Early Years Curriculum

The early years last a lifetime. Although this statement can be dismissed as a truism, it is profoundly significant. There is now a significant body of evidence from a wide range of sources, demonstrating that early childhood development affects health, well-being and competence across the balance of the life course.

Hertzman

Early Learning Playground 2015At Swan Valley Anglican Community School we acknowledge how crucial Early Years education is. It is the phase of education which has the biggest impact on future well-being and is when intervention has the greatest success rate. This reality underpins all we do.

Our philosophy is to educate the whole child whilst acknowledging and respecting the child’s culture and community. We ensure children are offered a range of learning opportunities which are authentically real, relevant and meaningful for all children.

We see children as unique individuals who learn and develop at different rates and in different ways. Our staff are trained to observe, record and share each child’s learning journey. We use the help of Occupational and Speech Therapists to ensure any difficulties our students experience are communicated to their parents so that intervention can take place. Our Student Enrichment programme means we are able to provide the support students need to enable them to flourish.

Explicit Direct instruction

We place a great deal of emphasis on social emotional development. By explicit teaching, modelling and providing meaningful experiences, students are equipped with the skills to understand their emotions and interact successfully with others.

We explicitly teach Literacy and Numeracy skills using best practice. All other areas of the curriculum, taught by the class teacher, are taught through inquiry units, allowing students to guide their own learning, question, investigate, practise and play.

When welcoming a child into our school we also welcome the child’s family. We strive to ensure families feel part of our community and acknowledge the need to work in partnership with parents. We involve our families in their children’s learning by providing open days and workshops. We also value the skills and experiences parents and extended families bring to the School and utilize these to enrich our student’s learning.