Physical Education

The Challenge

Physical activity is essential for the development of children, it affects not only motor-sensory functions but improves concentration, the ability to learn and retain information. Physical education teaches children how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  In most disadvantaged schools there is no P.E. instructor because of limited funds.

Our Service:

Bottomup provides a physical education & sports instructor who ensures that every learner on school has the opportunity to participate in a period weekly curriculum based P.E.programme and in sporting activities.

Life Orientation

The Challenge

Life Orientation (LO) classes form a foundation for learning, personal and social development. It helps children to form positive identities, teaches them to relate to others in meaningful ways and make better life choices. Unfortunately due to the large number of learning areas and the past stigmatization of LO more emphasis is placed on core learning areas such as Mathematics and Science. In practice, areas of importance for learners are skipped or skimmed over.

Our Service:

Bottomup provides a quality life orientation programme that is based on the NCS/CAPS Outcomes. Our staff is committed to creating a captivating learning experience in the classroom.  Having a dedicated life orientation teacher allows this allocated time to become a meaningful time of learning that is both fun and educational.

Creative Arts

The Challenge:

Involvement in extra-curricular programmes expands a child’s horizon and offers them hope. It allows them to channel energy to a constructive, uplifting and enjoyable end. Music in itself helps develop mathematical ability in an artistic way and gives meaningful ways to express emotion. Art enables a child to develop their fine motor skills, their senses and perception skills which are tools in required for mastery of other learning areas. Some schools we work with have no extra-curricular activities.

Our Service:

In 2012 Bottomup is launching a community teacher programme which will create space for volunteers to introduce a number of creative arts skills and other skills to learners at our partner schools.

LitNum Support

The Challenge:

Literacy levels according to WCED systemic testing are far below standard. Often a disadvantaged school’s learners will be much worse than their same-aged peers at a better resourced school.  We believe there are a few reasons for this including the lack of print material and elementary readers, the lack of adequate assistance for struggling learners (tutoring and remedial), the lack of parent involvement in the learning process and the constant changes in school curriculum.

Our Service:

We believe the best way to assist a school is to help them to establish a consistent tutoring program which begins in foundation phase. The aim of which is to assist learners to be able to handle the very basics of reading and writing and bring them to the correct level of competency for their grade age. Our present  Reading programme and Chess Development programme our part of our integrated strategy to improve reading skills and cognitive ability.

Personal Development (Fostering a sense of Identity and Belonging)

The Challenge:

For a child who lives in an impoverished community and attends an under-resourced school it is difficult to imagine a future different to what they see in their immediate environment. Often times these spheres make up the boundary lines of their total life experience. The challenge for us is to instill a sense of identity and belonging and to broaden their horizons so that when they imagine their career or life path they have more options than they currently are aware of.

Our Service

This is achieved through all Bottomup services however to further meet this challenge we take learners on educational trips beyond the classroom and also assists schools in improving their own existing facilities and infrastructure (renovating libraries, re-painting classrooms) which instills a sense of pride for learners.

Where are We Involved?

1. Perivale Primary School
2. Parkwood Primary School

Bottomup has taken a strategic decision to focus on two schools in 2012 on the basis of our present staffing and budget,

to ensure that we can offer an excellent quality service with maximum impact.