Curriculum

As we are currently offering a part-time course of study, we are not able to teach the full British National Curriculum and are therefore focusing on the core disciplines of Literacy and Numeracy, while also including a daily P.E. lesson. However, Literacy gives us the opportunity to branch into other subjects, such as History, Geography, Science or even Art & Design, that would normally be allocated their own place in the timetable. In addition, we monitor and guide a child’s wider personal development, as is required by the curriculum, and report on progress made termly.

From mastering the alphabet and phonics to acquiring skills in reading fiction
and nonfiction, developing abilities in writing stories and descriptions in
accurate English, and finding self-confidence in participating in dramatic
presentations, we cover all the requirements of the British National
Curriculum at kindergarten and primary level. While we acknowledge the
forms of the language that are employed within the USA for illustrative
purposes, it is the English that is identified with the United Kingdom and
British Commonwealth that we teach our children and require them to
master.

In our Kindergarten & Lower Primary class, we proceed from teaching phonics and developing a child’s ability in listening and speaking to reading texts as advanced as accessibility of the vocabulary will allow, and writing clearly and accurately in terms of sense, spelling, grammar and punctuation. Method includes songs, stories, discussions, comprehension work and creative expression.

At Upper Primary & Lower Secondary, we are instructing pupils who have conversational English and are essentially literate, enabling them to make further progress in their grammar, particularly in the use of verb tenses, and widen their vocabulary across a variety of contexts, as well as improving pronunciation and voice modulation. Units of study involve reading, discussion and written assignments, and cover a wide range of content, such as narratives, scientific topics or cultural phenomena.

From mastering the alphabet and phonics to acquiring skills in reading fiction
and nonfiction, developing abilities in writing stories and descriptions in
accurate English, and finding self-confidence in participating in dramatic
presentations, we cover all the requirements of the British National
Curriculum at kindergarten and primary level. While we acknowledge the
forms of the language that are employed within the USA for illustrative
purposes, it is the English that is identified with the United Kingdom and
British Commonwealth that we teach our children and require them to
master.

 We believe that exercise is vital to any young person’s
development in both body and mind, and that team games
especially teach co-operation and tactical skills. On most
mornings, we include a P.E. lesson for all classes between
break and lunchtime

 We teach our children life skills, such as personal hygiene and
organisation, good manners, co-operation with and respect for
others, nutritional facts and environmental awareness, in a
continuous process throughout the school day.

 We are a health-conscious school and, aside from teaching personal hygiene, and including regular exercise in our curriculum, we provide fresh fruit at morning break upon request and discourage snacks that are artificially flavoured or sweetened, or with high levels of salt, starch or saturated fat. We also ask that no food is brought to school in a styrofoam (polystyrene) container. In addition, children are given a lunch that is nourishing and sustaining. It is cooked on the premises and is consumed by staff and pupils alike. An adequate amount of vegetable especially is included in the meal. Our assistant teachers have the responsibility of ensuring children eat enough, and also closely supervise naptime so that every child is refreshed and ready for afternoon school.

We take environmental issues very seriously, not only recycling aluminium,
plastic, paper and cardboard, but teaching our children to separate these items
accordingly and to help in keeping the school site clean and tidy. This will lead, we hope, with the related material we teach in our curriculum, to their playing their part in looking after the planet one day!