New Montessori nursery set to open in Linton, near Haverhill, linked to two others based in Cambridge

A Montessori nursery is on the cusp of opening at the same village premises where a different childcare setting had operated from more than a decade ago.

Monday will see the official opening of the Montessori Cottage Nurseries at Old Station House, Station Road, Linton, just off the A1307 and close to Linton Village College, just a few miles from Haverhill.

The nursery will have three different rooms, each individually designed for children aged from six months to five years.

Owned by Pamela Gordon-Smith, a native of Peru who married an Englishman, it will ironically be operating from a building she first saw soon after she had come to live in England in 2006.

Pamela, who initially lived in Linton after arriving in the UK but now lives in Little Stonham, near Stowmarket, said: “I remember visiting that nursery when I arrived in England for my son, who was two to three years old but it was closed down.

“I remember looking at it thinking I hope this opens again because the building is so pretty and it is crazy because I just realised when I was in the building (to view it) that I have been here before. I had this feeling of déjà vu.”

Pamela’s son is now 19. She also has two daughters, aged 16 and three and when her two eldest children were still very young she left her admin job at Addenbrooke’s Hospital to set up as a childminder from her then home in West Wratting in order to be able to be with her own children more.

Having progressed to becoming fully-trained in Montessori teaching practices, Pamela has gone on to open two nurseries in Cambridge; Smiths Children Montessori opened in St Luke’s Church hall in Arbury in 2012 with Montessori Cambridge opening in Tenison Road in 2017.

Another Montessori is also on track to open next year after planning permission was granted for a former care home in Saltburn, north Yorkshire, to be converted - but opening a nursery in Greater Cambridge is something Pamela says she ‘always wanted to do’.

This extract from the setting’s own website probably best sums up the Montessori method of teaching: “Children thrive through exploration, independence, and joyful learning. “Guided by experienced Montessori teachers and assistants, every child is encouraged to discover their path at their own pace.”

Montessori Cottage Nurseries is holding an open day on Saturday, June 14 from 10am to 1pm.

For more details, or to contact the setting, email info@montessoricottagenurseries.co.uk.