Towards the end of May earlier this year, Bloom was visited by Collaborative Montessori accreditation assessor Michela Castellarin. After a thorough examination, we can proudly announce that our pre-school and lower primary classes have been Montessori re-accredited by Collaborative Montessori!
What does this mean?
As one of the very first Montessori schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bloom has been dedicated to providing quality Montessori education and training since its inception back in 2008. Over 250 local educators have been trained to the Montessori Method by Bloom over the years, which has not only ensured that our students are guided by expert hands, but also supported the founding and growth of various Montessori schools across the country and wider region.
Being a Montessori educational and training centre requires Bloom to constantly re-evaluate its approach and invest resources to ensure that our staff, premises, and materials meet a certain level of excellence. It is common for pre-schools and schools to call themselves "Montessori schools" without actually implementing the groundbreaking Montessori approach or using the dedicated materials to support their students' developmental and educational journey. In order to guarantee that the educational services we provide are up to standard, Bloom is regularly re-accredited as a Montessori school by dedicated Montessori organisations.
Most recently, Bloom worked with Collaborative Montessori, an organisation founded and lead by Montessori experts from around the world. In each of their accreditation reports, Collaborative Montessori gives a list of commendations and recommendations for the accredited school. We share this list with you below:
Commendations
Commendation is given to the dedication of the leadership team and especially of the setting’s owner, whose commitment to Montessori training and continued evaluation of the school’s practice has resulted in over 250 teachers being trained in-house at Bloom and the achievement of a series of Montessori (re) accreditation;
The striking beauty of the indoor environment, of its materials, furniture and decorative items is a testament to the love, care and passion teachers have for their role, the approach and the children;
The first-hand experiences of the natural world available to children at Bloom are excellent. Children truly become interested observers and active explorers of nature;
P1 offers excellent holistic provision for all children attending thanks to the attention of the dedicated staff. Children are given a positive balance between freedom and responsibility in their academic life;
The cultural, religious and gender diversity of Bloom’s staff is worthy of praise;
Written and verbal communication with parents, school’s documentations such as policies, children’s progress records, governmental submitted evidence and the like are extremely comprehensive and informative.
Recommendations
The staff are encouraged to find ways to enhance opportunities for independence during lunch time. For instance, children serving themselves food;
Leadership and teaching teams are invited to discuss together possibilities for adding further resources in the ground floor outdoor playgrounds;
Capitalise on the wish of parents to be more involved in implementing Montessori principles at home;
To further support the full application of Montessori principles, the leadership is encouraged to organise regular classroom observations of general practice and staff peer-on-peer observations.
Although it is just the beginning of the academic year, the Bloom staff has already begun implementing the recommendations of Collaborative Montessori in the following ways:
Our students (yes, even the little ones!) have been encouraged to serve themselves at lunch. The purpose of this practice is to foster a sense of independence and support the development of fine motor skills. Of course, the teachers are always there to help and supervise!
The ground floor playground (next to the Children's House entrance) has been refurbished with outdoor activities such as: wooden dominoes; soft balls; a giant wooden tic-tac-toe; sand-pit toys, and many more...
We are actively working on content that will help parents learn more about the Montessori method and how we implement it at Bloom, as well as support them in bringing these principles into their homes.
In addition, we suggest that any parent of the school interested in learning more about the Montessori method explore the resources on Transparent Classroom.