“As a Pre-Primary school, we believe in building the foundations for learning through exploration and play-based education. Our children are able to learn in a spacious natural environment through creative indoor and outdoor activities formulated to enhance their curiosity, social skills, and need to problem-solve. Our Christian worldview is reflected in our values of Citizenship, Grace, Resilience, Curiosity, Care and Integrity. Our philosophy is that a happy child learns best and this is evident in the smiling faces of our children.”
Hannes van der Westhuysen
Head of Primary
- Child-centred activities
- Active learning
- Self-confidence
- Independence
- Perseverance
- Resilience
- Self-regulating emotions
We focus on hands-on, sensory-rich, active learning through indoor and outdoor play; providing an optimal learning environment for our young children.
Lighthouse Primary School offers two Reception Classes in our Pre-Primary Department. Our Reception Classes (Grade R) are for children who are four years of age by 1 January in their year of entry. Each Reception class is managed by a Lead Teacher and supported by a Learning Assistant. Our learning objectives are based on child-centered, age-appropriate learning and are formed under the following developmental areas: Personal, Emotional, and Social; Perceptual and Cognitive; Fine and Gross Motor Coordination; and Emergent Literacy and Numeracy.
Personal, Social, and Emotional Skills cover the development of self-confidence, independence, perseverance, resilience, self-regulating emotions, understanding about one’s own and others’ feelings, making friends, and getting along with others. Perceptual and Cognitive Development refers to how children start taking in, interpreting, and understanding sensory input and their development of critical thinking and problem solving. Gross and Fine Motor coordination refers to the skills involving the use of large and small muscle movements. Emergent Literacy and Numeracy covers fundamental skills required in order for young children to be ready to develop more formal skills in Primary School.
Our Reception children follow a daily routine which gives them a sense of comfort as they ease into the rhythm of the day and anticipate the next event. We aim to create a nurturing, safe, stimulating and challenging learning environment that encourages children to develop holistically.
Opportunities for language development in both English and French are provided. Interesting themes are integrated into our daily learning which develops our children’s curiosity, knowledge, and understanding of the world around them. During each day; time is created for learning activities such as singing, dancing, story-time, climbing, running, jumping, balancing, painting, drawing, cutting, pasting, building puzzles, and many opportunities for movement, messy, and sensory play! Within our framework comes great variety and creative daily set-ups.
Our children are intrinsically motivated to participate in these child-centered activities and are encouraged to collaborate, make decisions, problem-solve, and innovate through our indoor-outdoor teaching philosophy. In addition, our SEN (Special Educational Needs) Department provides Occupational Therapy, Language and Numeracy Support, and Counseling. This service is offered at the school for our children who may need further support.
Lighthouse Primary and Secondary School is uniquely situated alongside a natural forest which is used as part of our outdoor education programme. Healthy eating is also encouraged at our school through the provision of freshly prepared meals each day. Meal times are something our children look forward to; where they connect with one another, try new foods, acquire positive eating habits and etiquette.
As a school, we remain rooted in our Christian Ethos through the teaching of our Biblical worldview of Education. We believe that teaching Christ-like values and disciplines creates hope for the future within our children.