Early Years

An exciting and stimulating journey of learning, through hands-on activities and play

The journey begins

Children are welcomed into Early Years at the age of 2½ where they follow an exciting play-based curriculum.

“We have nothing but praise for the Early Years teachers. They draw the best out of the children.”

Mr & Mrs Brilus

We purposefully restrict class sizes to create a warm and welcoming environment, which caters for the individual needs of each child.

The children love learning and developing their knowledge through exciting activities and play, whether in the classroom, the gymnasium, the sandpit, the playground or on trips out of school.

As they move through the Early Years, the children make their first steps in learning to become more structured with stimulating topic-based work and child-initiated play in dedicated play areas.

Curriculum

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), which prepares students to become active participants in a lifelong journey of learning.

The PYP is a curriculum framework designed for students aged 3 to 11 (Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5) which focuses on the development of students as inquirers, both in the classroom and in the world outside.

Transdisplinary Themes

At the heart of the PYP philosophy is a commitment to structured inquiry as the leading vehicle for learning. Six transdisciplinary themes provide the framework for the exploration of knowledge by exploring subject areas through these themes:

• Who we are.
• Where we are in place and time.
• How we express ourselves.
• How the world works.
• How we organise ourselves.
• Sharing the planet.

In the process, they develop an understanding of important concepts, acquire essential skills and knowledge, develop particular attitudes and learn to take socially responsible action.

Activities

Life is a discovery. A varied programme of visits, such as to a garage, planetarium, farm, park, zoo or even a dentist help our youngest students take their first steps in finding out about the world around them. A whirlwind of events throughout the year, including visits by Sinterklaas and the Easter Bunny, Discos, Halloween and Carnival celebrations, Film Forums, Food Festivals, Christmas and Summer Shows all ensure that learning is always fun, and play is always educational.

Assessment

Each child’s progress is closely monitored across the curriculum. At DVIS, we realise that young children achieve milestones at different stages of their development and no two children are alike. Our assessment is personalised to every child’s individual pace of development and provides parents with a clear view of where their children are on their learning journey.

At Da Vinci, we realise that young children achieve milestones at different stages of their development and no two children are alike.