Premises

The premises of Rushmore House Montessori preschool and Orpington Montessori preschool.

Rushmore House Montessori Preschool

Rushmore House Montessori preschool is based in a rural location in the village of Pratts Bottom, Orpington. Pratts Bottom is close to the A21 which is a major road joining Bromley to the M25 motorway (see map). There is ample street parking nearby and a pub car park that can be used when the pub is not open.

The preschool is based in a former United Reformed Church building. The building is single story situated in it's own grounds. The building dates from the 1920s and was converted and refurbished to a preschool in 2013. The preschool comprises five rooms. There is a small office; a small entrance lobby; a small kitchen; a toilet; the main hall; a storage room.

The main hall may be subdivided into two areas using a built in folding dividing wall. Usually this is left mostly open. Doors from the lobby open into the main hall and this is the area where coat hooks have been mounted on the walls for coats and hooks. A mobile shelf unit is used to store snack boxes and artwork to be taken home. After the children arrive this is moved to the other end of the hall. The hall is well lit with 19 windows. The windows on the North side are clear, the windows on the South side are opaque at the bottom and clear at the top. Around the walls are radiators and shelving units. In each unit there are three shelves at low level so that children can access Montessori equipment. The shelving units then extend upwards to store materials and teaching equipment accessed by adults only. There are two sets of free standing low level shelves not attached to the walls. There are ample low level tables and chairs and carpets. There are two sinks, one near the art activities area and a low level kitchen sink near the snack table. The taps are controlled by soft push button. The water is premixed to a controlled temperature to remove the risk of hot water burns.

The hall has distinct areas supporting the different parts of the preschool curriculum. In the part of the hall nearest the entrance are the Mathematics and Numeracy, Sensorial, Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Literacy and book corner. In the other part of the hall are the Practical Life (Activities of Everyday Living), Home Corner, Creativity and Snack Table areas. ​

The toilet area has one adult cubical, three child cubicles and a nappy changing area. The adult cubical is separated from the room by a brick wall and close fitting door. The child cubicles have child sized sanitary ware and low level partitions providing privacy whilst facilitating adult assistance if required. The nappy changing area is in it's own recess.

There are three child height basins each with a soft touch tap that allows the child to use warm water. A mixer valve ensures the water temperature remains at a safe temperature. ​

The kitchen contains a fridge, microwave and cooker. These facilities can be used for cooking activities. Staff store their lunch on shelves.  The office contains a phone and wifi. This area is used for confidential meetings with parents. In the entrance lobby are the school notice board, visitors book and fire extinguisher point. The storeroom has shelving and a washing machine for cleaning art aprons and cleaning cloths used to mop us water spills and clean the creativity and art area. The grounds consist of two astro-turfed, fenced areas. A small area about 6m x 13m along the side of the building and a larger 20m x 20m area to the front. The small area has an entrance to the main hall and the storeroom. There is a cold water tap and low level butler sink in the small area.

Orpington Montessori

Orpington Montessori preschool uses the Hall at the Orpington Methodist Church in central orpington.

When the preschool is in session we have sole use of the Hall and adjacent toilets.