Being introduced to the English Education System can be a lot to take in. But there is a lot of information out there to help you, it's just learning where to look!

Something that is really important to your child’s experience at school is the relationship you, as a parent, form with the school. This home-school relationship is vital as both parents and teachers make decisions relating to the child’s educational experience. Good communication between parents and teachers enables the child’s needs to be met, expectations of parents and teachers to be explored, and the child’s overall experience at both school and at home to be enhanced.

The national curriculum for the early years is called the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) It covers early childhood education and care from birth to age 5, and therefore includes the reception year in school. 

The national schooling system has a set curriculum and targets that are expected to be met across 4 key stages. Primary school consists of the first two: Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. During these stages, the main focus, which they are assessed on, is competency in English reading, grammar, punctuation and spelling, as well as Maths. 

During the course we will talk more about two of the key methods of teaching and learning are used during the early years of primary education:

Learning through play is considered a vital part of children’s learning, enabling them to explore and understand the world around them. Activities that resemble play allow children to easily engage, and this ‘project-based learning’ (CARE, 2014) encourages them to make their own decisions and thus gain self-confidence at a young age.

Phonics is a method of teaching how to read, write and speak in English that develops understanding of the relation between different sounds and spelling patterns in the English language.

There is so much to find out about preschool and school in England! Please click the links below to read more about .... 

Learning through play, please CLICK HERE

Parents guide to the EYFS, please CLICK HERE

The British national curriculum, please CLICK HERE