Bannockburn is founded in Montessori, and hews close to the spirit of the method and its fundamental principles. There is an abiding attention to creating a supportive, student-centric environment, one that can stimulate and build on children’s curiosity. That said, there are a few welcome adaptations as well, such as lower teacher/student ratio that one might expect to see within a Montessori classroom. The school is very much an expression of the surrounding community—it was begun in 1993 by local parents and educators, and retains very close ties to the surrounding community today. The life of the school is informed by an active and robust parents’ association, with meetings held on the first Monday of each month. Given the location of the school, the fact that it sits on a five-acre property is an added plus, one that both adds to the atmosphere of the school, and allows for the programming, as appropriate, to spread beyond the interior instructional spaces. So, yes, the school has a strong Montessori program, though there is also a clear Bannockburn identity, one that nicely reflects the community that it serves.
School's Perspective
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How Bannockburn sees itself
The school administration answered our questions
Who are you, as a school?
"Bannockburn provides a strong, academic foundation anchored in the principles of the Montessori philosophy that supports your child’s intellectual, moral, social, and emotional development. Our carefully prepared and nurturing learning environment is created to meet the specific needs of children during the most crucial periods of their formative years. Our enriched program provides inspiration for every child to reach their full potential. Discover why every child shines brilliantly at Bannockburn.
www.bannockburn.ca"
Exceptional Montessori education for children 18 months-12 years
Accredited by CCMA
Member of CIS
Licensed under CCEYA
Individualized curriculum
Low student teacher ratio
French, music, art and physical education
Toddler 18 months-3 years
Primary 3-6 years
Elementary 6-12 years
What do you do differently and uniquely well?
"Bannockburn's focus on each individual learner is representative of the ethos of the school, which centres on a mandate to support your child’s specific intellectual, moral, social, and emotional development. With this objective, it means we are not comparing ourselves to other schools, but observing the growth of our own student body. Our Montessori-based three-year classrooms reinforce enriched learning for all students and develop leadership and empathy. Our success is predicated on the journey that each individual student takes."
What tradeoffs has your school made to serve families in this way?
"A tradeoff may be present within the understanding of Montessori education itself. Even though Maria Montessori had a clearly defined set of educational ideals, she was not able to trademark or copyright her model. This means that many educational institutions use the name "Montessori," knowing it denotes a high quality of learning, but do not implement the core philosophy. This means that schools like ours that are founded on Montessori principles may be grouped in with other schools looking to appear the same way, but without the same accreditations in place. Despite this, we continue to emphasize the programs that uphold Montessori-based outcomes for your child, grounded in the belief that authentic Montessori practices will always shine through."
What key junctures in your school's history have most shaped its present?
"Bannockburn School was established in 1985 when a small group of Montessori teachers and parents were inspired to create the school they could not find anywhere else. They named it Bannockburn because it originally resided at 12 Bannockburn Avenue in Toronto. The can-do spirit of the school's founders is indicative of the growth mindset we want our graduates to have. We stayed at that location until the 2022/2023 school year when we moved to our current location at 3080 Bayview Avenue. As any school that has changed locations knows, this comes with a series of challenges. Everyone had to adapt and learn how to use the new indoor and outdoor spaces over the different seasons. We learned that if we teach adaptability to all of our students, it would serve us well to model it in our own lives as their teachers."
What type of student is a good fit for your school?
"There are so many different types of students at Bannockburn. Some are innately academically-minded in math and science, others gravitate toward the arts. Some of our students thrive with executive functioning coaching, others with sports coaching in physical education class. Some are naturally introverted, others extroverted, many a combination of the two. All of our students, however, share a similar curiosity that is nurtured here from the very beginning. They feel free to build on the core curriculum with their personal interests, which we know from our alumni is an essential way to create lifelong learners."
Under what conditions would you advise a family against choosing your school?
"Bannockburn has always benefited from open and honest communication with our parent community and the Bannockburn Parent Association works very hard to create a warm and welcoming spirit. We are protective of what we have built. If parents expect a strict "teach my child in the one accelerated way of learning" structure, this is likely not the right environment for their child. The work done here is purposeful and invested in nurturing independence, intelligence, and curiosity. We respect our teachers wholeheartedly and will not tolerate anything but respectful communication. If parents demand a certain way of achieving results, that is in fundamental opposition to our community school."
