Pre-school Programme
We welcome children into our Pre-school programme from 2 years of age.
Children should already be 2 before the new academic year, starting
in September. We do, however, take into consideration a child’s
developmental age rather than sticking rigidly to a child’s chronological
age, which can sometimes be quite different. In this case, a recommended
placement will be fully discussed with the parent/s of that particular
child. Sometimes we are able to offer Mums and Tots sessions for younger
children throughout the year.
Our initial goal is that children are happy coming to school. As this
is often their first experience away from their home environment, it
is very important that we work with parents to ensure that a child’s
transition into school life is both a happy and natural one. Home visits
are arranged for new children entering into the programme.
The day begins at 8.30 A.M when children are brought to their classroom and
playground area and are greeted by their teachers and other children.
Once settled into a daily routine, our aim is to develop our children’s
natural learning styles and offer them an exciting and interesting environment
in which to develop socially, mentally and physically. Our classroom
and play areas are bright, cheerful and colourful and are equipped with
materials appropriate to this age group.
Our room offers a range of quiet and physical activities appropriate
for this age groups.
One part of the room is equipped with table top activities such as
art and crafts, puzzles and games. It houses a book area, home corner
and a range of fine motor activities. The other part of the the room
is fully equipped with a range of exciting soft play equipment and activities
to keep the children fully engaged. The classroom is air conditioned
to ensure that the children are comfortable at all times.
Our outdoor area offers the children the opportunity to practice their gross
motor skills whilst having fun and interacting with each other on a range of
bikes, swings and climbing apparatus.
A daily plan will include the following:
- Outdoor play and settling in time
- Circle, singing and story time
- Arts and craft activities
- Centres
- Healthy snack time (provided by parents)
- Gymboree tumble time in our soft play air conditioned area
- Role play
- Puzzles and games
- Outdoor play
- Pick up
All children should bring with them plenty of water to drink, milk or 100%
juice, healthy snacks including a piece of fruit and vegetables. A change of
clothes should also be provided along with the necessary diapers, wipes etc.
Our Pre-school classes end at 11:30am.
There is also sometimes an optional full day programme for this age
group. A packed lunch should be provided if staying for the whole day.
Children will have their packed lunch when the morning children have
gone home, followed by an outdoor activity time and a nap. Upon awakening,
the children engage in a variety of play and learning activities, until
pick up at 3PM.
Pre-school Curriculum
Our programme follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (UK Sure Start
- Birth to Three Matters) and High Scope curriculums. It is with the
Early Years Foundation Stage's developmental areas and High Scope's
key experiences in mind, that our school day, activities and assessments
are based.
 The
Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundationa Stage is the name of a British Framework
that has been developed to help adults working with children from birth
to 5 years to support their growth and development. You can learn more
about the framework by clicking on the links below.
There are four developmental themes and principles, which the curriculum
outlines. Click
here to learn more.
- A unique child
- Positive relationships
- Enabling environments
- Learning and development
High
Scope Infant and Toddler Key Experiences
We also incorporate into our programme, the key experiences from the High Scope
Curriculum. To learn more about Highscope and these key experiences, please
click
here.
Sense of Self
· Expressing initiative
· Distinguishing self from others
· Solving problems encountered in exploration and play
· Doing things for one's self
Social Relations
· Forming an attachment to a primary caregiver
· Building relationships with other adults
· Building relationships with peers
· Expressing emotions
· Showing empathy toward the feelings and needs of others
· Playing with others
Creative Representation
· Imitating and pretending
· Exploring building and art materials
· Responding to and identifying pictures and photographs
Movement
· Moving parts of the body (turning head, grasping, kicking)
· Moving the whole body (rolling, crawling, cruising, walking, running,
balancing)
· Moving with objects
· Feeling and experiencing steady beat
Music
· Listening to music
· Responding to music
· Exploring and imitating sound
· Exploring vocal pitch sounds
Communication and Language
· Listening and responding
· Communicating nonverbally
· Participating in two-way communication
· Speaking
· Exploring picture books and magazines
· Enjoying stories, rhymes, and songs
Exploring Objects
· Exploring objects with one's hands, feet, mouth, eyes, ears, and nose
· Discovering object permanence
· Exploring and noticing how things are the same or different
Early Quantity and Number
· Experiencing "more"
· Experiencing one-to-one correspondence
· Experiencing the number of things
Space
· Exploring and noticing the location of objects
· Observing people and things from various perspectives
· Filling and emptying, putting in and taking out
· Taking things apart and fitting them together
Time
· Anticipating familiar events
· Noticing the beginning and ending of time intervals
· Experiencing "fast" and "slow"
· Repeating an action to make something happen again: experiencing cause
and effect
For an appointment to visit our preschool programme in action, please
call the school at (649) 941 5638
|
