OMATAS Adventure
OMATAS Learning Centre established in 2013, is a living, shifting adventure in education for children with barriers to learning.
Our core approach is to be responsive to the child, to put the child’s needs ahead of the curriculum, remaining flexible yet persistent towards a sustainable future.
We seek to practice and model – to our students, families and broader community – the balance between academic goals and the child we have in front of us.
We exist to give children a safe experience of school, a place where they are free from exhaustion, sensory overload and masking. Where they feel connection, feel loved and feel welcome, where they can really learn.
OMATAS Information
We are a 4-term school. Please download our information packs for the specific information for this year.
We use a modified CAPS curriculum with strong a Montessori influence and therapeutic model foundation. There are 4 official reports a year but you are part of your child’s team, so a group on WhatsApp is created for you where almost daily updates and communication happens.
We accept children from 6 years old to Grade 7. Our classes are multi-age so that children can be taught at their level of competence per subject. It is possible for a child to be on different levels for different subjects. Students do not pass or fail, they progress. Some go beyond their expected grade level.
We work with: Autism, ADHD, anxiety, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Auditory Processing, Sensory Processing, OCD, ODD and more.
- English Home Language
- Afrikaans First Additional Language
- Mathematics
- Geography and History
- Science and Technology
- Life Skills – not curriculum driven
In classes, our focus is on emotional and social development.
We run weekly drama classes and hold an end of year concert.
There is a PE class once a week which focuses on having fun while building skills.
Art is incorporated into the sciences.
A big part of school life is looking after the school. Our practical life programme models for children how working together and looking after the environment is necessary and enjoyable. This work is designed to also improve their gross and fine motor strength and abilities which support the academic outcomes.
Therapy is a big part of our work. Our classrooms and playgrounds are designed to assist children to develop and improve their skills in all facets of learning and life.
If the environment is well set up then children get the opportunity in the natural course of the day to improve on all skills from communication to nutrition to motor skills, sensory needs and more.
Consulting therapists support our environment through screenings and observations so that teachers are empowered to create a healthy and productive environment for each child.
If individual therapy is recommended this will be discussed and is conducted offsite and with your preferred therapists. A referral list is available.
Therapy plays an important role in remedial interventions, when the work of the therapist is not followed through with between sessions then the work can be lost in translation.
OMATAS Principles
Children need to feel safe from danger, pain, exhaustion, sensory overload and fear. They need to feel connected, cared for and welcome.
This is a priority of ours, to create a school space where they feel safe, only then can we ask them to begin to learn.
How do you get a child to respect you? You respect them first. This is a primary school ‘rule’. Teachers are required to role model all of our school values and principles and show respect for every child.
As teachers model great respect, they can ask for children to do the same. We all respect our environment, our work, our belongings, our friends and ourselves.
We love mistakes. This is precisely the point where learning happens. We role model handling mistakes all the time. Being human is totally human and mistakes can be fixed.
We can only do fast the tasks that we already know how to do. To learn something in a new way means we have to pay attention to the detail, we have to get curious about what we are doing.
By slowing things down we help the child to notice what he has not yet noticed, we help their brains to make stronger connections.
Without awareness, no change is possible. As they start to notice what they are experiencing themselves doing, they move into a position to change.
As each child grows, we start to see shifts in our 7 fundamental character values. Almost without fail, if a child makes gains in these areas, they really start to fly.
Grit, Zest, Self-Control, Gratitude, Optimism, Social Skills, Curiosity.
How your child feels about themselves is vital to them reaching their potential. This is not about stickers and praise but about helping them to find their capable-ness and begin to believe in themselves again.