Literacy Development

Our Literacy Program empowers children to communicate effectively, a crucial skill for successful learning. It emphasises listening, understanding, recalling, and responding appropriately in various situations.

Children learn to recognise letter names and sounds, which aids in blending words. This foundation is expanded to include the recognition of frequently used sight words and basic word attack skills.

By the end of the CEY program, children are expected to communicate confidently using age-appropriate language, possess a solid understanding of the phonemes taught, and construct three-letter words. Additionally, they should recognise sight words and be able to read picture books with simple captions.

Findings from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study reveal that 81% of learners in South Africa struggle with reading comprehension. At Bradford Schools, we emphasise that speaking, listening, reading, and writing are essential for early literacy development. We are dedicated to nurturing a love for language in our young learners by encouraging the exploration of diverse texts. Our goal is to inspire a lifelong passion for reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By developing early literacy skills, we enhance critical thinking and comprehension, which are vital for our learners' academic success and personal growth.

The THRASS® Phonics Program is integrated into our Communication, Language, and Literacy curriculum to enhance phonemic awareness among young learners. This unique phonics program teaches children the 44 speech sounds (phonemes) of spoken English and their corresponding 120 key spellings (graphemes) in written English.

Through engaging songs, games, rhymes, and activities, learners develop essential phonetic awareness and skills that support their reading and spelling abilities.

Our commitment to early literacy development not only improves reading proficiency but also establishes a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

Speaking and Listening Development

This learning area is dedicated to developing children's speaking and listening skills through structured activities and resources:

• • • • • • • • Collaborative Learning: We provide regular opportunities for children to participate in pair and group work, promoting essential skills like active listening and turn-taking.
              • Effective Communication: We implement a variety of strategies to encourage effective communication during child-initiated play, particularly in role-play scenarios that enrich interactive experiences.
              • Curriculum Integration: Our curriculum includes drama, songs, and rhymes that support learning objectives while facilitating the development of speaking and listening abilities.
              • Vocabulary Development: We offer a range of texts to help children expand their vocabulary and encourage self-expression through storytelling, rhymes, poems, songs, and informational content.
              • Key Vocabulary Lists: We provide 'Key Vocabulary' lists to assist learners in identifying essential words and using them in various familiar contexts, enhancing their overall communication skills.

This multifaceted approach equips our children with the necessary tools to excel in their speaking and listening abilities, preparing them for future academic success.

Mathematics

Developing mathematical thinking is essential for children to understand the significance of mathematics in their everyday lives. By participating in interactive games and activities, children are introduced to important mathematical language, reasoning, and concepts that are vital for their primary education.

Our teaching methods emphasise concrete activities and play-based learning, using the Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract (CPA) approach. Through hands-on experiences, children discover mathematical rules while playing, which encourages them to articulate their reasoning and explore different problem-solving strategies. This approach not only enhances conceptual understanding but also builds confidence and resourcefulness.

By implementing these methods, we aim to establish a strong foundation in mathematics that promotes lifelong learning.

Access to the Matific Program

Matific is an effective game-based learning platform that has been seamlessly integrated into our curriculum, providing our learners with valuable access to its resources. This platform significantly enhances learners' mathematical understanding and accelerates their learning in a fun and engaging environment.

By offering interactive games and activities designed for every learning level, Matific allows learners to build confidence and master various math topics. Its rigorous pedagogical approach promotes a deep conceptual understanding of mathematics.

Our educators utilise Matific to assign homework and independent practice, leveraging real-time data to analyse individual gaps and track progress. This ensures that each learner has a solid foundation in essential mathematical concepts.

Learners can log into the Matific program using their unique usernames and passwords. The program emphasises the teaching of core math and problem-solving skills in an enjoyable and interactive way, motivating learners to develop a strong interest in mathematics. Additionally, the built-in reward system fosters further engagement and motivation among learners.

To learn more about Matific, visit www.matific.com

Let’s Explore

This area of our curriculum encourages children’s natural curiosity as they explore the world around them. It lays the foundations for a range of different subjects in primary education and beyond, including science, digital literacy, computing and humanities.

The Let’s Explore program incorporates practical experiences and engaging activities which include local and global issues aimed at their level, to involve our learners in real life and thought processes.

Termly excursions enhance real life opportunities for our Early Years Learners to explore and engage with the world around them. These exciting hands-on activities builds curiosity and a true love for learning.

Creative Expression

Creative Expression is a crucial part of our curriculum. It focuses on developing imagination and creativity in art, music and drama, fantasy play, crafts, painting, movement, dance and imaginative and role-play activities.

We encourage children to communicate their ideas and develop their imagination through art and design, music, dance and drama. This important area brings together skills and cognitive processes from across the whole curriculum.

Personal, Social and Emotional

Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their abilities. Personal, social and emotional development is an important part of early childhood development as it contributes to the full personal development of a young child and extends a person’s ability to respond effectively to daily life challenges.

We recognise the importance of personal, social and emotional development in the well being and attainment in all other learning areas. Learning involves developing social skills and friendships, regulating emotions, responding to the needs of others, and developing self-esteem and confidence.

Our teaching focuses on developing a positive sense of self-respect and respect for others, social skills including making friends, turn-taking, saying please and thank you, dressing, undressing and washing as well as having an enthusiasm for learning.

Understanding of the World

This area of the curriculum encourages children’s natural curiosity as they explore the world around them. It lays the foundations for a range of different subjects in primary education and beyond, including science, digital literacy, computing and humanities.

Our learners make sense of the world around them by exploring the natural environment and using tools and different materials to make things. Our curriculum is aimed at reinforcing various aspects of literacy and numeracy concepts in a fun and stimulating manner while encouraging innovative thinking, logical reasoning and creativity.

Physical Development

The CEY curriculum encourages children to develop movement skills through play, helping them to develop positive attitudes towards exercise and laying the foundations for healthy, active lives. Physical Development entails gross and fine motor development.

• • • • • • • Gross motor development refers to the activities that stimulate and strengthen the development of large muscles to facilitate balance, coordination, body awareness, reaction time and locomotion. All of these abilities help kids participate successfully in activities at school, at home and in the community. A child’s gross motor skills depend on both muscle tone and strength. Gross motor abilities also form the basis for fine motor skills that help us make small movements. Our physical development program provides opportunities for children to participate in a variety of activities including ball skills, gymnastics and other gross motor activities such as skipping, climbing and jumping jacks.
            • Fine motor development focuses on the small muscles required for manipulating small objects and tools. Fine motor activities help develop small muscles and wrists through finger play, fine motor control, eye-hand coordination as well as the midline crossing. Fine motor skills are essential for performing everyday skills like self-care tasks (e.g. clothing fastenings, opening lunch boxes, cleaning teeth, using cutlery) and academic skills (e.g. pencil skills of drawing, writing and colouring, as well as cutting and pasting).

Without the ability to complete these everyday tasks, a child’s self-esteem can suffer, and their academic performance can be compromised. They may also be unable to develop appropriate independence in life skills such as getting dressed, sharpening their own pencils etc. Our Early Years Centres adopt a very fun, interactive, and creative approach to developing fine motor skills.