The Toddler Community classroom is designed and prepared to develop three aspects within the child that are crucial at this stage of development. These are the development of language, the development and refinement of movement and the facilitation of independence, particularly physical independence.  All of the furniture is child-sized and everything is carefully and meticulously prepared for the toddlers. The day is carefully structured to meet their needs and we aim to nurture this critical time in development.  The children in the toddler community are aged between 18 months and 3 years old. The children transition to the pre-school classes throughout the year, when they are ready.

The Preschool classrooms are comprehensive, challenging and diverse. Children aged 3-6 years are accommodated in these prepared environments. The classrooms are divided into five core curriculum areas:

• Practical Life: Through a variety of activities, the child learns skills for daily living and helps develop manual dexterity, hand-eye co-ordination, concentration, independence and the ability to initiate his own learning.
• Sensorial Area: This area provides opportunities for the refinement of the five senses through concrete experiences. The child is able to order, classify and describe sensory impressions in relation to length, width, temperature, mass, colour and pitch.
• Language Materials: Each child’s language skills are enriched through vocabulary, conversation and comprehension activities. The Phonic Approach to reading is used and the children are encouraged to experience the diversity of language in as many ways as possible.
• Mathematics: This area makes use of manipulative, concrete materials to enable the child to internalise concepts of number, symbol, sequence, operations and memorization of basic facts.
• Cultural Subjects: These activities expose the child to basics in geography, history, science, botany and zoology. Music, art and movement education are part of the integrated curriculum. The aim of this area is to help the child to become a “true citizen of the world.

In addition, The Port Elizabeth Montessori School offers a variety of enrichment activities such as art, music, isiXhosa and conservation education as well as extramurals such as dancing, soccer, ball skills and gymnastics.

In both the lower primary (equivalent roughly to grades 1, 2, 3) and upper primary (equivalent to grades 4 to 7) sections, the child’s questions provide the basis for exploration of the world.  The subject matter is relevant to each individual child and provides intrinsic motivation for learning. A Montessori Primary Education does not give the child a collection of trivial facts but rather a vision, an interrelated knowledge and a love of learning.  The Curriculum offers a continuum built on the pre school experience and the environment reflects a new stage in the child’s development. Our school implements a Montessori Curriculum and we are constantly ensuring we are implementing this as authentically as possible. This has been aligned to the National Curriculum Statement.

The primary environment offers:

• An integration of the arts, sciences, geography, history, maths and language that evokes the child’s imagination
• An environment that leads the way from the concrete to the abstract
• Emphasis on open-ended research and in depth study using materials and sources other than text books
• A maths, algebra and geometry curriculum presented with concrete materials that simultaneously reveal arithmetic and geometric concepts from six years old
• Making use of resources beyond the four walls of the classroom.

Learning areas for the primary classes:

• Numeracy, Maths, Algebra and Geometry
• Language, Literacy and Communication
• Literature and Poetry
• isiXhosa
• Afrikaans
• Cultural Subjects including History, Geography, Science, Zoology, Biology and Botany
• The Peace Programme – teaching tolerance, respect and conflict resolution
• Creative Expression / Art
• Drama
• Music Appreciation / Music
• Gardening
• Sewing
• Physical Education