“Quality play is a vehicle for learning.”
Communication & Language
Physical Development
Personal, Social & Emotional Development
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding The World
Expressive Arts & Design
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old. The EYFS curriculum consists of everything you want children to experience, learn and be able to do. It is vital that children have the opportunity to experience the best possible start to their school journey.
At Safa British School, we endeavour to unlock the potential of every child. From the moment a child begins their Safa journey in Foundation Stage, we aim to enable this through learning experiences of the highest quality, prioritising the well being of each and every child and the range of learning opportunities that enhances their lifelong love of learning. Their time in Foundation Stage prepares the children for the transition into Key Stage 1.
The curriculum is structured to provide rich and stimulating experiences that are challenging and enjoyable. The curriculum is flexible and is influenced by, and caters for, individual needs, interests, enthusiasms and learning styles. We ensure that the children have time and opportunities to learn at their own pace and in their own way and we allow for times of sustained concentration.
The curriculum provides opportunities for teaching and learning, both outdoors and indoors. Our outdoor space is secure and offers children the ability to explore a different environment, presenting them with different challenges and experiences. We offer children a range of practical, investigative and recorded activities and provide opportunities for whole class, group, paired and individual activities. We aim to challenge the children and expect the most of them and have high expectations of children’s behaviour. We have flexibility about playtimes and timetabling so that there is a minimum of interruptions to the children’s activities.
There are three prime areas of learning. These areas place an emphasis on building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. These areas focus on building relations and enhancing vocabulary.
There are four specific areas of learning. These areas must be strengthened and applied through the prime areas of development.
Play is often described as childrens’ work. Children learn and make sense of the world around them through play and have a fundamental right to play. Exploration and personal inquiry inspire the children to guide their own investigations through their own questioning. Children become independent and develop a positive sense of self.
Through child-initiated experiences children are enabled to use their minds to process information. Creative thinking applies to all areas of learning. In the EYFS children begin to think flexibly and innovate their own ideas. At SBS, we ensure that children have opportunities to enhance their thinking skills.
Embedded routines and procedures allow children to access their engaging learning environments to engage in meaningful, purposeful and active learning. By being actively involved in their learning children become resilient risk-takers, actively exploring and developing problem solving skills.
The personal, social and emotional development is at the core of everything we do here at Safa British School. The PSED skills that children learn enable them to be successful learners interacting positively with their friends and establishing strong relationships with both adults and children. Strong, warm and supportive relationships with adults help children to understand their own feelings and feelings of others.
Speaking and Listening are essential skills for children to be able to access in order to achieve their potential in all seven areas of learning and development.
Through conversations, story timing and role play, children will share their ideas with their peers and develop their active listening skills. Children will learn the importance of expressing their opinions.
The adults in school will help your child develop and widen their vocabulary and provide them with many opportunities to practise the new words in context.
Physical Development is vital to a child’s holistic development.
In Safa British School, we focus on developing the children’s confidence to move in a variety of ways. Children need to negotiate space and obstacles safely. Developing fine motor skills is integral for early literacy development, where children will learn to hold a pencil effectively and use a range of small tools.
Here at Safa British School, we are passionate about developing a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. The children choose library books each week.
The children’s pre-writing skills are encouraged daily and opportunities to mark make are available throughout the day
Phonics: At Safa, our teachers focus on teaching the pure phonemes (pure sound) of each letter.
Developing a strong sense of number is essential so that all children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically. Mathematics is taught through a practical and hands-on approach. Play activities are planned to enable children to develop a secure base of knowledge and vocabulary of mathematics. The children will also have daily whole class maths sessions led by their teacher to develop number and calculating skills through fun, enriching and engaging strategies.
Understanding the World involves getting the children to make sense of their physical world and their community. Children have opportunities to explore and investigate in order to discover more about the world around them, how things work and why they happen. Hands on activities encourage the children to speak about their observations and enable them to develop their questioning skills.
At Safa, we take great pride in supporting the children’s imagination and creativity. The Safa children have opportunities to engage with the arts through the continuous provision where the children explore and play with a wide range of media and materials.
Arabic learning and teaching in EYFS offers students valuable opportunities for studying a second language in an age appropriate manner. During Arabic Lessons, children continue to immerse themselves in play based learning and music where they can apply their new knowledge of the Arabic language.
Our bespoke Creative Arts teacher enables our children to further their development for self expression, communication, and performing. Within their Creative Arts lessons, children explore songsinging, performing and movement. The frequency, repetition and depth of their experiences are fundamental to their progress in interpreting and appreciating what they hear, respond to and observe
Physcial Education is an integral part of the teaching our youngest learners how to remain fit and healthy. Gross motor skills provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being. With the support of specialist EYFS PE teachers, children develop proficiency, control and confidence.
All of our children in FS1 and FS2 participate in swimming lessons each week. Our highly qualified lifeguards and Swim teachers ensure the health and safety of all pool users at Safa British School. The Swim programme for foundation stage ensures that children master an important life skill.
Developing a love of learning from Foundation Stage 1 is very much a part of life at Safa British. Each week children are encouraged to choose their own book for pleasure. Our school librarian leads a session each week with the children.
The skills of collaboration, curiosity, self-management, GRIT, creativity, research and thinking are indeed ‘assets’ for all learners. Children bring these assets to school in some form. At Safa British school, our job is to help grow them to add value to the capacity to learn they have already demonstrated in their first years of life. These assets can be nurtured and deepened throughout their time at school.
These skills are developed across the curriculum and begin their development in the Foundation Stage with the Safa Superheroes. These Safa Super Heroes are an accumulation of the School’s Learning Gears as well as the Characteristics of Effective Learning from the EYFS Framework.
“When we are Safa Heroes, we listen we try our best. We do lots of things, we use our kind manners and writing, we love writing”
“If you do something wrong and you make a mistake, it’s ok. We are learning and it’s fine to to it again and again. We keep on trying.”
“When we are Helping Heroes, we can let our friends have a go and then have a go. We help our friends to tdy and if something is tricky.”
“Basically, when you have an idea about what you’re learning, we can tell our friend or teacher. It might be right and if it’s not we can always try again.”
“You can be a WOW hero if you do something really challenging and try hard.”
“You can explore with friends around the classroom. We can explore ideas in our mind and look carefully around the classroom. It might be interesting to explore. We are happy to try.”
Safa British School – Jumeirah | All Rights Reserved © 2024
