Read Our Stories of Learning at the Alice Smith School
Early Years and Primary Education Gets a Boost from Experts Jan Dubiel and Theresa Forbes
Jan Dubiel is an independent speaker, consultant, trainer, and author who focuses on Early Years policy, pedagogy, and practice. He is a nationally and internationally recognised specialist in Early Childhood Education.
In 2018, he was named as one of the ten most influential people in British education by the Times Educational Supplement. Jan’s expertise lies in the..
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Why Toddlers Need Physical Activity to Develop Their Motor Skills and Stay Healthy?
Toddlers are bundles of energy and it is essential to channel this energy in the right direction. Regular physical activity not only helps toddlers develop their motor skills but also has an overall positive impact on their health and wellbeing. In this blog, we will take a closer look at why physical activity is so important for toddlers, how structured physical activity can..
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Preschool Taster for Three Year Olds
Is your child ready for school?
We're currently offering a limited number of taster sessions for 3 year olds so they (and you!) can experience a little of what Preschool life at Alice Smith is like.
Held on a Thursday afternoon between 1pm and 2pm in our Preschool environment, your child will get to spend an hour having fun, exploring the learning facilities and experiencing..
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Social and Emotional Development in the First Five Years
In the first five years, a child’s brain develops rapidly from a quarter size of an adult brain at birth to around 80% of an adult brain by the age of 3, and then almost 90% of an adult brain by the age of 5. Brain connections start to develop from birth through their experience and interactions and by using their senses to learn about the world around them.
Despite the fact..
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Starting school confidently
Starting school is an exciting time for young children and their parents. It can be a daunting time, too. Chat with your child about starting school. What do they think it will be like? What are they most looking forward to? Is there anything they’re unsure or worried about? Be sure to listen to their concerns and help them to overcome them.
Here are a few ways parents can..
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Learning in the Garden: Cultivating Young Minds in an Early Years Setting
In today's fast-paced world, where technology often dominates our lives, it is essential to create spaces where young children can reconnect with nature and learn through hands-on experiences. At the Alice Smith School, our commitment to holistic education encourages learning both indoors and outdoors in our Reception Early Years setting. In this blog post, we will explore the..
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Primary Weekly Highlight: Connecting Our Learning to the Natural World
The outdoor provision at Alice Smith provides children with a range of opportunities to explore the natural world, follow their interests and challenge them to take risks within their play. However, despite the children in early years thoroughly enjoying their outdoor area, the educators within the setting noticed that many of the children were using the outdoor space as a..
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Early Years at Alice Smith
A recently updated publication from UNESCO; Why is Early Childhood Care and Education Important?, highlights a range of areas critical to the life success of a child. The period from birth to eight years old is one of remarkable brain development for children and represents a crucial window of opportunity for education. When children are healthy, safe and learning well in..
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6 ways to help your child develop early reading skills
The World Literacy Foundation suggests that 'Parents should encourage early reading habits in their children because a learned child can have a bright future and make an impact on society as they grow.' They cite 7 benefits of early reading:
- Brain development
- Early vocabulary development
- Improved reading
- Better writing
- Better communication
- Creating a hobby
- Professional..
Parent Workshop with Early Years Expert, Jan Dubiel
Our parent workshops are designed to help support your role at home as well as our role at school and we are delighted to share with you our next exciting Parent Workshop with Early Years Expert, Jan Dubiel.
Guest: Jan DubielTheme: Learning in the Early Years
Date: Wednesday, 11th January 2023Time: 8am - 9amVenue: Primary Campus School Hall, Jalan Bellamy
Save the date and..
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Early Years: Alice & Smith Early Years PE Lessons
The Physical Education (PE) department is passionate and dedicated to our provision for Early Years children and feel that your child’s experiences in their PE lessons build the foundations for happy, healthy and active lives. We deliver a programme which has been carefully considered for our Alice Smith students using Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS).
Your child will..
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Free Preschool Taster Sessions
Is your child 3 years old? Are you curious about how Preschool could help their development? At Alice Smith Preschool your child will learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outdoors. Learning is fun!
But don't take our word for it! We are currently able to offer free taster sessions for three..
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Why should I pay for my child to play?
The play based approach is core to our Early Years philosophy here at Alice Smith. Our teachers provide support and challenge as our children learn through play. This creates a highly personalised and tailored environment, which is appropriately challenging for each individual child.
Our aim is to ensure high levels of emotional wellbeing and involvement. This is..
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Primary Weekly Highlights: Our Students Return!
Yesterday was a special day. Our students across the kindergarten years returned and brought our campus back to life. Classrooms were full of happy and joyful children who embraced being back at school and brought smiles to everyone at JB.
I was so impressed with how instantly comfortable and settled our children were as they separated from their parents and strolled into..
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EYFS student wins AIMS Science competition👏
We were very excited to hear that our EYFS student was one of the three winners in their age group in the AIMS Science Easter Holiday Challenge.
The challenge set was to build a Rube Goldberg machine.
Rube Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author engineer and inventor. He drew popular cartoons showing complicated gadgets performing simple tasks, such as a..
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Primary Weekly Highlights: Music Matters!🎼📻🎶
Despite the ongoing challenges we are facing on a global scale, music making has continued to enhance the lives of many, including those within our school community.
The positive impact that music in its many forms has on wellbeing is widely documented. Whether participating or listening, music is associated with improved mood, reduced anxiety, lower levels of depression,..
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Six ways to help your child develop early maths skills
At Alice Smith we know how important developing early skills are. Here's six ways you can help your preschooler to develop early maths skills and build important foundations for later number work:
- Counting: Understanding numbers will help children in all areas of maths. When children hear adults counting, using numbers and talking about quantity it develops their..
Construction Play in Early Years
Foundation Stage: How Children Learn in a Play Based Environment
When a baby is born, they have billions of brain cells and through stimulation, those cells connect to form synapses. Stimulation comes in the form of play, exploration, human interaction etc.
“Brain activity and synapse formation are at their highest when a child is deeply engrossed in something which fascinates, challenges and makes them happy.”Anna Ephgrave, Early Years'..
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Why Play is Important?
Play: It’s the way young children learn. A special supplement to the Children’s Advocate, stated, “Play is the main way children learn and develop ideas about the world. It helps them build the skills necessary for critical thinking and leadership. It’s how they learn to solve problems and to feel good about their ability to learn. Children learn the most from play when they..
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Early Years: Nurturing a Love of Learning
Starting school is an exciting time for parents and children as they begin their learning journey with us at Alice Smith. Our Early Years consists of our Pre-school and Reception classes gives your child an ideal start to their school education. In these classes your child will be able to settle into school, develop social skills while making new friends and be guided by our..
