Early Years | Greengates School

OUR EARLY YEARS CURRICULUM

In the Early Years (Nursery, Reception, and Year 1), we offer the highly regarded, accredited International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC), which Greengates was the first to offer in all of Mexico and across Latin America. The IEYC fully immerses our youngest learners in English and assures their strong foundation through playful, thematic activities. They learn across different subjects and become hooked to explore further knowledge and skills.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL EARLY YEARS CURRICULUM (IEYC)

Our Early Years programme at Greengates Primary School is fully accredited in delivering the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC). This curriculum has been designed to foster the comprehensive growth of every child between the ages of three and five.

The International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) was launched in 2016 as the precursor to the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), will engage in upon entering Primary School. The IEYC has been designed to recognise the importance of early years’ education and focuses on learning through play.

Greengates was the first school to achieve both IEYC and IPC accreditation in Mexico and across Latin America. The IEYC and IPC are part of the International Curriculum Association (ICA), which has been helping schools worldwide develop children’s learning since 1984.

THE IEYC’S APPROACH TO LEARNING

Through the IEYC, our children can focus on academic, personal, and international aspects of learning that are exciting, engaging, and challenging. This curriculum kindles the passion and curiosity of our students and encourages them to be active participants in their learning journey.

We work through a selection of thematic units, taught across different subjects. Each unit begins with an interesting hook or entry point for the children to engage with, helping them to develop their knowledge, skills, and understanding across subjects and the world around them. The IEYC encourages every child to enjoy learning across science, history, geography, and art.

Our young students develop enquiring minds and create personal goals that will continue to inspire them throughout their teenage and adult years. They’ll also develop a sense of their own nationality and culture, while also developing a profound respect for the nationalities and cultures of others.

WHAT STUDENTS GAIN FROM THE IEYC

Through the IEYC, our young students build the knowledge, skills, and understanding necessary to confidently face the world of tomorrow.

At Greengates, our approach to learning also includes our relationship with our host country of Mexico and the educational authorities of the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP). Mexican nationals and other native Spanish speakers can achieve certification for the learning targets of SEP, through Spanish language lessons and IPC Social Studies lessons.

For our young international students, we expect them to achieve literacy in Spanish by the end of their Primary School years, and we give them the tools for success beginning in Early Years. By the end of Primary, we also expect they’ll develop knowledge of Mexican history and geography and an appreciation of our country’s rich culture and traditions.

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A TYPICAL DAY AT GREENGATES SCHOOL

Our days are full of many exciting activities that help us build our confidence and explore everything we’re curious about. With growing independence, we begin to lead our own learning.

Early Years | Greengates School | Nord Anglia - Visual Time Line Tabs

MORNING GREETINGS

Our teachers greet us at the main gate, before we all gather in the classroom next to the entrance and begin a hands-on morning activity. We greet our peers as they join us and get ready for a day of learning activities ahead.

GETTING READY

STORYTELLING

We love to express ourselves! Through Jolly Phonic activities, we begin to practice our skills that will lead us to read and write stories, following the IEYC – and we practice our English following the English National Curriculum, too.

READING AND WRITING

LUNCHTIME NIBBLES AND PLAY

We eat our packed lunches in our classroom before going out to play with our friends. We can build our motor skills by running, riding tricycles, digging in the sand box together, or playing hide and seek with our teacher and peers.

PLAYING WITH OTHERS

LEARNING TOGETHER

We love creating stars as part of the IEYC unit, Blast Off! Whilst our teacher leads us through some activities in small groups, in others, we get to choose what we want to work on from our unit learning goals and take the lead.

CREATING AND CONNECTING

ARTS AND CRAFTS

We become more independent and confident through arts and crafts that show us what we can do on our own, like putting together small gadgets or practicing our handwriting. These also help us develop our fine motor skills.

DOING IT YOURSELF

GET ACTIVE!

We enjoy physical education activities twice each week, and this includes swimming together in the pool. We feel empowered as we discover how to use our strokes, support our bodies, and keep an active lifestyle.

FLOATING AND SPLASHING

THE ENGLISH NATIONAL CURRICULUM FOR ENGLISH AND MATHEMATICS

We start with 100% English immersion in the Early Years. This encourages our students to attain a fluent level and helps them become confident, fluent, and multilingual global citizens.

We follow and meet all the goals and targets of the English National Curriculum in the subjects of English and mathematics.

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Our combined IEYC and IPC programme has received recognition for excellent practice. Our programme received the highest award of mastering in the areas below and received 51 mastering awards across 58 individual categories.

This included:

A clear focus on improving learning
A shared vision about how we’re helping to stimulate children’s growth
International mindedness and global awareness
The significance and development of knowledge, skills, and understanding
Engagement and enjoyment in outstanding learning experiences that support learning and extend children’s development
Successful teaching of the IEYC’s learning process
Successful teaching of the IEYC’s themes through holistic learning experiences

Interested in learning more? Discover more about how we’ve also earned awards specific to the IPC. You may also explore the difference between our international and national programmes.