Infants - Canterbury School

Infant Department

Milton House

In the Infant Department our excellent provision offers the children a safe and happy place in which to lay the foundations for a lifetime of learning. Through immersion in the English language and a practical, ‘hands-on’ learning approach, our staff care for the children as individuals, planning curriculum activities to develop them academically, socially and emotionally.

Pre Nursery

Welcome to the Infant Department

We invite you to discover our Infant School, where our children are at the centre of everything we do. It is a pleasure to be part of a team of professionals who are dedicated to providing children with the best possible care and learning experiences during their time with us. Here we offer a wide range of exciting activities and resources which promote each child’s learning across all the areas of the Early Years Framework and KS1 curriculum. The setting is a welcoming ‘home-from-home’, where children feel relaxed and happy, while being guided and nurtured by our dedicated staff team. As always at Canterbury School, our fundamental aim is to offer the best possible environment in which children can flourish and naturally develop their English and a life-long love of learning.

Pamela Ainsworth, Head of Infants

Infant Department (Milton House)

From 18 months to 5 years old

At Milton House we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum in Pre-Nursery (18 months to 2 year olds), Nursery (3 year olds) and Reception (4 year olds) followed by the first year of the English National Curriculum Key Stage 1 in Y1 (5 year olds).

We provide the children with creative educational experiences that help them develop a positive approach to learning and to enjoy school; to enable them to explore new concepts and ideas and to build a firm foundation for their future learning.

In the Infant Department, we place a very strong emphasis on teaching English to enable our pupils to communicate in English from a very early age. We consider it essential that the children speak and understand the English language before they are taught to read and write it. Here we use the methodology of immersion in English, so our little ones grow up surrounded by English. All our class teachers are native English speakers. Although the curriculum is completely taught through English, (from 2023-24 school year), from Reception onwards the children also have some time learning the Spanish language to ensure they become completely bilingual.

We have a play-based curriculum in Pre-Nursery and Nursery so that our children soon learn that it is fun to be in school and enjoy learning together through all their practical play activities!

Play-based curriculum

Each child is unique

Each child is supported by our staff to feel safe and secure in their environment and we build up a positive relationship with the child and their family. Through getting to know the children and their parents we can create a welcoming, family environment and ensure that we plan activities that are based on children’s interests and familiar activities.

Our native English teachers support the children to develop their oral language so that from a very early age they are able to understand and then communicate in English. Teachers model English through play activities and planned small group activities. Key vocabulary is identified and activities are planned to support children in understanding and saying key phrases with both the teachers and their peers.

Communication and Language

Teachers work with children and families to support toileting, eating, washing hands and getting dressed. Children’s gross motor skills advance through lots of physical play both indoors and outdoors, developing strength in the arms and legs, balance and core strength. We plan activities that encourage children to use and develop their fine motor skills, such as play-dough, finger painting, finger rhymes, mark-making, etc.

Physical Development

Our teachers interact with the children in their play, modelling how to play together, positive behavioural expectations and supporting children to begin to self-regulate their emotions. We encourage the development of positive relationships between the children through small group activities, like singing, dancing and creating art together.

Personal, Social and
Emotional development

Children are introduced to stories and rhymes in English. It is a language-rich environment and songs and rhymes form part of all daily activities! They are used frequently to support children’s early language skills, supporting children in developing their listening and attention skills, developing their vocabulary, begin to hear sounds, rhythm and rhyme in words and helping with the development of memory skills.

Literacy

Children’s early mathematical skills are developed through using numbers in daily activities and through play, for instance counting steps, counting how many cars there are and seeing numerals in the environment. The children are gradually introduced to the numbers 1-10, developing an understanding of each number.

Mathematics

Children explore the world around them, investigating different resources and materials, being involved in heuristic play. They learn about their world, their family and friends, the natural world in which they live and begin to investigate how things work and why things happen.

Understanding the world

We encourage all children to get involved in many different creative and sensory activities. They enjoy activities such as painting, sticking, cutting, learning about colour, mark-making, building and getting creative with different materials.

Expressive Arts and Design

The strong emphasis on developing the children’s speaking and understanding of English continues in Reception. New vocabulary is continually introduced and consolidated related to the topics the children study; they become increasingly confident at using and understanding English and are keen to show off their ability! Being able to listen attentively is an important skill for future learning; so many activities encourage and develop good listening skills.

Communication and Language

Reception children enjoy Physical Education (P.E.) lessons twice per week with our specialist PE monitor. In P.E. the children develop their gross motor skills and teamwork skills in the outdoors. Children develop their fine motor skills through using play-dough and plasticine, threading, cutting, using tweezers and small one handed tools. This helps with the coordination and strength required to grip a pencil correctly and to form letters.

Physical Development

Reception children explore, manage and discuss their feelings through role-play, team work, speaking and listening and circle time. They are encouraged to become more independent, dressing themselves and managing their own personal hygiene. They also become increasingly aware of the need to be active and to eat healthily.

Personal, Social and
Emotional Development

In Year 1 phonics is a key area; the children will continue to expand their knowledge of phonics and will probably surprise you with just how quickly they develop their reading. When writing independently, they will be encouraged to ‘have a go’ at spelling, by phonetically sounding out words. Along with this they will start to take home five short words to practise learning to spell correctly each week.

Phonics

Children will learn English through topics and through the wonderful stories they listen to, immerse themselves in and act out. Through the Talk 4 Writing approach, children will re-tell, plan and write their own wonderful creative stories, design posters and leaflets. They will learn to write in sentences with a capital letter and a full stop and to use exciting language — all while improving their handwriting. You will probably be amazed at their development in writing by the end of Y1!

English

Maths lessons this year are enjoyable, with plenty of hands-on activities. A Year 1 child will count with objects and work in groups to explore shapes and pattern. Now that they are using numbers over 20, they will learn to use a 100 square to help with their adding and subtracting. Number bonds will also be reinforced. They will learn to count forwards, backwards, in 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s, and they will double and halve.

Mathematics

Children enjoy this class where they do practical experiments, such as making simple electrical circuits, investigating pushes and pulls or testing to see which materials are waterproof.

Science

There are a wide range of topics covered in this year including Houses and Homes, Festivals, Spain and Transport. Through the topics the children begin to learn to look at life in the past and physical and human geography skills.

History and Geography

Children learn art and music skills to enable them to develop their creativity. Year 1 children enjoy taking the leading roles in our music and dance shows in the theatre and producing thoughtful art and craft work.

Art & Craft, Music and Drama

Children begin to take their first steps in the world of computing by learning to program using a Bee-Bot floor robot and leaning to use mouse to work the computer, being introduced to programs such as Paint and Word.

Computing

Children’s gross motor skills continue to develop in their PE lessons with our specialist PE monitor. They learn to take part in simple team games, work together and enjoy being active.

Physical Education

Bilingual Education

Our children grow up surrounded by English, thus learning it in a natural way. We place a very strong emphasis on developing spoken English and understanding to enable our pupils to have the confidence to communicate in English from a very early age. The activities we do build up the children’s vocabulary and confidence so that by the time they begin to read and write they have a good base of oracy in English to support this.

In September 2023, from Reception onwards, we will begin to introduce Spanish Language and Literature, so that the children grow up truly bilingual and have a sound basis in Spanish too.

Welcome to the Infant Department

Pamela Ainsworth, Head of Infants

Infant Department (Milton House)

From 18 months to 5 years old

Bilingual Education

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