Curriculum
Our school curriculum plan is based on the National Curriculum for England and Wales and serves as a framework for our teaching and learning. The school exists to provide excellent personalized education on the best British school practice always with particular regard for the unique pupil population in Rome and the School’s educational philosophy.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Our carefully structured Kindergarten (3-4 years old) and Transition (4-5 years old) classes provide a varied programme, including the preparation for learning basic skills, in a happy family atmosphere with English mother tongue teachers.
The 6 areas of learning:
1. Personal social and emotional development
• Encourages children to be independent and to interact with other children and adults
• Helps children to become confident, safe, secure and ready to learn from new experiences
2. Communication language and literacy
• Encourages children to develop conversational skills
• Will help children to develop listening and concentration skills
• Enables children to begin to hear sounds in words and to link these sounds to letters
• Encourages children to develop pencil control and to begin to make marks on paper
• Will help to eventually read single simple words.
3. Mathematical development
• Helps children to count up to 10 and back
• Encourages children to use mathematical words such as greater, smaller, heavier, lighter, more less etc
• Develops skills in comparing and sorting objects
• Supports children’s understanding of shape and size including 2D and 3D shapes
4. Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Forms a foundation for later work in science, history, geography, design and technology and ICT
• Helps children to make sense of the world at their level
5. Creative Development
• Encourages an enjoyment of music
• Provides opportunities for imaginative play
• Helps engender confidence in painting, drawing and other areas of art.
6. Physical Development
• Improves skills of coordination, control, manipulation and movement
• Introduces children to the positive benefits of being active and healthy.
Kindergarten
The aim of the Kindergarten department is to prepare the children for their primary education through directed activities, such as art and craft, sports, music and play in a stimulating environment catering for their social, emotional and intellectual needs.
Transition
In Transition our objective is to provide fun, hands-on activities within a nurturing and stimulating environment to ensure a smooth change from Kindergarten to Transition Class. Although lesson time will be more structured compared to Kindergarten, learning through play will still continue to be an important part of the school day. The areas of learning set out in the UK Early Years National Curriculum – Foundation Stage are planned to foster the intellectual, creative, social and physical development of each child. The children will take part in whole-class and small focus groups on Literacy and Mathematics activities to promote motivated, enthused and eager learners. Topics and PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) are also covered during lesson time.
