Rocks Lane Montessori - Our Team

Our Team

Our most important asset, beyond the setting and the equipment provided, are our teachers. Their experience and passion for education, together with a close team approach, are critical to providing the very best for the children at our school. We aim for our key teachers to be Montessori qualified, as well as holding extensive additional qualifications in topics such as safeguarding, special educational needs and physical development. All our teachers hold enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Certificates, as well as Paediatric First Aid Certificates.

Here is a brief introduction to our team:

Miss Laura

Miss Laura Welcome to all parents, carers, other family members and visitors to our website, and thank you for your interest in our school. My name is Laura, and I am very proud to have established Rocks Lane Montessori in 2018, and our new school Ravenscourt Park Montessori in 2021.

As a mother of four children, I know what a ginormous and all-encompassing decision it is to entrust a school with one’s child. There are so many factors to consider to ensure they are nurtured in every respect, and a true Montessori education is in my view the best possible way to honour the incredible spirit and capability of each unique child.

I remember sending my eldest to nursery, and felt so grateful to them for all the ways, big and small, that they supported her at that foundational stage of her life. I feel even luckier now, with my youngest two educated within my own schools, to have been able to shape each school in exactly the way I would most dream of for my own.

Unusually for London, both our schools are within parklands, where children learn from the indoor and outdoor classrooms; they choose from shelves packed full of innately appealing activities on tables flooded by light, with doors open to their own garden and forest school, surrounded by nature and the changing seasons.

The secret to success of any school is the strength of its team; it is the dedication and capability of longstanding teachers that unlocks the potential for each children to thrive with us. Our teachers are experienced Montessorians, united together, and who come to school as if it was an extension of their home.

Our classrooms are characterised by their sense of focus and calm, where teachers can step back and observe children directing their own learning; in a full classroom, you could hear a pin drop, with friends concentrating together on activities they have chosen. It is by us following the child, rather than by a child following their teacher, that he or she builds independence, self-esteem, a curiosity for the world and a grounding within it.

Our schools do no active marketing, but develop instead from a groundswell of trust built up slowly through each family with us. We encourage you to read our Testimonials, talk to other families with us, and most importantly to visit the school to see how each child learns within a true Montessori classroom.

We are so proud of what we do, and would love to show you our schools in action.

Chiswick


Miss Rajka

Miss Rajka Since we started our school in 2018, our Chiswick School has been led by Miss Rajka. Originally from Montenegro, Rajka gained her Montessori teaching qualification with the Montessori Centre International in 2009, and has taught and managed Montessori nursery schools in the UK for the past ten years.

Rajka brings not only an expertise in Montessori and early childhood education, but also a passion and dedication to teaching which shines through in her daily practice.

Rajka is also a qualified practitioner in yoga for children, mindfulness for children, forest schooling, as well as in special educational needs. Rajka is also our Designated Safeguarding Person.

Rajka has one daughter, and loves travelling and visiting museums and galleries.


Miss Liz

Miss Bella Originally from Singapore, Miss Liz joined our team in January 2020. Liz is a qualified Early Years teacher, with a further Montessori teaching qualification, and a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology. Liz has a Special Educational Needs qualification and in 2024 she became our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).

She has traveled the world, completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Buffalo, New York. She has dedicated herself to supporting children in their early years, and has a passion for understanding special educational needs. Outside of work she loves her friends, her church, and plays the handbells!


Miss Christina

Miss Christina In January 2021, we welcome a new Montessori Teacher to our team, Miss Christina. Christina is a qualified Montessori Teacher with more than 13 years experience working in Montessori pre-school environments. Originally from Singapore, Christina lives in London with her husband and children, and is passionate about Montessori education as well as teaching Mandarin and Makaton.


Miss Jessica

Miss Jessica Miss Jessica joined our team in January 2021. Originally from Brazil, Miss Jessica has a passion for teaching, gaining her Teaching Assistant qualification, as well as a Special Educational Needs diploma, and is now working towards her full Montessori Diploma. Outside of school, she loves dancing, running, reading and looking after her 3 sons.


Miss Dushka

Miss Dushka Originally from Croatia, Miss Dushka qualified from the Montessori Centre International in 2018, and is a passionate and inspired Montessorian. She has one daughter, and has some hobbies she brings to the classroom including mindfulness for children, baking, music and dancing.


Miss Katy

Miss Katy Miss Katy joined our team in September 2022, with an incredible 22 years of experience across a variety of Montessori settings. Katy is from the UK and Greece, and is a qualified early years teacher. Katy loves working with children, with a particular passion for science, children’s poetry and storytelling, imaginative play and expanding our cultural capital in the early years. Outside of work she loves swimming, being in nature and travelling.

Ravenscourt Park


Miss Denise

Miss Denise Since we launched in January 2021, our Ravenscourt Park school has been led by Miss Denise. Denise has a first class undergraduate degree and doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, and gained her Montessori teaching qualification from Montessori Centre International in 2015, and her advanced Early Years Level 6 qualification in 2019. Denise has a passion for forest schooling, and completed her Forest School Leader Training completing in 2024. Denise is our Designated Safeguarding Person.

Denise has 2 daughters, and brings a wealth of experience across each learning area, and special interests including all things food for children, woodwork, science and technology.


Miss Kara

Miss Kara Our Deputy Manager, Miss Kara, is a qualified Montessori Teacher with 15 years of experience working with pre-school children. Kara was deservedly awarded the 2017 Montessori Practitioner of the Year by the Montessori Centre International, recognising her talent and intuition in supporting her key children and all children at school.


Miss Kitty

Miss Kitty Miss Kitty is a qualified Montessori Teacher, graduating from the Montessori Centre International in 2020, and further completing an Early Childhood degree. Bilingual in English and Thai, Kitty was raised in London. She loves creative activities, bringing baking, woodwork, painting and other crafts to children in the classroom.


Miss Siyka

Miss Siyka Siyka qualified from the Montessori Centre International in 2014, and has built up her early years experience at outstanding Montessori early years settings since then. Siyka has a Special Educational Needs qualification and in 2024 she became our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).

Originally from Bulgaria, Miss Siyka has two children of her own, and has some fascinating hobbies, including arts, crafts, photography and the mindfulness curriculum.


Miss Elena

Miss Elena Originally from Tenerife, Elena joined us as a Montessori Teacher in September 2022. Elena is a qualified Montessori Teacher, with a Master’s also in North American Studies. She is a local Chiswick resident, has 2 young children of her own, and makes beautiful Montessori materials at home.


Miss Paola

Miss PaolaMiss Paola joined our school in January 2024. Originally from Italy, Paola is a qualified Montessori Teacher, with over 7 years experience in teaching and working with children. Paola loves travelling and shares with children her passion for the world in which we live, as well as reading, baking and painting miniatures.


Miss Giada

Miss Giada In Summer 2024, we are joined by Giada as our Teaching Assistant in the classroom. Giada is originally from Italy, and has 9 years experience working with children at Montessori schools and homes in both Italy and the UK. She loves creative activities, doing arts and crafts and dancing and in her free time she enjoys traveling, being in nature and reading.