We give support to all our students and cohousers that come to us to lead an active life. Their timetables include regular gym, games and movement sessions, as well as enjoying the surrounding countryside for walks at weekends. We teach the importance of keeping fit and having a healthy life. Annual end of year trips to an outdoor centre (for College 2), sponsored walks, learning of circus skills are all additional activities they can take part in.

Movement

Group based movement sessions, Bothmer Gymnastics, Eurythmy and Games support development of body awareness, motor planning and control. All are encouraged to work collaboratively and gain a greater understanding of their actions and behaviours in relation to others.

Large and small-scale spatial and hand-eye coordination are essential for most forms of activity and are stimulated in countless ways throughout the curriculum and daily life of The Mount.

Bothmer Gym

Bothmer Gymnastics is a form of holistic movement education, which is based on developing spatial awareness and coordination, improving one's posture and helping the individual to better inhabit their body and relate to the world around them. The approach works with three planes in space; the first is the frontal plane between back and front, the second is the horizontal plane between height and depth and the third is the symmetrical plane between left and right.

Through working with these planes, students and cohousers can improve their posture, movement, strength, stamina, body and spatial awareness, physical and inner balance. In addition to these physical improvements, they are also able to show improved concentration, enhanced listening and communication skills, improved self-esteem, improved social awareness, confidence and well-being.

The programme comprises a planned group of exercises based on the needs of the group and accessing a special sequence curriculum exploring and mastering weight, balance, uprightness and social awareness. They also enjoy activities such as rhythmic jumping, rope skipping, catching, throwing, falling exercises, balancing on wobble boards or stilts and rod-fencing.

Games

The games curriculum supports the Bothmer Gymnastics ethos of developing spatial awareness and coordination. There is a long list of games that could be played, which includes the possibility to gradually build up complexity on the same theme.

Games are selected by the tutor based on the needs of individuals and the group. Some games require teamwork, others might just challenge the individual on their own. There may be running and catching games, some with a ball, others with a beanbag or shuttlecock. A game can be very different when your team has a separate area from the opponent, than a game where you all have to share the same playing field.

New games are always being found and developed. Although we can play to win, there is respect for everyone involved throughout the game. Enjoyment in playing is paramount, whilst still challenging, with the possibility to pause from time to time to reflect on how we played and what might be changed to improve the game.

Eurythmy

Eurythmy is a complete art of movement. As an art, it combines physical movement with music, drama and language. Its flowing dance-like movements can express profound elements of the structure and dynamics of language and music.

As a movement, students develop their spatial awareness, core strength and proprioceptive skills. Activities are carried out as a group, giving students a sense of belonging and helping to develop team building as well as their own confidence to move in a balanced, calm way.

Eurythmy is not solely a movement activity, it is deeply associated with developing awareness of others, non-verbal communication and social interaction skills. Eurythmy support students to access language and poetry through movement rather than just words. This helps to develop phonological awareness and a sense of rhythm.

Through the practice of eurythmy, individuals have been able to find inner calmness and self-regulate their thoughts and emotions. Many students who struggle to remain calm for prolonged periods of time can experience calmness in these sessions.

Additional extra curricula sports activities are also possible for students and cohousers; such as sailing at Chipstead lakes, tai chi, indoor cricket, tennis lessons at the local racket club, horse riding at Sevenoaks stables and weekly swimming lessons at a local leisure centre, to name but a few! And everyone joins in with our annual sports day in July, taking part in long jump, relay races and javelin throwing.

Therapies

Individual Therapy Offer at The Mount

The Mount offers a range of specialised therapies which nurture the whole person. These include Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, Embodiment, Eurythmy, Massage, Art and Music. Therapies are allocated from a range of sources; EHCP, personal plan, regular multidisciplinary meetings, annual reviews and an anthroposophical therapy advisor that visits twice a year.

The right of all people, regardless of their abilities, to have opportunities to participate in a full range of everyday activities within their community is recognised by the United Nations. This right underpins the whole concept of occupational therapy at The Mount.

Regardless of whether students and cohousers at The Mount have direct Occupational Therapy identified within their EHCP/personal plan the holistic living, learning, working approach at The Mount offers everyone opportunities to engage in meaningful occupations throughout the day.

The waking day curriculum is structured to provide a sensory lifestyle to support students and cohousers with identified underlying sensory processing, integration, and modulation challenges. Our occupational therapist assesses and develops individualised sensory based activities / input for those identified as having these specific needs. Students can participate in a Sensory Circuits programme here, using the trampette, gym ball, balance board etc which help to achieve the specific sensory input (proprioceptive, vestibular and tactile). The outdoor trim trail we are fundraising for would really enhance this therapeutic work. Opportunities for alerting (vestibular input), organising (requiring balance and timing) and calming (involving deep pressure and stimulation of the proprioceptive sensory system) activities would be inherent with this new equipment.

As well as providing a sensory based experience activities at The Mount such as weaving, pottery, felting, baking, basketry, gardening, cooking, candle making also enable development of fine and gross motor skills, visual motor and visual perceptual abilities along with appropriate social interactions.

Why do we need a trim trail?

An outdoor trim trail circuit would supply a wide range of outdoor gym equipment and fitness equipment to combine fun and exercise in one. Robust and perfect for outdoor spaces; the apparatus is built to challenge all, creates an outdoor fitness regime that promotes exercise and physical fitness for all. It will include a variety of balancing, climbing, swinging and hanging.

Exercise and use of the outdoor trim trail can be enjoyed at any time and won’t need to be part of the formal timetable. It can bring the excitement back into fitness routines. One of the primary reasons people abandon their fitness regimens is due to lack of motivation and boredom with repetitive workouts.

Fitness equipment breathes new life into a fitness journey while connecting with the great outdoors. It’s a fantastic way to diversify an exercise routine. Using the equipment can be enjoyable and invigorating. Additionally, being outside in the midst of Mother Nature has been proven to elevate your mood and boost vitamin D levels.

The benefits of outdoor equipment include:

• Fun to play on.

• Helps develop a range of important skills.

• Improves physical health.

• Contributes to mental well-being.

• Improves cognitive ability.

• Develops core strength, as well as balance and co-ordination.

• Provides exercise in a safe and trim environment.

• Versatile in layout and design.

• Use as part of a ‘sensory diet’ for those with sensory needs that are difficult to meet and as part of Sensory Circuits to help those to achieve the ‘just-right’ level of alertness for learning.