EDUCATION
AIS Preschool | 3 to 5 Years old
Preschool
Ages 3 to 5
Starting school is a big step for all children and their families and we aim to make it a happy and smooth transition. We offer a wide range of experiences for all children which encourage and stimulate a desire to learn. We pride ourselves on the relationships we build with our parents and their children.
Our children come from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures and they learn together in an atmosphere of encouragement, mutual respect, friendship and a lot of fun. We know and value each child in our school and we work hard as a team to ensure that each child achieves their very best in everything they do.
Nursery (ages 3 to 4)
Nursery provides a happy and stimulating introduction to school life. It is a fully integrated part of the school, giving children the opportunity to benefit from the extensive range of facilities and specialist teaching available.
The Preschool is well resourced, and our teachers and support staff make sure that each child receives access to a full and varied range of learning opportunities.
The Nursery Curriculum encourages the development of the whole child. Emphasis is placed on enhancing basic preschool skills at this formative age. Phonics is introduced using the Jolly Phonics Programme which continues throughout Reception and beyond if required.
Reception (ages 4-5)
Reception provides a more appropriately challenging environment in which children are excited to begin to develop the skills they will need for school and future life. Children have access to both the indoor and outdoor classrooms, learning through imaginative hands-on activities, relevant to their interests and in readiness for their ‘next steps’.
They are encouraged to take risks as well as to develop creativity and critical thinking, following their own investigations. Emphasis is placed on ensuring the children are ready for Year 1.
The curriculum:
We follow the British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum and nurture each child’s abilities and interests to prepare them for the next phase of their primary education.
In the EYFS the children are provided with opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in the seven areas outlined in the EYFS statutory framework:
- personal, social and emotional
- communication and language
- physical
- literacy
- mathematics
- understanding the world
- expressive arts and design
Our programme is topic-based, providing various interesting activities that are right for a child's age, stage of development and individual preferences, focusing on learning through play.
Our teachers are bilingual and we incorporate Portuguese into the curriculum in a natural way so that children learn the language alongside the topics they are being taught in the classroom.
“Tell me, and I will forget
Show me, and I may remember
Involve me, and I will understand".
Confucius