Early Years
OVERVIEW | |
|---|---|
| Age Range | 2-4+ years |
| Year Groups | EY1, EY2 |
Our Approach
At Shrewsbury, our Early Years pedagogy and practice are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, which is blended to fit the UK Government’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum.
The Reggio Approach is based on seven principles:
- Children are capable of constructing their own learning. They have natural interests that inspire them to learn and figure out the best ways to do so independently.
- Community is important, and children learn by collaborating with their communities. At Shrewsbury, we structure our projects around small groups, enabling children to interact with each other and see each other as peers and active members of the community.
- Humans are natural communicators, and children should be encouraged to express themselves. We recognise that children are natural communicators who must be encouraged to communicate through various experiential activities. Our culturally and linguistically diverse staff are able to address the key development area by engaging children’s interests.
- The environment is the third teacher and must be enriching and supportive. Our team intentionally uses natural furnishings, ensuring that the classroom, shared areas, and outdoor spaces are carefully integrated to encourage real-life interactions.
- Teachers are partners, nurturers, and guides, helping children explore their interests through projects. Our team plays multiple roles, including observing the children, questioning them, and maximising opportunities to encourage further exploration of their interests.
- A child’s learning must be documented. Our team utilises modern technology to document the progress of our children. The portfolio, shared with parents as co-educators, records the educational journey of each child.
- Parental participation is vital. Just like teachers, Shrewsbury recognises that parents are partners in their child’s education. We constantly invite parents to play an active role in their child’s learning experiences.
Meet Our Team
Our teachers are experienced, qualified professionals in the UK’s Early Years Foundation Stage, and hold the UK Government’s Qualified Teaching Status (QTS). They work closely with each child individually to promote social, emotional, physical and cognitive development through a range of activities using our play-based and child-centred approaches.
Catherine Okill
Gosia Wanat
Rebecca Van Der Hoevan
“Early Years is a magical place where awe and wonder blossom in every child. Our dedicated Early Years teaching team nurtures each child’s unique journey, igniting their natural curiosity and empowering them to lead their own learning. Together, we create an environment where children can truly flourish and reach their fullest potential.”
Early Years team at Shrewsbury International School Bangkok City Campus
Our Curriculum
The Early Years Foundation Stage has seven areas of learning, all of which are connected and are of equal importance. Every child is unique and has particular interests, skills and needs; they will have opportunities to interact in positive relationships and enabling environments, both indoors and outdoors. Through “Active Learning”, the children experience a range of challenges and playful learning opportunities across the Prime and Specific Areas of learning and development.
Prime Areas
- Personal, Social & Emotional Development: Developing emotional well-being. Becoming more confident and self-assured and forming friendships. Learning how to share and take turns. Discovering how to manage their feelings and behaviour.
- Physical Development: Developing coordination, control, manipulation and movement. Improving physical skills has two other important aspects; it helps children develop confidence in what they can do and enables them to feel the benefits of being healthy and active as well as creating a positive sense of well-being. Develop self help skills and independence at managing their personal hygiene.
- Communication & Language: Developing listening skills so they can understand what is being said and can learn how to pay attention. Developing speaking skills so that they can improve their vocabulary and fluency when they communicate with others.
Specific Areas
- Literacy: Children will be exposed to a wide range of books, introduced to letter sounds and begin emergent writing.
- Maths: Includes matching, counting, sorting, seeking patterns, making connections, recognising relationships and working with numbers, shapes and measures. Mathematical understanding will be developed through stories, songs, games and imaginative play so that children enjoy using and experimenting with counting and numbers.
- Expressive Arts & Design: Being creative allows children to make connections between one area of learning and another and so extend their understanding. This area develops music, art, dance, role play and imaginative play.
- Understanding the World: Where children will begin to develop the crucial knowledge, skills and understanding to help them comprehend the world around them. This forms the foundation for subjects of Science, Geography, History, Design Technology and ICT (computer skills).
Our Facilities
Our Early Years Hub is in a beautiful purposeful setting with its own specially-designed garden area. It caters for children aged 2-5 years. We plan a learning environment both indoors and outdoors that encourages a positive and enthusiastic attitude to learning. We have selected quality, carefully chosen materials and equipment that reflects the community that the children come from and the wider world. We encourage the children to make their own choices of the activities on offer and of the equipment as we believe that this encourages independent learning. We fully utilise the sensory and physical opportunities inside and outside, as this enhances the children’s learning. We regularly review our resources and maintain our equipment to ensure that we have a high regard to health and safety.
