Ethos & Vision

Sarah has always had a passion for working with children. Alongside school, further and higher education, she worked in after school and holiday clubs, taught swimming, nannied and regularly volunteered in the playroom and school at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. After graduating from the University of Bristol, Sarah completed her PGCE at Bath Spa University where she chose to specialise in Primary and Early Years education. Sarah has many years of experience teaching and leading in primary schools. Only a year into her first teaching post Sarah became the school's Inclusion Coordinator and studied at the University of Reading to obtain her Masters' level specialist SENDCo award. Sarah also took on the leadership roles of Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and later Acting Assistant Head. In order to broaden her experience of teaching children with additional needs, Sarah worked at a school for pupils with Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties, before leaving primary education to work with younger children. She has always felt that these early, foundation years are the most crucial part of child development and education. After always having fond memories of a Montessori nursery that she visited as a Reception Class teacher, Sarah researched the Montessori approach and decided to retrain as a Montessori teacher. Sarah worked at The Clifton Children's House Montessori School from 2017 until its closure in 2024. Sarah and Erin were the Managers of The Clifton Children's House and upon its closure, founded Hotwells Children's House in 2024. In their 2022 Ofsted inspection their leadership was described as 'exemplary' and the setting received an 'Outstanding' judgement. As well as being one of the proud founders of Hotwells Children's House, Sarah is a proud mother to three young children. She will always work tirelessly for all children and families she works with, giving them the best care and support she can.

Erin has a longstanding relationship with Montessori education, having attended The Clifton Children's House Montessori from the age of 2 until she started at primary school. Her mum went on to work there for many years, so Erin remained in contact with the setting, often going to help out or to lead activities with the children. Seeing how Roz, Sue and the team interacted with children set a standard of respectful, trusting and warm communication that has remained at the heart of her practice with children. After graduating from University of the Arts London, Erin remained in the city and studied for her Montessori Diploma whilst working as a teaching assistant. Upon moving back to Bristol she was lucky enough to be offered a job by Mary Lazo (who took over The Clifton Children's House in 2012) and worked there for over ten years, starting as a teacher, and from 2017 as Manager until the closure of the setting in 2024. During her time at the setting Erin completed her Early Years Teacher Status, and a Masters in Early Childhood Studies and she was awarded Montessori Practitioner of the Year in 2018. Looking back at her time at The Clifton Children's House, Erin feels most proud of her work supporting families, her focus on putting well being at the core of provision, and her inclusion and support for children with additional learning needs. Erin also works for Bristol Early Years Teaching School as a Local Leader, specialising in personal, social and emotional development and well being, and was an Expert on the Department for Education's Covid Recovery Project. Her work supporting other settings is important to her, and she feels lucky to be part of the inspirational Bristol Early Years landscape. Erin is a proud mum of twins who were born very premature, due to this personal experience she is involved in supporting settings to understand the needs of premature children and their families as they start their nursery journey. Erin also co-facilitates the Bristol Early Years Forum for Anti-Racist Practice in collaboration with colleagues at Easton Community Children's Centre and Bath Spa University.

After graduating from the University of Bristol, Jackie completed a PGCE specialising in Early Years Education. Jackie's first jobs were working for Local Authority Nursery Schools that were based on the HighScope approach. When Jackie was looking for a setting for her own children to attend, she came across the Montessori approach. Jackie was deeply impressed when she went to visit The Clifton Children's House (when it was run by Roz Payne from York Gardens). For this reason, she enrolled her daughters and was also inspired to volunteer there in order to gain more experience of life in a Montessori environment. Jackie later began working at The Clifton Children's House for Roz and then moved with the setting to Gordon Road when Mary Lazo took over the ownership following Roz's retirement. In 2016, Jackie completed the International Diploma of Montessori Pedagogy and in 2024, following Mary's retirement and the closure of The Clifton Children's House, applied to work with us at Hotwells Children's House. Jackie is a calm, patient and thoughtful teacher who develops nurturing relationships with all children she works with. She plans activities that are full of joy and laughter and is extremely attuned to children's individual needs. We feel incredibly lucky to have her with us at Hotwells Children's House.

Prior to joining us at Hotwells Children’s House, Karen worked as a Montessori Teacher at Clifton Children’s House for many years; Karen is a valuable, longstanding part of our team. Although she initially studied Politics at university in Rome, Karen was quick to realise that she enjoyed working with children and their families. Alongside university life, Karen gained valuable experience working as an au pair and nanny for several families in Rome. After relocating to Bristol in 2010, she continued her work with children. At first Karen worked with a Montessori childminder, as her assistant, and completed training to become a Montessori teacher in 2016. Shortly after this, Karen moved to the Clifton Children’s House where she was a Montessori Teacher and later, Deputy Manager. In 2021 Karen worked hard alongside her job to obtain Early Years Teaching Status. Karen’s interest in child development has continued to grow and she is currently pursuing an MA in Education at UWE. Karen has a deep passion for education, languages, music, and movement - especially volleyball! She takes a child-centered approach to teaching, always attentive to each child's individual needs and perspectives, as well as forming excellent relationships with children’s families. We are so grateful for the wealth of skills, experience and talent that Karen brings to our team at Hotwells Children’s House.

After studying engineering at University and specialising in product design, Onelia found herself working for a company who designed labels for children’s paints. As part of the company’s marketing strategy, they required their employees to go into schools and run workshops where children would get to explore their paints. Onelia’s original career path took an unexpected turn when she discovered how much joy she got from working with young children. Soon after this she left her engineering roots and began work at a Montessori School in Oxfordshire where she was inspired by the Montessori Approach to early childhood education. Since then, Onelia’s passion for early years education has grown and grown. She trained with the Montessori Centre International in London, completing her Level 4 qualification, and has since worked in a variety of different Montessori settings. Alongside her Montessori work, she has taught Spanish to children and adults, using music, stories, and traditions to make learning engaging and meaningful. Onelia especially enjoys collaborating with practitioners from different countries, learning from their languages and cultures, as well as designing outdoor activities that foster curiosity, independence, and a love of nature. Onelia moved to Bristol in 2024 with her partner and young daughter. We feel so lucky to have Onelia as part of our team.