I don't think it gives a head start personally, its just a different style (I have studied about them and also gone to observe and taught children who went to them). A lot of pre schools and nursery's incorporate the Montessori philosophy anyway. I went to school with many people who then went to private school as the secondary school I went to had a bad reputation. Most of us who went to the local school did just as well or better than those who went private due to its all to do with attitude of the child. The main thing I will be picky about when my LO goes to school is that in reception and ks1 lots of play is included, this is due to I was a primary school teacher, now I'm stay at home mum and do some tutoring and I also have early years professional status, I know quite a few reception teachers who do not include play as they should and are to into doing lots of sheets of work. The early years curriculum should be based on following children's interest. For example in my last class when the children were playing outside they saw a caterpillar, the children were asking about what they eat etc... so we that afternoon went to the library to look up information, read a story book and then went on a bug hunt around the school. We also purchased one of the nets you can get where you get caterpillar eggs which you see hatch as caterpillars till eventually butterflies and we let them go. We followed the children's interests and incorporated other learning such as writing, reading and counting into it. We made booklets about what happened to a caterpillar. This is just one example. Learning can be incorporated into children's interests. With my own daughter we go on nature walks, she helps with everyday activities, does imaginative play etc I very much encourage her interests. I will be sending LO to the local school, I wouldn't even consider private school even if we had the money, the main thing they have is smaller class sizes. All children level out, some of the children I taught who were bottom of class at beginning of school by the end of first year were the top.
