Early Years Foundation Stage

Sentinel Kalumbila provides a safe, caring environment which promotes physical, mental and emotional health. It is an environment where children can be a positive and valued member of a small community; where their help and collaboration is needed, encouraged, and appreciated. They learn to care for others with kindness and gentleness.

During their time in the Early Years, the children are introduced to a range of activities and materials designed to nurture their sense of independence and self-esteem. Through these activities concentration, confidence and perseverance develop naturally.

At Sentinel School Kalumbila relationships between the children and staff are warm and open. The teachers believe in every child and encourages a growth mindset – believing that everything is possible if you give it a go and work hard enough.

Learning Through Play

In the Early Years Foundation Stage our emphasis is learning through play. This is a term we use to describe how a child can learn to make sense of the world around them. We educate our learners through play, which enables them to develop social and cognitive skills, mature emotionally and gain self-confidence required to engage in new experiences and environment.

Learning through play helps our learners to organize and make sense of their social worlds, as they actively engage with people, objects and representations. At Sentinel Kalumbila, we learn through play by sorting, counting, graphing, making words or sounds with play dough and exploring measurements. We also believe that all children are learners who will develop at their own rate, hence they learn best when they have interesting things to do and interested people to help them.

As we teach children through play, they learn to solve problems to get along with others and to develop the fine and gross motor skills needed to grow and learn.

Phonics

Phonics is a way of teaching pupils to read skillfully and quickly. It helps pupils to learn to read and spell words correctly. Phonics is taught in a very structured way starting with the easiest sounds and blending them into words. It is currently the most effective way of teaching children to read fluently and for enjoyment.

We are accurately using Ruth Miskin synthetic phonics programme that ensures reading, writing and spelling success. It is great to have a logical programme with lovely books that our children can comprehend independently. We are so enthusiastic because children have made such a huge progress in a short time.

The Hidden Curriculum

One aspect of the curriculum followed by students at Sentinel Kalumbila School is the hidden curriculum. This part of the curriculum is a great attribute to students’ progress of identity and personality. At Sentinel Kalumbila School, we believe that students need the skills and knowledge to uncover the hidden rules and expectations that affect their identities and personalities. This is done both inside and outside the classroom. To achieve this, our students participate in social experiences in routine activities such co-curricular activities, assemblies which are held every Fridays, sporting events and community service. There are no formal lessons conducted to deliver this part of the curriculum, but Sentinel Kalumbila students acquire what is expected of them such as discipline, norms, culture, mannerisms and other attributes that make them complete. Our values as Educore are emphasized through different class presentations during these activities. Regular talks are given to boys and girls on issues that need to be addressed.