Our focus at Village School is always on using practical, real-life experience to help students grasp important concepts and develop the skills that will serve them in life.
In addition to our curriculum-based activities, we offer a number of specialised programs that allow children to engage directly with their world and apply their skills and understanding.
We access the local community and the resources available within it. We take children on camps, have school sleepovers and involve the children in real life problems and solutions in the Village School environment.
The benefits of experiential learning
Our approach has also been referred to as “experiential learning” or learning by doing.
In our rapidly changing world, it’s more important than ever to develop the soft skills that can be readily transferred between workplaces and professions.
Experiential learning contributes to a child’s overall development, by giving them opportunities to be more creative and reflect on abstract concepts, which in turn helps them make stronger connections to the information.
Learning by doing allows students to grasp new concepts more easily, strengthen their problem-solving skills and realise that there’s more than one way to solve challenges.
It also transforms mistakes into valuable learning opportunities, with more of a focus on experimentation and discovery, and creates a lifelong love of learning.
Experiential learning at Village School
By focusing on the process of learning and honing skills that fall outside of traditional curriculum boundaries, we’re preparing our students for the future.
We design our educational programs to ensure that the children are active participants in the learning process – by pursuing topics that interest them, engaging their emotions as well as their brains, and encouraging reflection, experimentation and change in response to experiences.
School Performance We believe that school performances are an integral experience that teach a wide range of skills in highly satisfying, holistic and meaningful ways. Read more »
School Farm Being situated on 8 acres of bushland allows us to provide a “school farm” experience to our students with various farm animals, classroom pets and produce. Read more »
Outdoor Education We use the amazing resources at our disposal to help students build a strong relationship with the outdoors and an appreciation of the natural world. Read more »
Bush School Our bush school setting allows us to bring nature into our daily learning activities, helping students develop a healthy relationship with the natural world. Read more »
Horse Riding Lessons We offer students horse riding lessons as part of our school program, providing students with valuable life skills and an unforgettable school experience. Read more »
School Camps School camps are central to our teaching method, and help students develop confidence in their ability to look after themselves and take responsibility. Read more »
Excursions and Incursions We organise regular excursions and incursions to suit our themes and create engaging experiences that help students learn about the world in new ways. Read more »Other Programs
From time to time, we may also offer other specialised activities to round out our educational program, such as:
- weekly special lunches
- swimming
- dog day
- dress-up days
- mediaeval sport days
With enough support, we also sometimes offer options as part of our weekly rotations program, where parents with specific skills or interests share their knowledge with a small group of students for an hour, once a week, for the duration of a term.
In the past, we have had parents offer activities including:
- Archery
- Knitting
- Cooking
- Karate
- Origami
- Programming / Coding
- Bushwalking
- Board Games
- Chess Club
- Clay Modelling / Ceramics
- Gem Stones
- Jewellery Making
- Paper Quilling
- Pony Care
- Soccer
- Yoga / Mindfulness
If you are interested in offering an option to our students, please contact us.
A number of local businesses also offer private lessons across a range of activities that may be of interest to your child.
Please contact the office or refer to our weekly newsletter for an up-to-date list of private lessons being offered.
Our Approach to Learning
To learn more about our approach to learning, please visit:
Our Approach Village School is an independent, non-sectarian and non-denominational primary school, and we take an holistic approach to education. Read more »
Learning For Life Our hands-on, open and active approach to learning at Village School creates the conditions for effective, personalised learning and shapes lifelong learners. Read more »
Our Curriculum In addition to academic learning, we develop key personal skills in our students to help them succeed in life, using a flexible, personalised approach. Read more »