Contact

Marica, originally from Italy, has been deeply rooted in education for the last fifteen years. Her journey began as a teacher in both Primary and Secondary schools in Italy before she ventured to London. Marica has spent the last nine years specialising in Early Years education in the London area. She joins the Maria Montessori School with experience teaching in the classroom, working with children with special educational needs, and fostering partnerships with parents in a school administrator role. Marica has a BA in Arts and Modern Literature and a Level 3 qualification in Childcare and Education, and she is a committed learner who enjoys furthering her understanding of child development through ongoing research and reading.

Emma assists prospective and new parents through the admissions process and is on hand to answer any questions that prospective parents might have about our school.

Karen was born in Northumberland, UK but spent a big chunk of her upbringing in Canada. She holds a BA in English Literature, the AMI 3-6 Diploma from the Maria Montessori Institute and a Bachelors of Education Degree BEd (Hons) in Primary Education. She has over 20 years’ of experience of working in a Montessori 3-6 class.

Karen has completed all required and voluntary courses on Safeguarding and has specialised in this area of education for the past 8 years.

Shallal Qureshi is trained as an AMI 3-6 Montessori guide. She also holds a BA from Kings College London and a PGCE in Primary Education. After working in the classroom for several years, she is now enjoying her role as the Children's House Coordinator & Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCO) across all the Maria Montessori Institute’s Children’s Houses. Shallal spends her days supporting children, teachers, parents and families, with a philosophy of inclusion at the centre of her work. She serves as a board member of the Montessori Society AMI UK and enjoys writing on a range of education topics, with a particular interest in the development of self-discipline at a young age.

Paola joined the Maria Montessori Institute as the Elementary and Adolescent Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo), bringing over twenty years of experience supporting children, families, and educators through personalised approaches, tailored to a wide range of learning differences. A passionate advocate for inclusive education, Paola’s academic and professional journey has been deeply influenced by the principles of Maria Montessori. Her research has focused on demonstrating that Montessori pedagogy is inherently inclusive and uniquely suited to children—and adults—with emerging needs and disabilities. She holds Level 3 qualifications in Maternity Nursing and Childcare and Education, Level 5 qualifications in Early Years Lead Practice and Leadership and Management for Youth and Adult Care Services, a BSc (Hons) in Social Science and Anthropology, and a Master Level Diploma in Special Educational Needs. In addition, Paola has completed professional development in Montessori Pedagogy and SEN, Speech and Language Development, Sensory Processing, and holds a Level 4 Makaton qualification—a communication system designed for individuals who are non-verbal. Outside of her professional commitments, Paola serves on the board of NEURO-GEMS, a think tank that champions neurodiversity by advancing inclusive scientific research, advocating for equitable rights, fostering education, and promoting systemic and societal change.

Benedict Kestner M.Ed. is an experienced Head of School and education leader with over 30 years’ experience across the UK, Europe and the United States. He has a sustained commitment to child-centred education, grounded in respect for the individual child, developmental readiness, intrinsic motivation and carefully prepared learning environments where children feel valued and empowered.

Ben’s background spans democratic, enquiry-based and IB aligned schools, and his own values are closely aligned with Montessori principles. In addition to experiences in state and mainstream schools, he has built and led schools in Montana, USA (Glacier Lake School) and in Ibiza, Spain (The Learning Project) that included children across the ages 4-18. The school in Ibiza also incorporated a Montessori Children’s House. He is especially committed to building strong school communities in which children, parents and staff feel known, listened to and part of a shared educational purpose.

Additionally, Ben has significant experience as a writer and commentator on child-centred education and leadership, was the co-organiser of TEDx Kids, a moderator on the European Commission panel ‘Rethinking Learning’ and a CIS (Council of International Schools) accreditor. His blog and Substack contains his thoughts about what happens when young people are given time, space and trust in environments where wellbeing is considered an important element. Ben believes Montessori education has a vital role to play in preparing young people for an uncertain future, not only academically, but through independence, adaptability, creativity, empathy and purposeful work.

Ben’s own educational background is in Music and Maths, originally training at the London College of Music, he holds a PGCE (secondary) from the University of East Anglia and an M.Ed in International Educational Administration from Endicott College, USA.

Ben is also currently undertaking the AMI Montessori 12 -18 Diploma at the Maria Montessori Institute.

Holly oversees the day-to-day running of our Training Centre and supports the administration of all our in person, blended, and online courses.

Kim oversees the application processes for the AMI 3-6 Diploma (One Year Intensive), AMI 0-3 Diploma, and a variety of short courses, including the AMI 3-6 and 6-12 Orientation Certificate courses. He also manages student visa applications and compliance.

Tessa oversees the application processes for the Foundation Degree in Montessori Pedagogy, AMI 3-6 Diploma (Two-Year courses), AMI 6-12 Diploma, and a variety of short courses, including the AMI 0-3 and 12-18 Orientation Certificate courses.

3-6 and 0-3 AMI Diplomas, BA Social Sciences.
Jethryn worked in the Children's House at the Maria Montessori School Hampstead run by the Maria Montessori Training Organisation (now the Maria Montessori Institute). She was invited to the USA by Dr Silvana Montanaro to join the first AMI 0-3 course given outside of Italy. Jethryn then set up the first Montessori Infant Community in the UK at the MMTO.
As Public Liaison, Jethryn deals with enquiries about Montessori and Montessori training.