A Typical Day
Flexible, responsive, and guided by curiosity.
At The Village School Gold Coast, no two days are exactly alike—and that’s by design. Our small size gives us the freedom to adapt each day’s timetable to reflect our current inquiry theme, student needs, planned experiences and even suggestions from the children themselves.
A Day That Grows With Us
While routines provide comfort and rhythm, our learning day is flexible and responsive. Teachers deliver the Australian Curriculum through focused daily English and Numeracy lessons, alongside integrated thematic units in Science or Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) through rich experiences.
Routines provide comfort and rhythm, which our learning day offers—along with the flexibility to respond to our students’ needs. A "typical" day begins with the doors opening at 8:00am, and our Villagers gathering picnic-style at 8:15am to nibble on a morning snack.
At 8:25am, our Villagers head to their classrooms, where they are warmly greeted by their teachers and come together in a yarning circle to start the day with connection. This is a time to honour “heart over head,” setting the tone with intention before diving into a focused literacy and numeracy session.
At 10:30am, the Village gathers again—picnic-style—for morning tea, before preparing to head outside. Daily Adventures into the local community invite inspiration, spark questions, and offer embodied, real-world learning in natural settings, through explorative play and movement.
Upon returning to their classrooms, all classes take a moment for mindfulness, resetting before the middle learning session and lunch—again, shared picnic-style. After lunch, students enjoy 30 minutes of indoor play before entering the final learning session of the day.
The school day concludes at 3:00pm, with our Foundation (Prep) students finishing slightly earlier at 2:45pm during Term 1 to support a gentle transition into school life.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Each day, students spend at least an hour outdoors exploring our vibrant local community. These Daily Adventures are more than movement breaks—they’re a vital part of our Place-Based Education approach.
By learning on the beaches, riverbanks, parks, local sporting clubs, and other community spaces, students gain a deep understanding of how their community works, how people interact within it, and how they themselves fit into and contribute to the world around them.
This daily outdoor learning provides authentic opportunities for connection, observation, inquiry, and meaningful discovery—rooted in the rhythm of the seasons, the life of the town, and the natural beauty that surrounds us.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Acknowledgement of Country |
| 60 min | Literacy |
| 60 min | Outdoor Learning / Play / HPE |
| 60 min | Mathematics |
| 60 min | Outdoor Learning / Play |
| 120 min | Integrated Studies |
Exemplar Weekly Timetable
| Day | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor Place-Based Learning Locations | Kirra Beach Excursion | Coolangatta Beach Excursion |
HPE T1: Surf Life Saving T2: Lawn Bowls T3: Soccer, Athletics, and Team Games on Goodwin Oval T4: Swimming at Palm Beach Aquatic Centre |
Greenmount Beach Excursion | Froggy's Beach Excursion |
| Middle Session | Explicit English and Maths Lessons | Explicit English and Maths Lessons | Explicit English and Maths Lessons | Explicit English and Maths Lessons | Explicit English and Maths Lessons |
| Afternoon Session |
Integrated Learning Activities with focus on: T1&4: Science T2&3: HaSS |
Explicit Health and Developmental Play / Language | Integrated Learning Activities with focus on the Arts with an artist in residence | Integrated Learning Activities with focus on Technologies | Library for book borrowing and whole school meeting |