The International Montessori School (IMS) is a non-profit, non-denominational, bilingual (English and Putonghua) school. The Montessori is an internationally recognised education method with a 100 year history of providing an unique and enriching education to children all over the world. The Montessori Primary Years Programme operates on the understanding that children discovering their place within a group and within society as a whole is an important challenge at this developmental stage. Much of the activity at the elementary levels takes place in small groups, with children sharing, collaborating and exploring hand-on materials together. Fundamental to the Montessori theory is the multi-age classroom, and the programme is divided into three multi-age groups: Toddler from 0-3 years old, Casa dei Bambini for 3 to 6 years old;Elementary I for 6 to 9 years old; and Elementary II for 9 to 12 years old.