A brief guide to year 1 and 2 june 2015

curriculum guide

Key stage e1 www.dulwich-beijing.cn

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Contents An Introduction for Parents

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Partnership with Parents

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The School Day

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Literacy

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Mathematics

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Science

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Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

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Art and Design Technology

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Humanities

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Mandarin

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Music

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Physical Education

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Drama and Performance

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Personal, Social, and Health Education

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Learning Journals

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Additional Educational Needs

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Extra Curricular Activities

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Charity Events

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Dear Parents

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Welcome to Key Stage One (Year One and Year Two) at Dulwich College Beijing where your child is at the centre of everything we do. The aim of our team of qualified and committed educators is to engage your child in a curriculum that is well planned, stimulating and will inspire them to achieve high standards of attainment. In our caring environment we believe that if children enjoy and have autonomy over their learning, not only will they achieve these high standards, but they will also become learners for life. Our uniqueness lies in our commitment to ensuring that we celebrate each child as an individual who is capable of achieving their full potential and is confidently able meet the challenges of the 21st century.

When you visit our Early Years campuses at DCB you will see children highly engaged and learning actively through problem solving and creative thinking. Accommodation at both campuses is welcoming, safe and facilitates educational provision that combines the very best of innovation and tradition.

Sarah Humphreys Head of Early Years

DULWICH COLLEGE BEIJING Philosophy & Objectives Because children come first: • Our school is a fun and safe place to learn • We can be ourselves • We all work together to do the best we can • We learn through everything we do • We play and work together as a team • We trust ourselves to try new things • We will try our best to take care of our world • We respect ourselves and others • I will be prepared for change

An Introduction for Parents AT DULWICH CHILDREN COME FIRST At DCB Early Years we are committed to ensuring that all children in our care can become happy, independent and enthusiastic learners. We aim to provide an appropriately balanced and challenging curriculum which will enable each child to realise his or her potential in a safe, caring and supportive setting. We provide our children with a broad based introduction to the English National Curriculum, developing skills, knowledge and understanding in Key Stage One that can be built on in Key Stage Two. We aim to encourage an enjoyment and love for learning by providing an interesting and stimulating school environment in which our children are encouraged to be individuals and recognise their own contributions to the life of the class and our school.

The English National Curriculum has core subjects which are of prime importance and are taught as discrete subjects in the curriculum at Dulwich. These include Literacy and Numeracy. Science, along with Humanities are taught using a child centered, theme based approach. Art and Design Technology are integrated into these themes to provide cross-curricular learning. Personal, Social and Health Education and Cultural studies are taught by the class teacher. We have specialist teachers for PE, Art, Chinese and Music lessons.

PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS We know that children learn best when parents and teachers work in partnership so we try our best to keep parents informed and also give them opportunities to be actively involved in their children’s learning through:

a) Consultations and Curriculum Information Sessions Parent-teacher consultations, information evenings and workshops are scheduled throughout the year. Our parent workshops focus on different aspects of learning such as phonics, early reading/ writing, mathematics, IT etc and we strongly encourage all parents to attend. We are keen to keep dialogue between parents and teachers open; consultations take place three times a year but if parents wish to see teachers at other times, they are very welcome to make appointments to do so.

b) Home/School Liaison Diaries/Weekly newsletters/Blogs Parents are encouraged to communicate closely with their children’s class teacher. All children have a liaison diary for day-to-day communication between home and school which we look at daily and encourage parents to do the same. As well as the Early Years weekly newsletter on a Friday, each class has their own Blog which shares information about the learning that has taken place during the week.

c) Parent Helpers and Class Representatives We warmly welcome parents who would like to contribute their skills and time to our school.

There are opportunities to help during the school week or to contribute during curriculum focus days, charity initiatives, school trips or with a special skill that you may have. Each class has a class parent representative who acts as a link between the teacher and the parents for social events or supporting the class.

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d) Coffee and Chat Our Early Years Friends group organizes regular opportunities for mums and dads to meet together informally to share coffee and cake. This takes place in the library at RMC and Coffee and Books at Legend Garden.

THE SCHOOL DAY The school day begins at 8:30am. Children are required to come into the classroom at 8:20am to engage in classroom activities as soon as they arrive. The children all have a schedule printed in the home/school liaison diaries so parents are aware of PE days and library book borrowing times.

Parents are welcome to settle their child into the classroom before saying farewell.

Throughout the day children follow a timetable that enables them to develop knowledge, skills and understanding in all areas of the English National Curriculum. This timetable includes opportunities for whole class, small group, individual and independent learning led by the Lead Teacher who is a native English speaker and supported by the Teaching Assistant who is a native Mandarin speaker. Throughout the week, the timetable also includes specialist teaching in Art, Music, PE and Mandarin.

Lunch and playtimes are an important part of the day for children to eat, drink, play and socialize.

Children have a short break in the morning at around 10.00 and also in the afternoon at around 2.00. They have an hour’s break at lunchtime during which they eat together and have a longer period of time in which to engage in independent play-based activities in our well-equipped outdoor learning environment.

The school day finishes at 3:30pm when parents are welcome to come into the school to wait for their child outside the classroom.

The Key Stage One Curriculum LITERACY The areas of English: reading, writing, speaking and listening and drama are all taught through the English Primary Framework for literacy. Each classroom is a language rich environment ensuring that the children experience a variety of texts, instruction and information. Children learn to develop their writing through a range of methods that will encourage both creativity and a structured use of language.

At this age it is important that children learn to speak with confidence to support all areas of their learning. Through these activities they are encouraged to recall, respond, discuss and interact as a group. Drama is used to explore space, ideas, feelings and texts. Children also develop phonics, reading and writing skills during focused literacy sessions.

