Upper Primary is a time when students move from concrete thinking to more abstract thinking and become more aware of the world and those around them. They are encouraged to become active citizens of their class, school, community and the world. This is a time of great moral development which leads students to ask important questions about the world and their part in it. With increasing levels of independence students learn to research, organise and participate in activities which link them to the world outside the classroom. During this plane of development, students usually prefer to work with their peers and in the Upper Primary classroom, you will often see students working in pairs or small groups.

Upper Primary students participate in a Social Education program which promotes co-operation, tolerance and above all else, peaceful interactions with all. With an aim for excellence, students are encouraged to perform to the best of their abilities and reflect on their performance in order to set personal goals for further improvement. Within this nurturing and supportive environment, students feel safe to grow and explore their developing identities, allowing them to become confident individuals with a faith in their own ability to go out into the world and make a difference.

Knowledge can be best given where there is eagerness to learn, so this is the period when the seed of everything can be sown, the child’s mind being like a fertile field, ready to receive what will germinate into culture. ~ Maria Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential