OUR STORY
More than a school.
A way of life.
Pooh Bear Montessori began with a simple belief: that children deserve a place where they are trusted, respected, and given the room to discover who they are.
HOW IT BEGAN
A founder
with a different
question.
Most schools ask: "How do we get children ready for the next grade?" Our founder asked something else entirely: "What does this child need, right now, to become who they already are?"
That single shift in question shaped everything that followed — the environment we built, the materials we chose, and the quiet, attentive way our teachers learned to guide rather than direct.
Pooh Bear Montessori opened its doors in Pretoria in 2013, and the question has never changed.
OUR JOURNEY2013
Pooh Bear Montessori opens its doors in Menlo Park, Pretoria, with a single classroom and a handful of families.
2017
Our community garden and animal care programme begin, weaving nature and responsibility into daily Montessori life.
2021
We welcome our second generation of Pooh Bear children — siblings and even children of former students join us.
Today
A thriving, multi-age community of curious children, devoted teachers, and families who feel truly at home.
More than a decade of growing, together.
01
WHAT WE STAND FOR
Respect for the child
We see each child as a whole person, capable of choosing their own work, solving their own problems, and forming their own ideas.
02
Beauty in the ordinary
Every shelf, every material, every corner of our environment is chosen with the same care you'd give a beautiful home.
03
Grace and courtesy
Kindness is not incidental here — it is taught, modelled, and practised daily, by children, teachers, and parents alike.
The beliefs that
guide every decision.
OUR TEACHERS
Guides, not
directors.
Every Pooh Bear teacher is trained in the Montessori method, but what truly sets them apart is their patience — the discipline to observe before stepping in, and the trust to let a child struggle just long enough to discover the answer themselves.
They know each child not as a name on a register, but as an individual with their own pace, their own interests, and their own way of seeing the world.
"We don't shape children. We make room for who they already are."
Come and meet
the Pooh Bear family.
The best way to understand what makes us different is to see it for yourself. We'd love to welcome you for a tour.