
BACK	At Marbury the handling of children at the early childhood level is more important than at any other period that follows, for it is here that crucial attitudes to future behaviour and learning are initiated. A free environment is essential. A teacher needs to be supportive where necessary, but to refrain from intervening in the child's activities unless necessary for reasons of order, safety or protection of others. In this way the adult does not become an obstacle to the child's development. The social development of children at this age is at a primitive level, and frustration is easily felt with the limitation of their own power to achieve goals or their own aggressive responses to non-compliance of other children to their demands. Currently, the adult to child ratio is less than one to nine. The Kindergarten and Junior Primary centre is housed in the Joyce Dodd building, surrounded by garden and bushland. Children may enter this group at any time during the year. They also leave this group at any time, depending on their development, and readiness for a more formallearning situation in the lower primary group. The five-year-olds spend most of their time at play, but are gradually absorbed into the mainly six year old "learning" group - as the children call it. As they observe the older ones learning to read and write and manipulate numbers, they drift into becoming part of this group, and gain obvious enjoyment from their mastery of these new skills. Six year olds, unless they have emotional or social problems that they need to sort out further by longer spells of playing and socialising, are expected to do some reading, writing and number work each day, and usually become very insistent that they do it. They are either called for their learning time, or come of their own accord, and each progresses at his or her own rate without tension, and usually with enjoyment. In their own complex they have facilities for painting, drawing, cutting, pasting, music, dressing-up and "house" play. They visit the school art and craft centre, shared by all Marbury students, for their own sessions of clay work, candlemaking, woodwork and other crafts.

At Marbury the handling of children at the early childhood level is more important than at any other period that follows, for it is here that crucial attitudes to future behaviour and learning are initiated.

A free environment is essential. A teacher needs to be supportive where necessary, but to refrain from intervening in the child's activities unless necessary for reasons of order, safety or protection of others.

In this way the adult does not become an obstacle to the child's development. The social development of children at this age is at a primitive level, and frustration is easily felt with the limitation of their own power to achieve goals or their own aggressive responses to non-compliance of other children to their demands. Currently, the adult to child ratio is less than one to nine.

The Kindergarten and Junior Primary centre is housed in the Joyce Dodd building, surrounded by garden and bushland. Children may enter this group at any time during the year. They also leave this group at any time, depending on their development, and readiness for a more formallearning situation in the lower primary group.

The five-year-olds spend most of their time at play, but are gradually absorbed into the mainly six year old "learning" group - as the children call it. As they observe the older ones learning to read and write and manipulate numbers, they drift into becoming part of this group, and gain obvious enjoyment from their mastery of these new skills. Six year olds, unless they have emotional or social problems that they need to sort out further by longer spells of playing and socialising, are expected to do some reading, writing and number work each day, and usually become very insistent that they do it.

They are either called for their learning time, or come of their own accord, and each progresses at his or her own rate without tension, and usually with enjoyment. In their own complex they have facilities for painting, drawing, cutting, pasting, music, dressing-up and "house" play. They visit the school art and craft centre, shared by all Marbury students, for their own sessions of clay work, candlemaking, woodwork and other crafts.