The Curriculum.

An Uninterrupted Work-Cycle.

Children need time and space in order to develop the necessary executive functions to be able to concentrate. This happens very early in life. The use of modern technology means that we often do not have to concentrate for very long in order to be able to get information about a topic, videos can help us quickly understand a difficult topic, a Whatsapp message tells us how our family is doing and even our fridge or washing machine lets us know when they need our attention!

This can make it difficult to develop the patience and concentration span necessary in order to persevere at something challenging. Dr. Montessori believed that we need to protect a child’s work environment so that they can learn to work in peace and concentrate and explore the materials fully. For this reason we prioritise uninterrupted work cycles in both Infant Community and Children’s House.

Early Years.

Our Infant Community spaces are designed to help young children grow and develop. Children from 15 months until 3 years of age will form part of the Infant Community environments.

The Infant Community fosters independence, promotes positive relationships and supports children in their social, emotional and physical development.

The Children’s House is for children aged between 3 and 6 years old. The environment builds on skills developed in the Infant Community and at the same time, encourages sensorial exploration, communication and creativity.

“Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to their full potential. A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure safe and happy childhood is important in its own right, and it provides the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. When parents choose to use early years services they want to know the provision will keep their children safe and help them to thrive. The Early Years Foundation Stage is the framework that provides that assurance.”

Primary, a Cosmic Education.

Our Primary classrooms follow a curriculum based on what Montessori described as a Cosmic Education. Montessori (1949) believed that the role of the educator was to bring about peace in a society, and to do that she realised that children need to see the bigger picture and understand their place within the world. They need to understand how the different areas of their world link together, in order to understand why no creature can live as an individual and why interconnectedness provides the sustenance for life.

But what is a cosmic education?

Traditionally, we have always taught children about science, mathematics, history, art and languages, and these are all covered in a Montessori Cosmic Education. We just have to imagine a slightly different way of doing this.

A Cosmic Education involves looking at all the different areas of our cosmos and seeing the interconnections between them. The five Great Lessons are key to introducing the cosmic education. These five lessons are revisited regularly in order to visit different topic areas and subjects. They act as a spring board and lead children to discover more about the topics they hear in the stories.

The first is The Coming of the Universe and Earth where we take a journey to the stars! Having been inspired by this children go on to explore our solar system and earth. They visit topics such as the planets, weather and the rock cycle. Areas of physics and chemistry, such as gravity, energy and states of matter, help children to move towards a more abstract way of thinking. We learn about history through the ice age and different eras of the earth and we study geography and geology in order to make sense of our planet.

The Second Great Lesson is the Coming of Life, and with life comes biology. After our story of the timeline of life we study all different forms of biology, from the micro to the macroscopic. We look at how life has evolved and at the different needs of all forms of life. Interdependence between living forms is a key topic and we use the fossil record to help understand different species which did not survive.

To find out more, check our Primary Cosmic Education Curricular Overview below.