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Primary 
 
Standing in the playground during morning lesson is a delightful experience. While birds of all descriptions feed from many shrubs and stands, there is a strong sense of silent activity.
Then a burst of laughter will erupt from a room, or perhaps it will be a song.

Day after day, the sound of recorders and children's voices pervades the courtyard, as learning goes on in an atmosphere of love and care.
Suddenly, a thunder of chairs, desks and little feet will herald the migration of the lesson to a more suitable area. If it is a younger class a shop might be needed to make a maths lesson clearer, perhaps it's a bushwalk, or a ball-game to relax the atmosphere after an exciting lesson.

In everything we do, the child's natural unfolding is our guide.

Classroom Open Day Display
Class One 2007 Open Day Display 

Main Lessons
 
The Main Lesson (lasting two hours) begins the day for the child, together with the Class Teacher. In the Primary School, this will be the same teacher for seven years. Each morning for three to four weeks the teacher will guide the children through a subject employing various arts, such as music, drawing, Eurythmy, story and painting. This method allows the child and teacher to fully explore each subject. At the end of the 3 weeks, a new lesson begins.

Middle Lessons

After morning tea, the Middle Lesson begins. Where Main Lessons are concerned with the more academic subjects of Maths, Science, English and Social Science, the Middles take on a less formal approach: Art, the Humanities, and subjects that will lead the child towards developing a healthy relationship to his environment. The Middle Lesson allows weekly repetition of a subject over a whole term. It is here the child is taught by the other teachers in the school. 

Afternoon Lessons

After lunch, during the Block Lesson, the grounds are dotted with groups of children - gardening, playing sport, leather working, knitting, tie-dyeing, building - in fact any and all of the practical arts and crafts. This is also a three week lesson, taken by the class's own teacher, or another who has a particular skill. Quite often the Main and Block Lessons are linked thematically, allowing the academic and artistic to complement each other, e.g. Egyptian mythology for the Main lesson and paper making in the Block.

We have developed a lesson structure which allows us to meet two important requirements, firstly, that play periods are substantial and secondly that lessons are of sufficient duration to meet our teaching requirements. Our solution is a win-win. The day starts with a 2 hour morning lesson from 9 am to 11 am followed by 30 minutes snack and play. We continue with one and a half hour middle lesson between 11.30 am and 1 pm followed by a one hour lunch and play period. The school day concludes with a one and a quarter hour afternoon lesson between 2 pm and 3.15 pm. This daily program flows throughout from Kindergarten to Class 12.

This is the way our day is shaped. The transformation from primary pupil to high school student is also a dramatic one and usually occurs between ages 13 and 14. The end of Class 7 signifies the end of primary education and the end of the seven year relationship with the Class Teacher.