic studies
Provided for Muslim children as required in the UAE, delivered gently and age-appropriately alongside cultural studies.
Practical science
Botany, zoology and simple experiments — planting, observing, recording and caring for the classroom animals.
Not sure which environment fits?
Tell us your child’s age and we will suggest the right community, then show you the classroom while it is working.