Lucy Cronje

Ocean View is a well established, diverse and dynamic place of learning that caters for children from 18 months to 9 years of age. We have toddler, pre-primary and junior primary environments. As a school, our focus is to provide a holistic and nurturing education with an emphasis on environmental learning, arts and culture. We have recently collaborated with Evolve Online School to establish the 'Ocean View Learning Studio.' This offers a blended learning option where pupils in the senior primary phase can enrol with Evolve to study online and attend our studio daily for onsite support from our learning coach.

I was one of three founding directors that built Montessori Centre South Africa into a National Company offering a level 5 National Diploma in Early Education and a level 5 Higher Certificate both accredited by ETDP SETA in South Africa. We also developed an non accredited Child Minder's Course. I wrote course material, designed assessments, delivered lectures and workshops and marked and moderated assignments.

In 2008 I partnered with Susanne Van Niekerk to form "Follow The Child." We continued to deliver training for MCI UK and became accredited providers for ETDP SETA to deliver ECD training within South Africa. This business expanded and became Montessori Centre South Africa in 2011.

This work started in London at MCI Head Office. When I moved to South Africa in 1990 I continued working for the college and delivered part time training and distance learning workshops on their behalf in Durban. This involved the coordination of timetables. lecturing, assessments and examinations and liaison with MCI UK.

This was an applied degree that required students to study leadership theory, professional development and approaches to change management and apply to their own contexts. My dissertation topic was “Investigating the nexus of leadership approach, school vision and teacher appraisal. A comparative case study conducted in two Montessori junior schools”

During the three years of my degree, I studied late nineteenth/early twentieth century European art, architecture and literature. My dissertation topic was 'The Glasgow Boy; the art and architecture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.'