It is my pleasure to extend to you a warm welcome to Foundation Stage - a place where strong roots grow into solid foundations. We hope that this brochure allows you to get a feeling for what students in Early Years and Reception experience on a daily basis. We are a small key stage, consisting of 3 classes: 1 in Early Years and 2 in Reception. In Foundation Stage, our aim is to help guide you through the first formal years of schooling and welcome you to our EIC family.
Foundation Stage is a tremendously valuable period of time in a child’s life as it marks the beginning of their exposure to more formal schooling and a range of subjects. Towards the end of Reception, it also marks the end of their journey in the Foundation Stage, before they move onto Key Stage 1 and the start of the National Curriculum. Foundation Stage is a time of growth and exploration as students learn about themselves and the different types of ways that they can learn. For some students, this will be their first experience of being away from home, so we like to foster warm and meaningful relationships between adults and children.
We pride ourselves on our small class sizes which allow us to offer a high level of stability and individualised learning. A strong foundation of skills and a knowledge of understanding about the world around us are embedded in the Foundation Stage. We like to encourage even our youngest students to take risks, discover and explore, all within the safety net of our school environment.
Currently, we find ourselves in an extraordinary time, but as a school and a key stage, we feel confident that we are able to continue to deliver outstanding teaching and learning opportunities, be that face-to-face or online.
I am delighted to be able to lead the Foundation Stage who are a team of teachers that are kind, compassionate and nurturing, and who are always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that Every Individual Counts.
The Foundation Stage curriculum is divided into seven areas of learning which are all taught by the class teacher and supported by full-time teaching assistants.
The seven areas of learning are:
As a private international school in Spain, we are able to adapt, modify and enhance the seven areas with our own objectives, lessons and opportunities for further learning. We also monitor the progress of each child as an individual to ensure that they are on track to meet their Early Learning Goals.
The purpose of the Foundation Stage is to give children as many opportunities as possible to access their learning through different platforms, focusing in on the different ways that our brains like to learn and retain.
Metaphorically, in Early Years, we think of the children as seeds: full of life and endless possibility, but who need lots of nurturing, support and attention to begin to form the strong roots, which they develop in Reception. These roots allow them to branch out, exploring further, becoming more stable learners who can confidently begin to navigate the world around them.
In the Foundation Stage, our team of teachers like to create and plan around exciting topics to stimulate and excite every child’s thirst for learning. We work on a two year cycle and the topics covered in this key stage include:
It is important to note that many subjects are taught in a cross-curricula manner. For instance, a Literacy lesson about sequencing the rhyme of Humpty Dumpty may well cover parts of the Communication & Language and Expressive Arts and Design curriculum. This helps the children to make vital links between the different subjects, and to view their learning holistically.
We are one of the few primary schools who can boast specialist teaching to all students from the age of 3. In turn, this allows for EIC students to be exposed to a variety of teaching styles and rich, challenging learning opportunities, taught by subject experts. These highly skilled and experienced specialist teachers teach the following subjects to students in the Foundation Stage.
All classes also have an allocated slot to go and visit the school library on a weekly basis, where they can loan up to three books for a period of two weeks. Our fantastic librarian, Miss Katia, is always available to provide advice and assistance to ensure students develop a passion and love for reading.
Our Settling-In Policy for our Early Years and Reception students aims to ensure that all government guidelines are adhered to and that the safety of students, parents and teachers is at the forefront of the process. Starting school is enormously beneficial for children and their families, yet it can also be an anxious time too, especially given the rather unique and strange climate we currently find ourselves in. Our settling-in policy sets out the procedures for introducing children to Foundation Stage in order to ensure that we provide a positive experience for children and parents.
The aim of our policy is to guide families through the settling- in period which is intended to bridge the gap for children between home and school or from their prior school to our setting. This settling in process should help children to become accustomed to their new environment and form an attachment with our staff, who will be with them for the duration of the school day. Preparation is the key to success so we like to ensure that parents feel that they are a part of the process from the beginning.
Contact us to recieve our booklet where we cover all aspects of Foundation Stage at EIC
We recognize the importance of choosing the right school for your family and we are here to help. Please take the time to read through the Admissions pages to familiarise yourself with the admissions process, but don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions.
When you are ready please visit the Making an Enquiry page to begin the process of joining us.
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