About Us

1977: Alan and Pat Darby enrolled their 2½ year old daughter Olivia at The Gatehouse Montessori Preschool in London U.K

1981: The Darby's were so impressed by the teaching system that they commissioned the school principal Mrs Phyllis Wallbank who had been trained by Dr Maria Montessori, to design a distance learning course to enable people in other parts of the world to teach young children using the Montessori method.

1994: So great was the success of this course, that a part-time lecture course was developed, which met the stringent standards and criteria of MACTE; the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education. This course provided successful students with international accreditation. We have subsequently developed a full-time course.

1996: Alan and Pat Darby purchased a property on five magnificent acres in Linbro Park, Sandton, RSA and created a Montessori preschool for children aged from 3 months to 6 years. From here, Montessori distance learning students derived great benefit from the workshops they initiated and continue to offer to the present day. After only a few months the parents of children enrolled at the preschool were so impressed with their children's developmental progress, that they pressured the Darby's to take Montessori teaching into Primary school level (from ages 6 to 12 years), - a project which became a resounding success and one that is widely acknowledged today.

2002: The Darby's purchased a beautiful 2½ acre property in Glen Austin, Midrand, RSA and created their second Montessori school for children between the ages of 3 months to 12 years.

2003: We opened a third Montessori school for children between 3 months and 12 years in the village of Gillitts which lies in a spectacular part of Kwa Zulu Natal, RSA. From here we also hold lecture courses for part-time students as well as workshops for distance learning students.