The school caters for children from the age of eighteen months up to six years. They are divided into classesaccording to their age.Each age group has two to three classes, depending on how many students have enrolled. Classes are kept relatively small, with an average of eighteen learners in each class to ensure individual attention.Currently, there are 10 teachers and six teachers’ assistants. The teachers are responsible for the classroom layout, doing the classroom management, lesson planning and implementing it, while the assistants’ role is to support teachers and the learners in the daily programme.

The school’s aim is to enhance the development of each child holistically. The school environment is structured and organized in such a way to create a climate where learners are motivated to think creatively and functioning in an independent way. Learners are encouraged to think “out-of-the-box”, to take responsibility for their actions and interact positively with their friends.

The daily programme and activities are focused on physical, emotional, intellectual and social development.Providing sensory experiences is essential for the school and are built into the daily programme of each class.

Young children learn through experiencing their environment by using their senses. What they see, hear, taste, smell and touch helps them to form basic concepts and knowledge. Effective learning can only take place when the young child interacts with their environment. The information they receive from their senses forms neural connections in the brain, which form a basis for future learning.

art class

The learners do art activities every day. The most important thing about these activities is that it is not about the end result, but the process each learner had to go through to achieve the end result. The art activities range from working on a flat surface to an easel. Beautiful large pictures, just like the learner experiences it in real-life. They also work with different textures that enhances sensory development. The school also use recyclable materials like boxes, plastic bottles, newspapers, magazines and egg cartons. Art is part of us and to express your creative thinking, It forms a basis for thinking, reasoning and problem-solving.

Each age group has different activities they do supplementary with their daily programme. All age groups has music, drama, ball games and physical movement classes. The five to six-year age groups also has Lego-, Playball (physical activities), Experi-buddies (science experiments), Mini-chess and recorder classes.

Outside-play area

Ages two to three years and ages four to six years have separate outside-play areas.The outside-play area consists of many different areas where learners can play and develop different abilities.

There is a large sandpit where they can use buckets, shovels and other toys to build and play. There is a paved bike-road where they can ride with different bikes. Road signs are drawn on the road and there are also arrows to show them in which direction to drive.

sandpit

There is a big, wooden jungle gym where learners can climb up, slide down the slides, balance on wooden bars and swing. There are also monkey bars where they can hang on bars and swing from one bar to another.

There are also water and sensory tables set out, where the children can play. The learners can also practice their balancing by walking on tyres and short wooden poles.There is a big area for them to run and play their own created games.

monkey bar for kids

Classroom environment
In the next paragraph I will discuss how the classroom is structured.

The classes are big, with an area for the tables where learners do activities and play with educational toys. There is also a large open space, called the carpet area, where most of the learning takes place. Each class also has their own bathrooms, mineral water stands, and an area for their art activities and cubbies for their backpacks. The walls of the class are also decorated to stimulate learning. In each classroom there are also different areas that I will discuss shortly below.

Theme table: The teacher of each class decides on a theme for each week. She displays pictures and objects on the table to attract the learners’ attention so that their interest can be built up. Theme tables must be multi-sensory and not just pictures on a board. The learners are also allowed to bring or make something for the theme table.

Fantasy corner:In each class there is an area with different toys, clothes and furniture where learners can play together. These areas arethere for learners to be creative, initiate their own play, role play real-life experiences (e.g. cooking dinner) and practice social skills.

Book corner:In every class there is a small library with a variety of books. In the beginning learners will start to look at pictures in the books and then they will start to make up their own stories about the pictures. Later, when they learn to write alphabet letters they will begin to recognize it in books. Leaners will also begin to recognize some sight words after the teacher reads them the books.

Science corners:Teachers also incorporate science in their classes by doing different experiments. When the teacher has a water or sea theme in the class, the teacher will do dissolving or float and sink experiments with the learners.

science corner

In this article I introduced a Pre-Primary School in South Africa, where I worked. I discussed how learning takes place and how the school and classroom structure looks like.

In the end, the school’s main goal is to send learners to primary school who has a positive self-image and believes in their abilities. Learners who can communicate effectively, think creatively and takes their own initiative in different situations.

There are many different schools in South Africa catering for learners’ diverse needs. I can testify that this is one of the best Pre-Primary schools in South Africa’s school system.