Inside the booming North East Montessori nursery - where staff 'never leave'.
The North East’s largest independent nursery has enjoyed huge growth – not least because of what the founder believes is the Stockton site’s ‘secret sauce’.
Launched in 2011, The Montessori People Independent Nursery School, in Thornaby, is on course for its most successful year to date; Soaring demand, coupled with an expansion of the Tedder Avenue nursery, has seen pupil numbers soar by 98 per cent over the past 12 months.
Additionally, sales have soared by 90 per cent at the site, most recently rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted.
However, founder Michelle Skeekey believes the real success story lies beyond the figures.
“In early years, staff retention is undoubtedly one of the sector’s biggest challenges,” said Michelle, who founded the nursery after struggling to find suitable childcare for her own children.
“We’ve grown significantly in a short period, but we’ve done it without losing the people who make The Montessori People so special.
“We’ve got almost 40 staff here, yet not one member of our teaching team has chosen to leave the past three years – in early years, this is completely unheard of.
“And it is amazing for everyone – our children have stronger relationships but so do the parents. At drop off and home time, they know who will be there and the trust they have in our staff is something special.
“And for our staff, they know this is a place they can grow. We routinely promote and train – in fact, nine of our staff are studying in higher education alongside our jobs – and I really think it helps to set us apart.”
And while the nursery’s recent expansion has resulted in an extra classroom, demand still outstrips space – with a waiting list for places running well into 2027.
And the expansion has also drawn praise from Stockton Council.
The authority described the expansion as a “welcome and positive development”, saying it had increased access to high-quality childcare and widened choice for local families.
But despite the current success, Michelle admits it hasn’t always been an easy ride.
Several of the team, including Operations Manager Cheryl Lambert, have been with the business since the start “through thick and thin”.
“Like a lot of growing businesses, we’ve had periods where I couldn’t pay salaries that month and I had to hope that they believed and trusted in this – which they absolutely do,” said Michelle.
“Staff like that are priceless, and the success we are having now couldn’t have come without them.
“Our whole team is just passionate about the children and the area, and it has become somewhere our staff genuinely want to work.
“The fact no staff have chosen to leave suggests that’s the case – and as a boss, I couldn’t feel prouder about what we’ve all helped create.”
For more information, visit themontessoripeople.co.uk