We believe the best foundation for a strong education is learning how to learn. Our students are actively engaged in the learning process through guided exploration and discovery.
Our Elementary curriculum builds on the strong foundations of the early years, guiding children as they move from concrete discovery to abstract thinking. At this stage, students are eager to understand the why and how of the world around them. Their imaginations are powerful, their questions profound, and their capacity for collaboration and creativity boundless.
Learning in the Elementary years continues the Montessori tradition of storytelling, beginning each year with the Great Lessons. These sweeping narratives ignite wonder and set the stage for study across science, history, geography, mathematics, and the arts. The stories unfold over days and weeks, inspiring inquiry, experiments, and creative interpretation through drama, movement, art, music, and discussion.
The Elementary classroom is a place of lively exploration and deep thought, where children connect ideas, challenge assumptions, and grow as thinkers and innovators. Through collaboration and purposeful work, they build both academic strength and social confidence, preparing them to meet the next stage of learning with curiosity and courage.
You can explore our summarised Curriculum Map for the Children’s House through Middle School here:
Framing Exploration: The Story of Everything
At the heart of our Elementary programme lies Montessori’s vision for inspiring children to understand their place within the unfolding story of the universe. The curriculum is anchored in the Great Stories, told and revisited across the six years from ages six to twelve. Through these sweeping narratives, children explore the origins of the cosmos, the evolution of life, the rise of humanity, and the systems that sustain our world.
Each story provides a framework for discovery across every area of learning — from science, history, and geography to mathematics, language, and the arts. These interconnected studies help children see how knowledge fits together, nurturing both curiosity and a sense of responsibility for the world they inhabit. The vastness of the universe becomes the context for understanding human creativity, collaboration, and care.
The Universe Begins
- What is a 'singularity'?
- When did the Earth form?
- What are the basic properties of all matter?
The Coming of Life
- What set the early conditions for life?
- How does each organism contribute to the ecosystem?
- Could life exist elsewhere?
The Coming of Humans
- What was life like for hominids?
- Are the fundamental human needs?
- What does it mean to be human?
The Story of Writing
- What was the first word? Who spoke it and why?
- How did written communication evolve?
- In what ways is writing used today?
The Story of Numbers
- Why did/do people need numbers?
- How did early peoples' use measurement?
- In what ways does maths underline the refinement of the human mind?
Interspersed through all areas of study and used as the tools with which we access the Cosmic Curriculum are:
Practical Life Skills
- Time management and organisation skills
- Conflict resolution tools
- Personal hygiene, cooking, sewing, gardening, cleaning
- Plant and animal care
- Earning and using money
- Exercise and outdoor activity
- Yoga
Mathematics
- Always moves from the concrete to the abstract
- Builds a mathematical mind
- Develops understanding of concepts through sensorial exploration of concrete materials
- Discovery based
- Includes arithmetic, geometry, algebra, problem solving, history of mathematics
Language and Literacy
- Drama, poetry, literature, song, music, dance, story
- Reading taught with both phonetic and whole language approach
- Grammar studies present the structure of language coherently, so the child will learn to speak and write well
- Library & reference books are used for research & pleasure
- Handwriting begins with hand control exercises
- Creative writing skills develop from level to level
- Spelling taught by analysing generalisations and rules.
Geography
- Physical – land & water formations, maps & globes, hydrosphere, biomes
- Cultural – continent and country studies
- Economic – natural resources and their uses, interdependence of nations
Science
- Includes cosmology, chemistry, astronomy, palaeontology and geology
- Extensive biology nomenclature study
- Classification of living organisms
- Ecological viewpoint – the interdependence of all life
- Using scientific inquiry skills
- Development of observation skills
- Health and nutrition
History & Basic Needs of People
- Building an understanding of time and historical time
- Development of life on Earth
- Ancient civilisations
- Modern history
- Anthropology