Why choose us
Parents, Teachers and Children forging meaningful relationships
How are we different?
At the heart of Capella House is the image of the child as a competent being with rights and responsibilities, a future citizen. As a Reggio Emilia inspired school, we seek to cater to the 100 languages by which children learn, with a real focus on the human connections which underpin our relationships.
Our 4 core values:
- Relationships: Engaging in meaningful, nurturing, communicative relationships which bring a greater sense of community.
- Individuality: Respecting and affirming each individual and building their self-esteem.
- Curiosity: Encouraging creative, hands-on, imaginative learning that inspires growth.
- Accountability: Empowering children, teachers and parents to be responsible for their actions.
How we make this possible?
- Parents, teachers and children engage and learn together, forging meaningful relationships.
- Multi-age classes, mirroring everyday life.
- An innovative co-operative approach to ‘agreements’ which maintains the dignity of the child.
- Continuous professional and personal development of teachers.
- Descriptive praise, focus on individual achievements, emphasising the desired outcome of both teacher and child.
- Experiential, interest-led and relevant education (Emergent Curriculum).
- Hands on learning, where children learn through movement, exploration, outside activity and games, catering to the multiple intelligences.
A Progressive Curriculum
Capella House works with a Progressive Curriculum; a form of curriculum that bridges the gap of a traditional, instructional programme with a more meaningful learner-centered curriculum.
How does it work?
The children in each group choose a theme for a certain time. The teacher then bases her curriculum around that theme, pinning the Independent Education Board (CONQUESTA) to it. In this way, you start with what is meaningful and interesting to the children and then fit the curriculum to that, rather than the other way around.
Teachers are skilled at knowing which parts of the curriculum connect well to which themes, they ensure that the CONQUESTA outcomes are met in a meaningful, cross-curricular way. The learning is relevant and contextual, as it is what the children have chosen.
At the same time, the CONQUESTA curriculum is thoroughly covered and explored in depth. Children and teachers explore a theme from many different angles, a thorough investigation with all the Learning Areas being included and covered.
Children learn skills and content at a far deeper level because they own the learning. Therefore, they understand and integrate what they have learnt with greater ease and depth.
Personal Development
When teaching a child how to read and write, we study the methodology which will support that teaching. When teaching a child about computers, we need to learn about computers ourselves.
But when a teacher models and supports children in learning about life and what it means to be human, where do they learn this?
Our teachers are trained communication and relationship specialists
By doing Professional and Personal Development work on an ongoing basis, the teachers themselves constantly learn and grow, enabling them to pass this on to the children they teach.
Our teachers are trained communication and relationship specialists, building each child’s self-esteem by affirming their strengths and allowing each individual attention. Through these interactions, children become clearer on what it is that is important to them and become empowered to create the changes necessary to achieve their goals.
The role of a great teacher is to support children in understanding who they are as individuals in relation to others, fostering a lifelong love for learning and empowering them as confident, articulate, and passionate people.
