Going beyond the classroom

The Port is located just outside our assembly hall and around the corner from the front door. It’s a breakout space for our older children, a transition spot for Miss King’s class when they are getting ready to go home, a quieter space to watch what is going on in the hall if there are too many people and another spot to curl up with a book to read (or be read to).

You can find The Cove in the centre of our school just beyond our Year 5 classroom. It is a calm, cosy reading space designed to nurture a love of books and reading across our school. Curated to provide children with a welcoming place to relax, explore stories and discover new interests, The Cove encourages every child to see themselves as a reader. Through dedicated reading time, book recommendations and regular book club sessions, this special space helps foster a lifelong enjoyment of reading and the confidence to share and discuss books with others. 

The Play Bay is an extension of our Year 1 classroom, an extension of our learning and an extension of our fun! We don’t achieve highly in the Foundation Stage by chance, all the play you see going on in our classroom and Play Bay, is actually quality learning planned by our skilful team. All the activities combined with quality interactions from the adults, allow our children to aim high and succeed academically and with a strong foundation of interpersonal skills- collaboration, problem solving and perseverance.

Our Dock is found just inside our front door and is a multi purpose nurture space. It is used by children and assistants if they would like a quieter space to work, for small group activities and even a transition spot for anyone needing a moment before joining their full class in the morning. Staff also use the space for their lunch breaks. The Dock has been designed to include the features you would expect to see in a nurture classroom.

Mrs Galbraith was previously the Social Behaviour Emotional Wellbeing Specialist Lead across NI so you wouldn’t expect her office to be adult focused. The room is a nurture space designed to support regulation and promote belonging. Whether it’s scheduled Connect and Nurture sessions, children having a break from class, restoration following conflict, or meetings with parents, the room is a place for the Olderfleet family to be at ease and be themselves.

The hall is at the heart of our school. We use it as a play space when it’s raining, for P.E. lessons, amazing school dinners and packed lunches, assemblies, talent shows, choir practice, after school clubs, dramatic productions and sometimes just a space to blow off steam!

Our main playground is fully contained allowing our children space to roam and explore. We have a stage, outdoor kitchen, sheds full of balls, skipping ropes, hoops, cones, moveable dividers allowing flexible zones and lots of sheltered nooks. Out to the side is another contained space with climbing equipment for our little mountaineers! We are currently developing a quiet outdoor space out to our front so literally watch this space!