In Kindergarten, children are gently introduced to the routines they will encounter in the more structured environment of Reception so that they are well-prepared when the time comes to move up. The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum is taught through play, with the focus on enjoyment and fun.
“We plan activities carefully and structure them so that they help children develop the full range of physical and intellectual attributes.”
The children start to learn Phonics and Ten Town to get them started on their literacy and numeracy journeys. We organise each term’s learning around a different topic, linking a wide range of activities and providing a thematic focus. Using inspirational, interesting resources and a wide range of activities, we nurture our children so that they reach their full potential and their Early Learning Goals in time for moving up to Reception.
The children really enjoy their weekly Music, games and gym lessons with specialist teachers. We even begin teaching them a little French, because the younger they start learning a foreign language, the better. We work closely with parents in carefully documenting the children’s progress in a personalised learning journey record, using ‘Tapestry.’ This is an interactive online journal that enables easy communication in both directions and is a lovely record for parents to keep.
We are very aware of our role in educating children about healthy eating. Our school kitchen makes nutritious meals and snacks each day and we encourage the children to try new tastes and textures. They have a snack mid-morning (known as ghab) followed by lunch at 11.50am for the children who remain for the full day. The afternoon snack is served at 2.30pm and water is always on offer – we encourage children to ‘drink to think’!
Nursery and Kindergarten is open Monday to Friday during the term-time. The morning session runs from 9am until 12pm and doesn’t include lunch. The afternoon session begins at 12.30pm and ends at 3.30pm and doesn’t include lunch. There are flexible extended hours available from 8am to 6pm, which do carry an additional cost.
