Reception & Kindergarten Programme

• The Reception and Kindergarten programme is centred on six areas of development as follows:
  
  
• •  Personal, Social and Emotional development
• •  Communication, Language and Literacy
• •  Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy
• •  Knowledge and Understanding of the World
• •  Physical Development
• •  Creative Development
  

This is delivered through the following:

• •  A topic based programme is used in order to teach pupils the necessary skills through meaningful and interesting material. Such topics include: Ourselves, Autumn, Christmas, Our World, Animals, Volcanoes and Dinosaurs, Under the Sea and many others. These are evaluated each year and necessary changes made.
• •  Resources are made available and these include pictures, flashcards, books, music and audiovisual material related to the topic.
• •  The skills taught and the tasks carried out throughout the month are related to the topic - for example teaching recognition of number 5 can be done through counting 5 animals (during animal topic). Literacy is carried out through reading and discussing books related to the topic such as a book about volcanoes during the month pertaining to the topic Volcanoes and Dinosaurs. Art work is also designed related to the topic.
• •  In Reception and Kindergarten 1 pupils are not given handwritten tasks.
• •  In Kindergarten 2 pupils follow a professional Handwriting programme (Sue Peet/Nelson Handwriting) which teaches them how to hold the pencil (using a tripod grip), how to sit in a position for writing and how to hold the paper when writing. They have two sessions per week in groups of 8 to 9 pupils.
• •  In Kindergarten 1 and 2 pupils are supported in their number work through the use of Numicon. This is a visual system used to support a multisensory approach to learning.
• •  In Kindergarten 1 pupils are taught 18 letters of the alphabet using the Jolly Phonics.
• •  In Kindergarten 2 pupils are taught the full alphabet - recognition of the letters and the formation of the written letter. In the last term of Kindergarten 2 the pupils are also introduced to the capital letters.
• •  Throughout both years pupils are exposed to the letter names through the alphabet song and other similar songs and activities.
• •  In Kindergarten 1 helpers working in class speak in Maltese so that pupils are exposed to both English and Maltese.
• •  In Kindergarten 2 Maltese is also delved into throughout the week.
• •  Pupils are given the opportunity of the following activities: art work, music sessions, drama (yearly concerts), physical education and rhythmic movement.

Junior 1 & Junior 2 Programme

This is delivered through the following:

• •  During English and Maltese pupils are encouraged to develop skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening.
• •  They follow the Jolly Phonics literacy programme to teach them to read and spell.
• •  Reading is highly encouraged and they are provided with reading books to take home with them each week.
• •  Pupils are encouraged to borrow three books a week from school through the mobile library. Books can be borrowed only if they are returned.
• •  A monthly author is introduced through 'Author of the month' and books, DVDs, CDs and art and craft activities are carried out during these sessions. The library is also used for this purpose.
• •  The aim of Mathematics is to provide pupils with the knowledge and experience so that they can use these tools in their everyday lives.
• •  Environmental studies aims to stimulate curiosity, enquiry and understanding of the natural and man-made world.
• •  The aim of Religious Education is to help the promotion of values such as kindness, love, compassion and tolerance. This is done through hands on activities related to spiritual topics.
• •  Information and Communication Technology helps pupils to develop skills which will serve their needs in all areas of study. They are given the opportunity to handle text, images, numbers, instructions and sound.