What we do
What is One Day School?
One Day School offers a dedicated programme for gifted children, focused on fulfilling their unique learning needs.
Children are invited to attend one day per week at our learning space on Hinemoa Street. Our programme is designed with a deep understanding of gifted children and the approach needed to help them realise their full potential.
Instead of sticking to a traditional classroom schedule, we give our children challenging activities that get them thinking differently and solving problems in new and creative ways.
Our programme helps children grow, not only academically, but also socially and emotionally, by encouraging self-awareness and teamwork.
We exist to help gifted children thrive now and in the future, providing the support they need to become confident, curious, and well-rounded individuals.
Our vision.
That every gifted child is met with recognition and caring understanding of their different learning and developmental needs, and supported in developing their qualities and abilities to the full.
That each gifted child will be so nurtured that they will grow in wisdom, insight and compassion in the use of their talents in the wider world.
That each gifted child will be empowered with the belief that every individual can make a difference in creating a better world.
That every child will retain a sense of fun and delight in the process of living and being.
That every teacher will have the support and guidance needed to achieve this vision.
Our programme.
The structure of the One Day School programme is not the same as that of the regular classroom.
The programme emphasises challenging tasks that allow gifted children to test their thinking and reasoning, fostering deeper cognitive development.
The day is not divided into curriculum chunks with, for example, one hour for maths, one hour for literacy, another for science, and so on. All these learning areas do get included in the work the children are doing, but in a more creative format.
The One Day School programme is based on an understanding of the significant differences in how gifted children learn compared with most other children.
For instance, in the areas where they function at a gifted level,
these children are often highly observant, noticing things most other children don’t,
are far more questioning, wanting to know why things happen as they do,
are much more persistent in seeking answers,
are often capable of devising answers which are “outside the box”.
With this in mind, our programme is designed to include high-level challenges which allow them to explore further and more flexibly than simply learning a set of facts.
We provide demanding tasks for them to test their thinking and reasoning. We include opportunities which allow them to be richly creative and imaginative in finding solutions and expressing ideas.
Recognising that many have felt isolated amongst age peers, we also quietly support the development of their self-understanding and group skills.
In these ways we seek to meet their unique needs and support them in their growth towards fulfilled and positive individuals, now and in their future lives.