Learning Through Play
Children develop at differing rates and in the early years of education we ensure that all our pupils gain the experiences they need to progress further. This means that much of the education our pupils receive in our nursery class is accessed through play, an important and integral part of their development. Children play in-order to experience the world around them and to experiment with new and different ideas. They learn to share, communicate and cooperate with their peers and adults. They experience basic number and letter sounds all through the medium of play. At the same time their play is structured so that they are prepared for the more formal aspects of education as they progress through their school career.
Phonics
During the early years at Sentinel Kabitaka the pupils undergo a basic phonics course. Phonics is a method of teaching early reading skills using the sounds that the letters, and combinations of letters, use in the English language. Younger pupils will first learn the initial sounds of the letters in the alphabet moving on as they progress to the more complex sounds of letter combinations. This enables the children to eventually decode almost any word and accelerates their reading skills as they learn more complex vocabulary and meaning in the upper primary years. At Sentinel Kabitaka we use a specific scheme called Read, Write, Inc., which was developed in the UK specifically for children with English as an additional language.
The Hidden Curriculum
The “Hidden Curriculum” of a school is all those things that are also taught that do not fit into areas that come under subject headings. At Sentinel Kabitaka our Motto is “Steadfast, Strong, Studious”. Virtues such as honesty, politeness, organisation, punctuality, caring for others and self-respect are all taught as part of the school ethos and atmosphere. Expectations of behaviour, tidiness and hard work are all very high and reinforced by the staff on a daily basis.