To your knowledge, why do families choose your school over others?
"The majority of our families choose us based on word of mouth. Either a friend or other family member's child is or has been a Bannockburn student and they feel comfortable based on the personal recommendation. For the next wave of applicants, it is typically because parents are seeking a traditional Montessori program for their child. A smaller percentage of interested parents come from the school's neighbourhood and have witnessed or participated in some of our community events. Another small percentage come here based on a positive interaction at a conference or independent school expo, which is then followed up by an informative tour."
How would you characterize your school's image amongst the public?
"In truth, despite its strong history, Bannockburn is still relatively unknown to the greater public. We don't have the name recognition that some of the larger and older schools have and that is okay. For the families that do know us, our brand is an authentic and progressive Montessori school with an enriched curriculum that exceeds provincial standards, and we wear that with pride."
What aspect of your school is underappreciated?
"Our curriculum and programming caters to children between the ages of two-and-a-half and 12-years-old. The classrooms, playgrounds, furniture, and resources are based on this age range. Some families may under-appreciate this and assume that a K-12 school is better. We find that when our Grade 6 students begin researching next schools, they do so with a tremendous amount of excitement and personal agency. They want to make decisions based on the way they learn and the clubs and teams that most appeal to them, and they appreciate the opportunity to embrace change."
What might families find surprising about your school?
"Families may be surprised by what Montessori means in a practical context. It's one thing to seek out a certain philosophy, and yet another to witness it in practice. We often hear from parents after their first classroom observation visit that they are very surprised by their child's ability to focus. The students' daily schedule, including the toddlers,' includes independent and focused work for longer stretches than what they may be used to at home. At school, the goal is sustained engagement. A key component to build this is a carefully prepared environment that encourages students to participate in their own learning. Each classroom features aesthetically beautiful objects that all serve to teach practical lessons, and many items are designed for two or more students to work on together. Our teachers use these objects and lessons to explain the goal, which builds motivation and curiosity."
What improvements or changes has your school made recently?
"We have a new Head of School this year, which will herald in some changes that build upon our strong foundation. One of these is a clear mission statement about what students and their parents can expect from the Grade 6 grad year. The focus is on leadership and preparedness. From September until February, the Grade 6s work on research, writing, and editing their position papers for MMUN (Montessori Model United Nations). Then they learn public-speaking skills and are given multiple school-wide opportunities to practice them before the culminating trip to NYC where they present and debate with other Montessori schools from around the world. They use these skills to help research and prepare for their next school of choice, with guidance from their teachers and some members of our administrative staff. The goal is not just the presentation of an excellent candidate, but the confidence to know that the next stop on their educational journey will be a successful one."
How will your school change in the next 5 years?
"Bannockburn School’s mission is to “develop responsible, nurturing, peaceful young people with self-esteem and respect for others. Bannockburn graduates are self-motivated, intellectually-curious students who love learning and who achieve academic success.” This mission actually helped us create a future five-year plan. One of our goals is to create an alumni association, one that can have active participation with our current students and each other. We know our alumni embody the school’s mission and we want to encourage them to be engaged with us. As well, we are still new to this area in Toronto, and we’re looking forward to teaching the children in this neighbourhood and establishing a community hub."
School gallery
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Insider Perspectives
How people from the school’s community see Bannockburn
Watch our parent interview with Raewyn Seaberg to get the inside scoop on what it’s like to have a child attend Bannockburn.
School leadership
Top-down influence on the school’s direction and tone
Message from school leadership
Meg Kahnert, Head of School
Thank you taking the time to read about Bannockburn. I encourage you to pay us a visit and see what makes Bannockburn such a special place. It starts with our Toodlers who show us that these young individuals are capable of so much more than we would normally expect, and culminates with our Upper Elementary graduates who truly exhibit that they are responsible, nurturing, peaceful young people with self-esteem and respect for others. Bannockburn graduates are self-motivated, intellectually curious, love learning and achieve academic success.
