THE EARLY YEARS OF LEARNING

Our Early Education Programme empowers our youngest learners to follow their natural curiosity and interests. We believe children construct knowledge through interactions within their environment, and our teachers facilitate this natural learning process.

Your child will be gently challenged to test their emerging theories of the world and develop a capacity for critical thinking. Over the course of the year, they will follow units of inquiry that encourage deep exploration of concepts aligned to their interests.

Our teachers – who are all constantly observing the children – work together to discuss and interpret the children’s actions and behaviours. They then share the observations with the kids themselves, and work with them to develop the next stage of learning. It’s an incredibly insightful way to help our children develop their own thinking strategies.

OUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

The Early Education department embodies the school’s mission statement, which is to inspire everyone in our learning community to be responsible, compassionate global citizens who make a difference through inclusion, innovation and action.

Our teachers work together to ensure that the learning rights of our youngest students are recognised, respected and celebrated. We believe that:

• Children have rights - we value children as citizens; and we listen and collaborate with them to create shared visions of learning and promote learner agency.
• Children are wondrous individuals - we celebrate the diverse and unique identity of each child. We see them as capable meaning makers, intrinsic communicators and limitless individuals.
• Learning is a social process - we nurture an empathetic learning community, where all children feel valued, safe, included and respected.
• Children can take ownership of learning - we encourage children to become resilient problem solvers. Our learning is enhanced through inquiry-driven and collaborative learning engagements, focused on developing the whole child.
• Free play is important - we know that play is the holistic and natural way children research, construct meaning and express themselves. Opportunities to develop knowledge, skills and conceptual understandings are created through free and guided play.
• Learning spaces are important - we believe that the environment is the soil in which children grow, creating grounded connections to space, culture and nature. Our spaces are safe, inclusive and accessible.
• Collaborative planning adds value - we collaborate as a community to deliver relevant, accessible and authentic teaching and learning. Planning is purposeful, intentional and informed by documentation.

Our Early Education teachers are knowledgeable and skilled educators who are always learning and drawing on the strengths of our community to continually improve our programme.

FACILITIES

The Early Education Department is purpose-built to engage and inspire our students. An art room, loft areas, integrated play spaces and multi-purpose areas provide diverse spaces for children to explore. The playground is a safe space for them to develop gross motor skills. And we regularly venture into the woods for outdoor learning opportunities.