Castle Park welcomes pupils from age 3+ and provides a rich educational experience for pupils, that prepares them well for when they leave at age 12+ to go onto secondary school. Our Early Years Montessori Department is an important and integral part of the School.

Organisation

Pupils may join Castle Park’s Early Years Montessori Department (once they turn three years of age) in September, or January or April if there are places available. The Department has six classes that cater for children until they enter the Prep Department at the end of the academic year of their sixth birthday. Small class sizes, normally not more than 18 pupils, allow children to benefit from a substantial amount of individual attention.

Curriculum

The Early Years Montessori environment ensures that each child is introduced to materials and experiences that help to develop his or her whole personality. They also follow the Primary Curriculum for Junior and Senior Infants. Reading is introduced using a phonetic approach. Language and literacy skills are developed through a rich variety of stories and poems and through the use of Montessori materials. The concrete materials give the child a sound understanding of number, quantities and mathematical symbols. Irish and Mathematics are taught to ensure that the children are thoroughly prepared for the Prep Department. Older pupils also undertake cross-curricular project work including themes from History, Geography and Science as well as the use of the library and computers.

The children attend a Physical Education session with the Director of Sport and the Junior and Senior year groups have the option of a swimming class once a week. The pupils regularly use a computer in their own Form Room and the computer suite about once a week.

Music is an important feature of provision. Every child attends a weekly lesson with the Director of Music and the Music Room has an extensive variety of musical equipment. Performances of Harvest, Nativity, Spring and Summer concerts are a regular feature of the calendar.

Practical Life activities help the child grow in independence and refine elementary movements and also enhance the development of social skills. Opportunities in art develop the child’s creativity and there are many activities which involve drawing, colouring, cutting, painting, construction, collage and printing.

School Day

The Montessori day begins at 8.50am but if parents need an earlier start, pupils can be looked after from 8am. Younger children aged from three to four finish school at 12.15pm. Those aged four and a half to six years old finish School at 2pm. An educational day-care facility is available for all Montessori children where they may stay until 6.30pm. See Day Care for further details.