TOADHALL MONTESSORI NURSERIES AND OUT OF SCHOOL ACADEMY
OUT OF SCHOOL ACADEMY VISION, VALUES, AIMS
Toadhall Montessori Out of School Academy
“A Call to Adventure!”
Toadhall Montessori Out of School Academy incorporates the Before and After School Academy and The Holiday Academy. We are based in a fantastic location in Llandaff North. We cater for up to 38 children from age 4, who have commenced fulltime education and 12 years.
Our Out of School Academy builds upon the well-recognised and established Toadhall Montessori Nurseries
Our vision is to provide a unique programme of indoor and outdoor activities and experiences that will provide “A Call to Adventure”, for every child, which will create special memories that will last a lifetime!
Our unique approach to teaching and learning, is designed to develop a child’s confidence, independence, self-esteem and self-reliance, all of which contribute to develop resilience, which in turn allows every child to ‘be the best they can be!’
Toadhall Montessori Out of School Academy aims to provide working parents with excellent continuity of care and education for their child or children. Our aim is to give parents total peace of mind, in the knowledge their child is experiencing the very best start that will remain with them for the rest of their ‘learning journey’, throughout school and for LIFE!
The Montessori philosophy and ethos is strongly embedded in our Out of School Academy and builds upon the Montessori education children have experienced by attending both creche and nursery.
Children who come to us from other nursery settings and schools ,for the After School Academy and Holiday Academy, thrive within our nurturing Montessori environment by having experiences that are unique and enable them to develop holistically and ‘become the best they can be’.
All of the above, can only be achieved by having a highly qualified and experienced team, who are passionate about giving every child, the best possible experiences – a true ‘Call to Adventure!’
Mr Jon and Miss Jess who lead the Out of School Academy are highly experienced and qualified in developing learning in the outdoors. They have created a unique outdoor education programme that is second to none, that allows every child ‘to be the best they can be’.
The After School Academy operates during school term times. We can also offer full days when schools have ‘Inset Days’.
The Holiday Academy operates for ALL SCHOOL HOLIDAYS.
The Out of School Academy building operates over 2 floors and has a lovely large rear sunny garden space, surrounded by lots of mature trees with amazing birdsong and wildlife!
It is also within easy access to Hailey Park, the Taff Trail and Llandaff Station. It is an ideal location and facility, within very close proximity to both the creche and nursery sites and provides an excellent base for our Out of School Academy.
The indoor environment provides ‘free flow’, for children to move around the building choosing activities that are of interest to them, including:-
- Board Games
- Cookery
- 2D Craft Activities
- 3D Model Making
- Music and Drama
- Quiet, Relaxing Area
- Reading Area
- Soft Archery
- Homework Area
- IT and Digital resources for research and educational games
- Film Making
- Science and Investigation activities
- Looking after our Pet Animals
The outdoor garden area has a huge variety of activities on offer, including:-
- Traverse Climbing Wall
- Tyrolean Rope and Ladder Course
- Covered Fire Pit for Outdoor Cooking
- Forest School Area
- Wood carving
- Gardening and Growing Area
- Loose Parts Play
- Soft Archery
- Variety of Sports and Outdoor Games
- Relaxation Area
- Outdoor Yoga and Meditation
- Outdoor Craft
- Large Scale Model Making
We also have visits from specialists who introduce the children to wonderful activities such as Wood Etching and Glass Painting. We also have professionals from Chick School, Theatre Groups and Musicians, throughout the year.
The curriculum in our Out of School Academy incorporates the following pedagogies, (ie approaches to teaching and learning).
The Montessori Approach is at the core of everything we do at Toadhall Montessori Out of School Academy, along with the current Foundation Phase and the New Curriculum for Wales, which we are now incorporating into our approach to teaching and learning. The full rollout of the New Curriculum for Wales will commence in schools in 2022.
The 4 Purposes of the New Curriculum for Wales is to support our children and young people to be:
- Ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives
- Enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
- Ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
- Healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.
It has 6 ‘Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLE’s).
- Expressive arts.
- Health and well-being.
- Humanities (including RE which should remain compulsory to age 16).
- Languages, literacy and communication (including Welsh, which should remain compulsory to age 16, and modern foreign languages).
- Mathematics and numeracy.
- Science and technology.
It also includes 3 cross-curricular responsibilities: literacy, numeracy and digital competence. Assessment is a continuous process and takes place on a daily basis in schools.
At Toadhall Montessori Out of School Academy we are already incorporating the New Curriculum for Wales within our activities planning and programmes. Such programmes will also mean your child will be involved in lots of ‘Education in the Outdoors’, including Forest School and Coastal School.
All activity planning is based on the children’s interests. We use the Mindstretchers ‘Talking and Thinking Floor Book Approach’, which ensures every child has a voice and is able to participate, collaborate and contribute to their own learning. A huge focus is also placed upon sensitively, encouraging every child to understand the importance of ‘Looking After their World’. We are in the process of becoming an ’Eco Friendly’ setting.
Getting out and about to develop ‘Learning in the Outdoors’, is a huge part of Toadhall Montessori Out of School Academy.
Using our 9 seater Toadie bus and through purchasing a 17 seater minibus , we are able to get out and about on a regular basis ,exploring other areas of interest further afield and fulfilling every child’s innate ‘Call to Adventure’ through fantastic outdoor activities such as:-
- Rock Climbing
- River Scrambles
- Mud Scrambles
- Obstacle courses
- Crate Stack Climbing
- Cave exploring
- Hill Walking
- Kite Flying
- Forest School further afield
- Viewing the Forest Canopy in a Harness
- Nature Craft
- Wood Whittling using Tools
- Den Building
- Coastal School activities at places such as Rest Bay and Ogmore by Sea
- Setting up an outdoor camp for the day!
Within the After School Academy we aim to take the children out and about at least once a week.
During every Holiday Academy we get the children out and about EVERY DAY!
Our mantra is “It’s not about bad weather but bad clothing!” We provide full kit for all of our children so they can participate in all activities, safely and comfortably.
We aim to keep Parents up to date with what the children have been doing by sending out an ‘Overview of Activities’ each week, using lots of pictures and anecdotes written by the children.
The children who attend After School Academy work together to put on a short ‘concert’ at the end of each term, which shows all of the amazing things they have been doing and learning about. Staff also produce a short written overview of each child’s achievements throughout each term. Each child receives a ‘Certificate of Achievement’ too!
The children attending the Easter and Summer Holiday Academy, work together to produce a short concert for Parents and other members of the family, showcasing all of the amazing things they have learned about and experienced. They also have an ‘Award Ceremony ‘in which they receive a well-deserved, ‘A Certificate of Achievement’.
The children are also encouraged to share these amazing achievements with their teachers at school.
As a result of all of the above, we are having increased demand for places, at our After School Academy and Holiday Academy. Early booking is therefore really important to avoid disappointment!
Information on how to ‘Book a Place’, is available on the drop down page in the Fees section.
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