Growing with Avara
All sessions take place in the beautiful setting of Dunton Community Garden, with learning shaped by the seasons, the space, and the children themselves. Time is also spent in the Avara vegetable patch, where children take part in simple, real tasks such as planting, watering, observing growth, and caring for the space.
Sessions run in blocks during term time. Families already attending are offered priority booking for the next block for continuity in their child's learning, routine, and friendships.
All sessions are led by a qualified teacher, with a focus on building confidence, understanding, and a strong foundation for future learning.
Children attending the Literacy and Maths groups, simple scrapbooks are curated over time, where children add photos they have captured themselves of special or interesting moments and examples of learning they are proud of. At the end of the final session, families can join in a celebration of their learning, sharing the scrapbooks together which they can then take home to look back on and also serve as evidence of their progress over the topic.
Avara Outdoor Classroom (4–11)
Parent-supported session
A small group session for home-educated children, guided by a skilled, qualified primary teacher with experience supporting children with SEND and adapting teaching to different ways of learning.
Reading, writing and maths are carefully taught and applied through hands-on experiences in the garden. Small, consistent groups support the children to develop positive relationships and grow in independence and confidence each week.
Time in the vegetable patch becomes a meaningful part of learning, with children using it to explore measurement, counting, recording and seasonal change, while developing a sense of responsibility and care.
Each child creates a personal scrapbook, gradually building a record of their ideas, observations and experiences in their own way, which they share with their family during a special end-of-block gathering in the garden.
Tuesdays, 10am-12pm
£22.50 per child per session
Avara Outdoor Classroom (5–11)
Drop-off session
This extended session has the same purposeful outdoor literacy and maths learning as our parent-attended session, with more time for tailored teaching, deeper investigations and developing projects from first ideas to finished work.
Children have more opportunities to practise new skills, work through challenges and experience the satisfaction of completing something they are proud of. The extra time allows them to become absorbed in their learning and grow in confidence as they discover what they can achieve.
Working alongside a consistent group, children learn to share ideas, listen to others, solve problems together and take increasing responsibility for their own learning, developing independence, friendships and social skills.
Teaching and learning outcomes are adapted to each child by a skilled, qualified primary teacher experienced in supporting children with SEND and different learning needs.
Children can attend independently, or parents are welcome to stay on site if they prefer.
Wednesdays, 10am-2pm
£58 per child per session
Phonics & Early Maths
Parent-supported session
An active outdoor class for younger children who are new to phonics and older children building confidence in reading, spelling and the foundations of number.
Through games, movement, songs and garden activities, children explore letters and sounds, developing confidence in decoding unfamiliar words, blending sounds for reading and segmenting words into sounds for spelling.
Early maths builds a deep, secure understanding of number. Using real objects and natural materials, children practise counting accurately, recognising and comparing quantities, and exploring how numbers can be combined and split into parts. These experiences build firm foundations for more complex maths.
Led by a skilled, qualified primary teacher experienced in SEND, teaching and learning outcomes are adapted to each child’s understanding and next steps, helping children experience success and grow in confidence each week.
Tuesdays, 1pm-2pm
£12.50 per child per session
The Spanish Garden
Parent & child learning together (all ages welcome)
An immersive outdoor class where parents and children learn Spanish side by side, enjoying the garden together.
We learn as we go, caring for our vegetable patch, investigating the seasons and exploring the world around us. Songs and practical activities introduce useful language for communicating naturally, from talking about the weather to asking for something we need.
Living in Spain taught me how language comes to life through everyday experiences and conversations. These sessions bring that approach to the garden, giving families time to bond and enjoy learning something new together.
There is no pressure to speak. Understanding comes first, with plenty of opportunities to listen, join in and begin using Spanish when you feel ready.
Mondays, 1pm-2pm
£12.50 per adult with child per session
Childminder Explorers
A calm, shared session for our youngest explorers and their childminders.
These sessions focus on early communication, connection, and sensory exploration, with songs, simple activities, and time to enjoy the garden together. We visit the vegetable patch to plant, water, and harvest our vegetables, and learn about the creatures and seasonal changes we notice.
Mondays, 10-11am