An enjoyment of literature is fostered throughout the Dulwich Curriculum. Children benefit from an extensive library and are encouraged to share this facility with their parents, borrowing books on a regular basis. They have one dedicated class library book borrowing session each week but are also encouraged to use the library for research and fact finding purposes.

MATHEMATICS During Key Stage 1 pupils develop their knowledge and understanding of mathematics through practical activity, exploration and discussion. They learn to count, read, write and order numbers to 100 and beyond. They develop a range of mental calculation skills and use these confidently in different settings. They learn about shape and space through practical activity which builds on their understanding of their immediate environment. They begin to grasp mathematical language, using it to talk about their methods and explain their reasoning when solving problems.

SCIENCE During Key Stage 1 pupils observe, explore and ask questions about living things, materials and phenomena. They begin to work together to collect evidence to help them answer questions and to link this to simple scientific ideas. They evaluate evidence and consider whether tests or comparisons are fair. They use reference materials to find out more about scientific ideas. They share their ideas and communicate them using scientific language, drawings, charts and tables.

The science Key Stage 1 curriculum consists of: • Sc1 Scientific enquiry • Sc2 Life processes and living things • Sc3 Materials and their properties • Sc4 Physical processes

INFORMATION AND COMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) Learning through and about technology is a priority for us in the Early Years at DCB. Using interactive whiteboards, computers, laptops, ipads and itouch devices, children are taught how to research, record and represent their learning using a range of different programmes. Our Early Years classrooms are very well equipped so that the ICT skills taught directly can then be used by the children throughout the day in all areas of the curriculum.

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ART AND DESIGN TECHNOLOGY During Key Stage One, Art and Design is about developing children’s creativity and imagination through providing art, craft and design activities that relate to the children’s own identity and experiences. Children experiment with a variety of media to inform and extend their ideas. They develop their creativity and imagination by exploring the visual, tactile and sensory qualities of materials and processes. They use a variety of techniques including drawing, painting, collage, printing and clay modelling to express themselves and they use a variety of media and tools.

HUMANITIES In Year One we refer to Humanities as” My World”. In both Year One and Year Two this encompasses both Geography and History; enabling children to learn through a thematic approach using cross-curricular links. Through a variety of exciting activities they find out about their own environment and that of the wider world. They are encouraged to research and explore the past through a variety of themes.

MANDARIN We feel that it is very important that children learn about a range of Chinese customs and festivals and learn to speak, read and write Mandarin. All children are placed into groups with children of a similar ability level. They will have one lesson each day and the main part of the lesson will take place in Mandarin. We aim to provide a good foundation for speaking, listening, reading and writing.

MUSIC During Key Stage One music lessons, the children will have the opportunity to listen and comment on music, rhymes and songs from a variety of eras and cultures, celebrating the international nature of our school. They are encouraged to develop an appreciation of music by experiencing a range of music through singing, playing and composing as individuals, in groups or as a class.

Our music rooms are well resourced with a range of instruments including percussion, keyboards and other tuned instruments. During the school year, all Key Stage One students are given the opportunity to join a lunchtime choir and perform during assemblies and other events.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION In PE the children develop physical skills in the following four areas: games, gymnastics, dance and swimming. Physically, the children learn to perform and practice simple skills and to show control in linking actions together. Socially they are encouraged to work co-operatively with a partner, within a group or as part of a small team. At the end of the year the children participate in a Key Stage One sports day on our extensive outdoor sports area.

DRAMA AND PERFORMANCE Drama is an important part of the curriculum and is integrated into literacy and other curriculum areas. The children will be actively encouraged to take part in a range of musical and theatrical activities to promote confidence and enjoyment in the arts. Children have a range of opportunities to take part in performance from school assemblies to Key Stage One music and drama performances. The emphasis is on participation and enjoyment whilst developing the necessary skills that will encourage children to eventually become confident young adults.

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION At Key Stage One the children are learning about themselves as developing individuals and our PSHE sessions help them to see how and where they fit into the class, school, community and the wider world. This is taught through discussion in circle time and helps children to recognize and understand their feelings and emotions. Children learn the skills to express themselves, listen to each other and offer an opinion on a discussion theme. Teachers also take the opportunity to discuss questions that children raise as well as topics of relevance in children’s lives.

LEARNING JOURNALS - Your Child’s Unique Portfolio Each day we regularly observe and assess each child; collecting photographs, comments, examples of work and written records of relevant things that we see throughout the day. We use this evidence to keep track of the progress that each child is making and to inform our planning.

All this information is placed in a portfolio (Learning Journal) that is available for you to see and that forms the basis of our reporting to you. At the end of the year parents are given their child’s Learning Journal to keep.

ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS Dulwich College welcomes a great diversity of children, many of whom have different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds and some of whom have specific learning needs. We believe that such diversity enriches our school community.

The College has a small team of dedicated teachers who support children with additional educational needs. Our English as an Additional Language and Learning Support Programmes are tailored to meet the needs of the individual and offer small group in-class support and where necessary, short withdrawal sessions.

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES For Early Years children there are extra-curricular activities provided during the school lunch hour such as ‘dance and sing’, gardening and environmental programmes, reading and writing clubs.

Children can also sign up to our out of school programme run by the Dulwich College Community Programme, which include football, ballet and other activities. Parents are expected to provide supervision and transport for children attending these activities.

CHARITY EVENTS We also support a range of charities and have a dedicated charity coordinator to oversee our range of projects, focusing termly on the community, the environment and our Dulwich Panda Wei Wei! Some of our Senior School students are also involved in supporting charity events at our campuses.

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Legend Garden Campus 89, capital Airport road shunyi district, Beijing tel: (+10) 6454-9000