Our key programmes
• Learning Through Play
• Te Puna Taiao
• Te Reo Māori
• Positive Behaviour for Learning
Learning and teaching through play
Ngā akoranga mai te tākaro
Learning and teaching through play provides our tamariki with rich opportunities to develop their skills through a range of experiences as they explore, experiment, discover, problem-solve and create in imaginative and playful ways.
Learning through play enables our tamariki to develop their thinking, problem solving, analysing and creative skills. Interacting with their classmates helps to develop their leadership, negotiation, cooperation and listening skills. Learning through play also helps to grow intrapersonal skills like motivation, persistence and resilience.
Learning through play is a significant part of the daily timetable in the junior school. Based on close observations of tamariki, we invite them to play, investigate and explore – this could in the form of loose parts, questions, a wondering, a challenge or a story and much more.
Our middle school classes visit a Maker Space once a week where they can explore a wide range of loose part resources as well as some in class loose parts for the tamariki to use.
Our senior school classes use a guided inquiry model where tamariki are able to pursue their passions and interests.
““We were very excited to enrol our oldest son at Allandale School because children would learn through play and Allandale offers an amazing learning environment.
Our son is excited about going to school and we can see him thriving. He is confident and has a sense of belonging. We couldn’t be more happy and proud.””
Te Puna Taiao
We have proudly engaged with Te Puna Taiao to develop our outdoor spaces into areas for beautiful natural play, learning and garden spaces for our children.
Research shows that the skills our children will need most in a changing world are creativity, teamwork and problem-solving. Our transformed grounds stimulate growth in these essential skills, provide enriched play and learning opportunities for our tamariki, connect our kids to the natural world and to Te Ao Māori, and provide an amazing physical environment in which to learn and teach.
Te Reo Māori
Ko te kai a te Rangatira, he kōrero
Te Reo me ngā Tikanga Māori are highly valued in our bilingual and mainstream classes. Across our school, we all actively participate in karakia tawhito, waiata and pōwhiri.
Our bilingual classes operate at Immersion Level 3, which means teaching instruction is delivered in Te Reo Māori for 30-50% (or 7.5 – 12.5 hours per week). Te Reo is both taught as a subject and integrated into all learning areas.
While Literacy and Numeracy instruction in our bilingual classes is mostly taught in English; waiata, karakia, performing arts, visual arts, and conversational instruction is conducted in Te Reo Māori.
Our mainstream classes operate at Immersion Level 4a, which means that 3.5hours per week of learning is in Te Reo Māori – this includes karakia, waiata, instructions in Te Reo as well as learning Te Reo Māori as a subject.
Positive Behaviour for Learning
PB4L
Allandale School actively implements the positive behaviour for learning (PB4L) programme which uses a mixture of positive reinforcement and restorative justice practices as well as deliberate teaching and learning to encourage positive behaviour at school. Our PB4L programme is values-based and shaped around the idea of an ‘Allandale Kind of Kid’
Allandale Kind of Kids are:
Kind to myself
Kind to others
Kind to the environment
The Learning Kind
The Achieving Kind
The Community Kind