Preschool Classes

The Caterpillars, our youngest learners, attend school on Monday,Tuesday and Thursday mornings, while Butterfly children attend school 5 mornings a week. On Caterpillar days, much of our learning time in the Preschool Unit is spent with Caterpillars and Butterflies learning side by side in the shared space. Allowing these age groups to interact and explore together has many advantages

The children continue to have a classroom space to identify with: that being Caterpillar Room or Butterfly Room. They spend some time in these rooms separately, such as during Monday and Tuesday ‘morning meetings’ and Thursday ‘Show and Tell’. Each age group has the opportunity to explore, learn and have their development supported through age appropriate/learning outcome-based skills at the various learning ‘stations’, and for periods of the day, children have access to everything, while the unit is operating as a whole. Having times both separate and together enables the teaching team facilitate the children with even more of what they need individually, in small groups and as a whole unit. The children have access to our wide range of learning area ‘stations’, including: art, malleable materials, construction/small world, communication, language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, book corner, reflective space, sensory tuff tray, role play and so on, to a much greater effect for their holistic learning journey.

Preschool Home

Curriculum

Caterpillars and Butterflies

What our Preschool structure enables

Freedom of
choice

Exposure to advanced language

More complex play episodes

Learning from
each other

Love, support &
nurturing

Relatable family dynamics

Developmentally-similar play

Language
versatility

Development of
wisdom

This means that young learners can play to their strengths under the guidance and supervision of our teachers, who can turn any chosen activity into an experiential learning opportunity.

With such peer-on-peer learning opportunities and observations, young children can learn the nuances of language and develop their language acquisition, by learning how to express themselves, make good word choices and understand how language works in a social context and setting.

When children of mixed age groups play collaboratively and co-operatively, the value of such improves and becomes more complex organically. Younger children learn from the older ones, whilst the older children gain the valuable skill of learning to explain, practising patience and become facilitators/leaders.

Modelling behaviour patterns from older children has a beneficial and sustained impact on learning for younger children. It also enables the older children to problem-solve and implement trial and error in a safe space, so as to practise evolutionary learning.

Throughout Early Years Education, teachers are on hand to support, love and nurture children, whilst all the time, modelling positive behaviour expectations. However, by having a whole unit with a mixed age group, this increases dramatically, as children mimic that support of adults and absorb such well-modelled behaviour to love, support and nurture each other through their play and learning activities. In fact, this is not just a pre-school learning goal, but something we aspire to life-long.

Outside of school, children have exposure to their family, siblings, trips and experiences, which enhance their learning. By offering a similar structure for part of their learning day, that builds on a familiarity they are already used to within the curriculum we follow.

This enables younger and older children to mix with children who suit their learning need at any given time. Specifically, for younger children to enjoy a more complex ‘up-graded’ play, and for the older children to have a moment of enjoying something more developmentally familiar to them and mastering that. For example, have you ever watched a movie, or read a book more than once, or visited the same part of the beach? It enables us as adults to revisit such experiences with a new outlook; to re-experience the comfort of it, or even build on that experience by seeing new things in what we have experienced before.

When we speak to children, we make adjustments in how we say things, or pick words that are appropriate, meaningful and necessary to achieve an outcome - such as problem-solving. The very same principle applies to a mixed age group. Older children have to think, consider and find the correct language to use for younger ones, thereby further developing their cognition, whilst the younger children have to appropriately ‘step-up’ to ensure that they can find a new word, new phrase, new way of applying their linguistics to a new situation, or even to seek help.

When older children engage with younger children, they’re able to easily identify their own abilities and how they need to adjust themselves accordingly. They quickly learn more about their personal knowledge and awareness, and how to frame that for the purpose of the situation they are in. This enables children who are perhaps the youngest or oldest in a family setting, to practise strength, care, wise decision-making etc. at different levels – imagine the boost in confidence!