The Importance and Successes of Our Early Years Provision

At Nord Anglia International School Shanghai, Pudong, Early Years education is where our children build the all-important foundations for their future development within a truly international setting, ready for the countless opportunities ahead.

Following the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ (EYFS) UK curriculum, our teaching philosophy caters to every child’s individuality and uniqueness, as guided by Reggio Emilio’s child-centered inquiry-led approach. Working within an affirming and nurturing environment, this means that when one of our children demonstrates a fascination for insects, for example, our Early Years specialists embrace this area to develop a range of open-ended inquiry-based challenges. Through catering to the interests and passions of our children we enable each of them to delve deeper into their learning, further enthusing and inspiring one another across a rich cross-section of learning opportunities.

Well–being in Early Years education

Throughout our twenty-year history, Nord Anglia International School Shanghai, Pudong has maintained a renowned reputation for its outstanding pastoral care. From the moment one steps into our Early Years environment, our children’s animated and confident interactions testify to a community of quality care and high academic standards. Indeed, throughout our school we recognise that a child’s well-being is intrinsically linked to their levels of involvement and motivation to learn and, ultimately, to their success. We therefore ensure that every child in our care feels safe emotionally, socially and physically, enabling them to develop at the pace that is right for them.

In Early Years, it is through individual and shared play that every child is enabled and appropriately challenged in their learning, taking ownership of their own choices by thinking independently, creatively and critically. Our committed team of Early Years specialists strongly believes that early childhood is not a race to see who can master key skills the quickest. Rather, it is a vital time for our children to develop their social skills through meaningful collaboration, learning who they are as individuals, whilst strengthening their physical body and developing their ever-increasing communication and language skills – all through carefully tailored levels of challenge.

What does Early Years education look like at Nord Anglia International School Shanghai, Pudong?

Starting with our youngest learners, our dedicated Early Years specialists focus on developing each child’s independence, resilience and ability to collaborate. By laying these foundations, within the Early Years curriculum, we ensure that children are equipped with the personal skills necessary to take on any challenge that may come their way as they progress through our school – and, ultimately, through their wider lives. Whether this is a mathematical equation, a piece of artwork, a public speech or a swimming competition, our children will have the confidence and self-belief to take it on. They might not always succeed, but they will understand that ‘not succeeding’ is not failure; rather, this is a powerful part of our shared learning process.

Our interconnected learning space is a direct reflection of the interconnected approach to teaching and learning that we pride ourselves on at Nord Anglia International School Shanghai, Pudong.

Our Early Years environment is designed to enable children to move freely between spaces, to further enhance and inspire their learning journeys. Children come together as a class at key times within the day for whole-class activities such as: morning meetings, story time, and specific teacher-led activities, including Phonics and Maths, whilst the rest of the day is spent working in adult-supported small groups, free-flowing across our diverse range of indoor and outdoor spaces.

Throughout all components of Early Years provision, early concepts from mathematics, science and literacy are carefully inter-woven through a wealth of cross-curricula nature-based learning provocations. Counting and sorting activities will frequently take the form of ‘nature hunts’, collecting leaves, stones, or seeds, which may subsequently translate into artwork or ‘imaginary worlds’ punctuated with language-rich roleplay scenarios, before developing yet further into book-making, shared reading and research time. The possibilities are truly unlimited, and continuously guided with outstanding levels of care and attention-to-detail by our experienced and dedicated Early Years team.

Against this rich tapestry of learning experiences, every one of our Early Years children also benefits from the passion and knowledge of our specialist subject teachers in Music, Mandarin, PE and Swimming, working in close collaboration with our Early Years team. It is this truly holistic approach across a broad range of subject areas that provides our Early Years children with a world-class education, preparing each of them for the rigours of their Primary and Secondary education, and beyond.

At Nord Anglia International School Shanghai, Pudong, we are proud to nurture creative, confident and considerate learners, ready for their futures ahead. Nowhere is this more apparent than in our long-established Early Years setting. For any parents and families sharing our own aspirations for first-class pastoral care within an international community of personalised provision and high academic standards, we warmly invite them to contact our admissions team to arrange a visit to our unique school community!