Coordinator: Colleen Roberts
Facilitators: Leonie Wolmarans, Lidia Milne, Karin Daniels

Consultant Occupational Therapist: Tracey Le Roux

The Foundation Phase Enrichment Project is aimed at supporting learners who lack basic school readiness skills required for Grade R and Grade 1. Some learners do not attend Grade R and others experience learning and social difficulties. A variety of programmes have been designed by an occupational therapist to meet some of the various educational needs of Foundation Phase learners.

The programme includes gross and fine motor skills, visual and auditory perception, eye tracking, literacy and numeracy and offers:

• READING (auditory perception, language skills, blending, sight words, reading)
• WRITING (letter formation, fine motor skills and visual perception)
• NUMERACY (spatial perception, number concepts, basic numeracy, colours and shapes, sequencing & sorting)
• FINE MOTOR SKILLS (scissor cutting, hand strength & dexterity, tripod dexterity, wrist exercise, touch perception)
• GROSS MOTOR SKILLS (midline crossing bilateral coordination, core stability, shoulder girdle, hand-eye coordination)
• VISUAL PERCEPTION (form perception & constancy, figure-ground perception, visual closure, visual memory & visual sequential memory, jigsaw puzzles)

THE PROJECT IS CURRENTLY OFFERED IN THREE SCHOOLS IN THE OVERSTRAND:

• Gansbaai Primary School: Grade R & 1
• Hawston Primary School: Grade R & 1
• Mount Pleasant Primary School: Grade R & 1

From March 2020 to February 2021 we worked with159 learners on a “one on one” basis (63 in grade R and 96 in grade1) and 21 teachers. In addition, at the beginning of 2020, using a ” red flag” assessment system, we tested a total of 216 learners over the three schools. The information was then captured and collated. We gleaned very useful information from the results and will used a slightly modified version in the future.

The project also offers a PLAY THERAPY PROGRAMME

The Programme consists of a variety of play activities designed by an occupational therapist to remedy some of the lack of various educational skills needed in the foundation phase. We aim to improve these skills through structured play, focusing on 5 to 7 year olds who are underperforming.

Facilitators work with each identified learner, in groups of 2(maintaining covid protocol), in an activity-based, interactive programme designed to work on the areas of weakness. The programme is currently presented at Enlighten Education Trust in the Toy Library Storeroom, Literacy Room and in the Hall on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. The programme is open to any learners from the surrounding areas.