Children may start their journey at The Grove at any age, but many choose to start 'at the beginning', which is in our youngest group the year they turn 7. This is the year that we may describe as 'school ready'; their play shifts, impressions are absorbed, memories more formed, and children more settled in their bodies. 

A significant change occurs for the child around the year they turn 9, as they begin to notice they are a separate being from others, from the natural world, from their parents. For some this change can be felt deeply. We try to surround them with stories which echo what they are experiencing (albeit unconsciously), including stories where people make choices for good, and helping them experience the world as a good place to be. Themes include homes and houses, fabrics and fibres, creation stories, Norse mythology, measurement, ancient cultures and animal studies. 

Around age 11, there is a new sense of awakening within the child as their feeling life emerges into more of a sense of individual identity. Over these years the child develops a hunger for developing their intellectual capacities, moving into an adolescence where they start to question and begin making critical judgements. 

Young people of this age are developing a new relationship to the world, start to form clear judgements and critical opinions, and can feel a sense of detachment as their individuality becomes more central. Developments can be rapid, impulses sudden and changeable. The young person wants to both have a clear sense of belonging to the world, as well as independent and detached from others within it.

The culmination of a student's time at The Grove. Intellectual enquiry is at the forefront of a student's focus, alongside finding purpose and direction. We provide students with a variety of opportunities to contribute towards community life in a leadership capacity, as well as opportunities to meet the world through studies and visits in a number of different focus areas. Students work towards the CFI Level 3 (extended) Diploma in Integrative Education.