The Learning Day
Our learning day runs from 9am to 2.30pm. Children aged 5 -13 years old attend for two days each week during term time; this is for thirty-nine weeks of the year. Our Oak population attend on a Monday and Tuesday and our Yew population attend on a Wednesday and Thursday. Each Friday staff complete essential tracking, planning, and training. Friday is also a day when parents and carers are invited on several dates throughout the year to attend training and discuss their child’s needs and progress. Our three classes are divided by age, but there is flexibility within this set-up to allow for individual ability. Class One caters for ages 5-8 years, Class Two caters for ages 8-12 and Class Three is a small stand alone sensory hub catering for individuals with SEND needs.
Each learning day begins with a group catch-up with staff and friends and a chance to discuss the topics and themes of the week. At this point staff can decide how to begin the day’s learning, working from a flexible lesson plan which can be spontaneously adapted to account for weather, student engagement opportunity, and group dynamic on the day. Each class is managed by a lead teacher who is supported by qualified support staff and consultant practitioners each week. Each class has its own dedicated classroom along with access to our science, art and food tech room, messy paint rainbow room, walled sensory garden, kitchen garden and outdoor learning spaces, including animal handling areas.
The lead teacher works in a one-to-one or small group with each student at different points through the day in our upstairs learning rooms to support maths, science and English at a pace and duration to suit each child’s capability on the day.
We break for lunch at 12:15. Our on-site kitchen provides healthy balanced meals for children and staff, using many ingredients sourced from the students’ kitchen garden. Staff eat with the children in their class groups and outdoors for alfresco dining in good weather.
At the end of each day classes relax and wind down ready to transition home and share their adventures with parents, carers and siblings.