This gives the impression that all Montessori training comes under MEUK's auspices. In fact, MEUK is not the only accreditation agency for Montessori courses and nurseries, and there are several other training organisations and accrediting bodies.
Our own training centre's courses, at the Kent and Sussex Montessori Centre, are both recognised by the Department for Education and Skills and Ofsted, and are accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE), which is the major international accreditation agency for Montessori trainers. No MEUK courses are approved by MACTE.
Details of all MACTE registered trainers can be found on www.macte.org.
MEUK is also not the only accreditation agency for Montessori nursery schools. The Montessori Teachers' Association, for example, has been inspecting and accrediting Montessori nurseries for several years now.
Montessori education worldwide represents quite a spectrum of opinions, from ultra-conservative attempts to replicate Montessori's work through to quite radical re-interpretations of the approach. No one organisation has the monopoly on either the name or the philosophy.
Marianne Clarkson Principal, Kent and Sussex Montessori Centre Edenbridge, Kent
