Curriculum

At Thinkberry, every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years, and a child’s experiences between birth to five years old greatly impact their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right.

We strive to operate a unique, quality preschool program, simultaneously implementing the British Early Years Stage Foundation (EYFS) with Reggio Emilia and a nature-inspired approach. We nurture young learners to realise that the world is full of endless possibilities.

EYFS & REGGIO EMILIA

The Reggio Emilia Approach:

The 3 Core Principles of the Reggio Philosophy

The Image of the Child

In this child centered approach to education, the child is valued and respected in a way where each child is seen as competent, capable, and creative. The Reggio philosophy understands that children have rights and encourage a learning environment where children are respected and listened to. This pedagogy honours the child and their thinking. For this reason, the children of Reggio classrooms are often referred to as co-creators of the learning environment.

100 Languages

The Reggio philosophy is also based on the idea that every child has at least 100 languages in which he or she can communicate and express ideas. Our child is given the opportunity to communicate through many different languages: drawing, painting, photography, construction, discussions, drama… Not just the written words and numbers so often dominating our traditional classrooms.

The Environment as the Third Teacher

Another core principle of the Reggio Philosophy is that the curriculum must connect to local culture, community, and environment.

The environment is considered the third teacher.

The first teacher of any child is the parent or family, including siblings and extended family members. Our education system acknowledges this and encourages parents and carers to partner with us in their children's education.

The second teacher is the classroom teacher. We believe the classroom teacher needs to take on the role of researcher and curriculum implementor.

EYFS Overarching principles

Can you find the Stars ? Our Four principles

Effective practice in the Early Years is built on Four guiding principles:

Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
Enabling Environment: Children learn and develop well in enabling environments where their experiences respond to their interests and needs and help them build their learning over time.
Learning and development: Children develop and learn in different ways and at different learning rates. All areas of learning cover the education and care of all children in early years provision.

Three areas are particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving

Your child will mostly be taught through play and activity.

The three prime areas of learning are:

communication and language
physical development
personal, social and emotional development

The specific areas are:

literacy
mathematics
understanding the world
expressive arts and design