Primary, ages 6 to 12

For children who did the early years at the school, the move to primary is approached as a continuation, but also as the start of a new stage with new possibilities and ways of doing things. During the early years this change is gradually anticipated and shared, and spaces are created so that they can get to know and draw closer, step by step, to the dynamics, spaces and people of primary.

Once the stage begins, joining the new dynamics is gradual. We do not expect children to know and take on all the ways of doing things at once on the first day; instead we gradually increase the degree of autonomy, responsibility and participation we ask of them. Reference adults, together with families, are especially attentive during this period to detect what each child needs, adjust the timing and offer the support needed so that the change is experienced with security and confidence.

There are also children who arrive in primary after doing the early years at other schools or educational projects, or who until then have been looked after in other contexts, such as at home. For them, settling in means not only getting to know a new stage but also discovering a school with its own particular way of understanding relationships, time, spaces and learning.

That is why they are welcomed in an especially close way, giving them time to get to know the setting, the people and the dynamics before expecting full participation. Reference adults accompany this process closely and help each child understand and gradually take on the school’s ways of doing things, also building on the experiences and learning they bring from their previous path.

This accompaniment also takes families into account. Their presence and participation in the early days can greatly ease the transition, especially when the child needs to build trust in the new setting. We adjust this presence to the needs of each child and family, so that the child can gradually make the space their own and build the bonds that allow them to feel safe and autonomous.

This approach is not limited to starting Year 1. When a child joins the school in later years, or even partway through the year, we also prepare and accompany their arrival. In these cases, we need to take into account the child’s developmental stage, the educational path they have followed so far and the particular moment the group is at.

Before the child joins, we share with the family the information needed to get to know each other and prepare the arrival. Once the child has joined, the reference adults and the group help them get to know the spaces, the people, the routines and the ways of relating, adjusting the process to what they need at each moment.

Groups are organised mainly by cycles, but it is not a rigid arrangement. Each child’s needs are the main criterion in forming them, so at times there may be children of other ages within the same group. We continually consider whether each child is in the group that suits them best and, when necessary, we make the appropriate changes.

We also see small groups as a flexible structure. Not everything that happens at school is always done with the same people: there are moments when we work with the whole cycle, others when we organise ourselves into smaller groups and situations in which the proposal is carried out in pairs or individually. Groupings may change according to the activity, interests, the processes under way or what each child needs at a given moment.

We believe the mix of ages is very enriching, while we also maintain a distinction between the different cycles and the way of working in each, suited to the characteristics and needs of each developmental stage. Alongside this, there are often inter-cycle proposals and activities that widen this exchange even further. They may be one-off activities, projects that arise from shared interests or proposals linked to common goals, such as fixing up and designing the playground, preparing a celebration or creating a play. We also create spaces in which the older children can make proposals to the younger ones: reading them a story, showing them a project, preparing a performance, designing a movement circuit or suggesting a game in the playground.

The ratio is roughly one reference adult for every 12–13 children, depending on the characteristics of each group. These ratios may vary slightly according to needs, but we always aim for them to be small enough to guarantee close follow-up consistent with our pedagogical principles.