Montessori nursery teaching in Nailsea… via Bristol and France
Manager/Owner – Paula Howes
Secret Garden offers Montessori nursery teaching in the heart of Nailsea. 
Our school was opened in September 2016 and prior to this I have helped hundreds of children make a confident, calm and most importantly happy start to their education and personal development.
Deputy Manager – Justyna Trebicka
Hi my name is Justyna. I have 5 years experience working with children, 2 years traditional nursery settings and 3 years of experience working in Montessori settings. I have a bachelor degree in tourism but after living and working in the tourism sector in London I realised my true calling was working with children. I began working in a voluntary capacity in a nursery and soon gained a Level 3 Nursery Qualification for children and young people in the workforce. I now have a daughter and cannot imagine a different setting for her than Montessori, as I believe it gives children the best start in life that we can give them.
Baby Room Manager – Adriana Reyes
Hello my name is Adriana and I was born in Gran Canaria and moved to England in April last year. I studied an Infant Education degree in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria university and became qualified as a QTS teacher in 2015.
Working with children is my passion! I feel very lucky to be working in the Secret Garden because I discovered the Montessori Method when studying for my degree and have wanted to work in this type of environment since then.
I will begin my formal training in Montessori pedagogy next year with the Montessori Centre International in London. Some of my hobbies include craft making, music and spending time with her friends and family.
Acting Deputy and Office Manager – Gemma Coates
Hi my name is Gemma Coates and I am very pleased to have joined Secret Garden Montessori School in January this year.
I have worked within the Early Years sector since leaving school and have had experience working within many different setting with all age ranges of children.
I completed my Foundation Degree in Early Years in 2015 setting up a child minding business while studying, running it successfully for 2 years.
After having my son in April 2016 I felt that going back to a setting was the right thing for me and that is when I discovered montessori and was mesmerized by the methods and the ways in which children learn and develop.
I enjoy spending time with my partner and son, walking around the Mendip hills and socialising with friends and family.
Teacher – Jose Moreno
Hello, my name is Jose Moreno and I was born in Puertollano which is in Southern Spain. After studying marketing at University, I changed direction and I had my first experience teaching 14 years ago. 
After this, I decided to study to become a teacher in early years (QTS) at the University of Castilla La Mancha (Spain). During this time, I worked and gained experience in ‘after school clubs, sports classes and social work with children and teenagers.
I decided to move to Bristol to improve my English for a few months, and ended up staying since then, which was more than 5 years ago now. I started to work in England in main stream education, but after a volunteering in a Montessori setting I quickly realized this was the type of educational method was of great interest to me. I began working in a Montessori School in Bristol in 2014, before joining the team at Secret Garden in October 2017. I studied for the `Implementation In Montessori Practice´ and became qualified in 2016..
In my spare time I enjoy outdoors activities and travel as much as I can.
Lauren Draper – Baby Room Practitioner
Hi my name is Lauren I am delighted to be starting work here at Secret Garden Montessori. I cannot wait to explore and engage in this way of learning.
My experience of working within early years for over 10 years has equipped me with many skills and knowledge i love learning new things and sharing the things I have learnt too!
Holding an arts management degree I love being creative and always seek new ways to challenge children’s creativity.
Ainara Ramirez – Assistant Deputy Manager
Hello, my name is Ainara Ramirez and I am from Valencia, Spain. I am a qualified Primary school teacher (QTS) and I worked as a teacher during 5 years, teaching children from 3 to 12 year olds. After relocating to Uk I felt passionate about Early years and I became a manager of one privision in a nursery in Bristol. I find the Montessori method really interesting and I will be doing my Montessori training this year. I feel really excited about it. Some of my hobbies are yoga and running.
Katie Thompson – Montessori Teacher and Forest School Teacher
Hi, my name is Katie. I have had the absolute pleasure of joining the team at Secret Garden Montessori in April 2018. I completed my Level 4 in Montessori Pedagogy in 2016 and have worked at a Montessori and Forest School in Henley-on-Thames for the past three and a half years – I am due also to complete my Forest School Leader training within the next few months, and am absolutely infatuated with this wonderful method. I am a strong advocate for outdoor learning and the incredible benefits it has in regards to healthy brain development and emotional wellbeing. When I’m not working I enjoy exploring the great outdoors with my dogs and partner, cooking and relaxing with a good book.
Alexander Wadsworth – Senior Room Leader
Hello, I’m Alex Wadsworth, and I am very pleased to have joined Secret Garden Montessori in January 2018. I have worked in Early Years since 2007 and have experience working with babies and children up 5 years of age. I have gained a lot of experience in different nurseries, undertaking a variety of roles. This is my first role in a Montessori setting and I am excited at the prospect of learning more about the Montessori approach. I hope to start my Montessori training with Montessori Centre International very soon.
Outside of work my hobbies include training for my hot air balloon pilots licence and spending time with family and friends.
Mandy Willis – Secondary School Teacher and Montessori Teacher in Training
I started my career in Architecture and worked for an Architectural practice in London designing office blocks, private houses and entering competitions. This was an exciting time but the birth of my children made me rethink my working hours because I wanted to be hands on. Friends who could see that I loved motherhood suggested that I go into teaching instead. I retrained doing a PGCE in secondary design and technology at Surrey University and taught product design, textiles, electronics, food technology and woodwork. When I took a promotion as Director of Technology in a Technology College I decided that I needed to back this up with adequate understanding so I studied for a PGC in management with Sheffield Hallam University. This new job opened up new opportunities because we were required to deliver technology to our partner primary schools and to the community. I found that I loved working with younger children and the community so I left mainstream education to open Mandy’s Make Craft Café in Portishead. During all of this I had been studying Practical Philosophy for 12 years, which is what brought me to an awareness of the Montessori Philosophy. I’m in my second year of study for the Level 4 Diploma in Early Years with the Montessori Centre International and
I am delighted to be doing my teaching practice at Secret Garden Montessori, where I’m getting so much help and encouragement and watching the philosophy in practice. Nothing makes you smile more that an enthusiastic child saying “Let me help.
Louise Dougal – Qualified Primary School Teacher and Forest School leader
My name is Louise and from being a small child I wanted to be a teacher so I have spent most of my life working alongside children. After my degree in Education and English I spent some time working in Children’s Centres where I first fell in love with early years and subsequently changed my PGCE route (QTS) from general Primary (5-11) to Early Years (3-7).
Mandy 17.11.18
