As a leading British Curriculum in Dubai, when families with very young children visit our school one of the most important discussions we have, is about the benefits of Foundation Stages.
We must start with understanding – what is the Early Years Foundation Stage?
At The Aquila School, we know that a high-quality EYFS education gives children the best start in life. It provides opportunities for children to learn and develop in a range of areas and can help children to start to develop a lifelong love of learning.
The curriculum taught in the early years helps ensure children become well-rounded individuals. In the Foundation Stages, our focus on learning starts off with their personal, social and emotional development, physical development, as well as communication and language development. This is then supplemented with learning in literacy, maths, expressive arts and design, and also getting an understanding of the world. In the early years, learning takes place everywhere and children are encouraged to develop their independence skills in all activities.
Being in a classroom environment during the early years can help children develop a range of skills that help them in later school life. What are the skills children learn in FS1 and FS2?
Social skills- Being exposed to other children and adults in a safe environment allows children to learn how to interact with others and how to act in different scenarios. Children develop valuable interpersonal skills such as listening to others, sharing, taking turns and communicating their ideas.
Developing good habits and routines- Routines are so important for children- they help make children feel safe and secure and put them in the best possible place to learn and thrive.
Developing emotional resilience- Children who attend high-quality Foundation Stage classes learn valuable emotional skills, like learning how to express their own emotions and read the emotions of others.
Developing early literacy and numeracy skills- Literacy and numeracy skills form the basis of education but it is more than just learning to recite numbers and letters. High-quality early years education will teach children literacy skills by listening to stories, building language by talking about pictures from stories, exploring mark making both large and small. Numeracy skills will be developed through songs, music, and exploring and investigating with materials and objects.
By Kylie Cleworth
Head of Primary