Chiltern House Preschool

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The future they wish to create.

The combination of the nurturing qualities of home and EduDrama is their dramatic difference. They believe that every child who experiences the Chiltern House learning journey will stand out as a confident, unique individual with a strong foundation for primary school.

They work best in tandem: teachers collaborating, parents as partners, students and teachers in synergy. They believe it is relationships that not only make them learn more, but make learning fun and worthwhile.

With EduDrama, they engage children holistically, nurturing their social, emotional, intellectual and physical development. Their comprehensive curriculum and quality interaction with every child allows them to learn through integrated experiences.

The primary aim of the Chiltern House programme is to nurture a growing independence along with positive self-esteem and self-image and instil in children a love of learning through their earliest experiences. Chiltern House offers programmes from Nursery to Kindergarten and also provides a dedicated Learning Support programme for children who need additional help to learn. The curriculum of each programme has been carefully structured and planned and includes the Oxford Reading Tree from the United Kingdom, Maths, physical education lessons on a weekly basis, computer work, cooking and science, art and craft, mandarin, speech & drama and music.

Each classroom is set up with various learning centres. Through these learning centres, e.g. Language, maths, art, research and etc.,the children are given the opportunity to explore and experiment. This enhances their development in all areas. Other centres may also be set up to coincide with the theme or topic of the week. Some centres will also be set up to build on the current interests of the children. The children are encouraged to explore each centre during activity and free play time.

Subjects

Language and Literacy - They use the Oxford Reading Tree from the United Kingdom as their core reading scheme. This wide ranging scheme is supplemented by a selection of fiction and non-fiction works as reading fluency builds. The child progresses to basic literacy skills in Nursery and Kindergarten 1 to an understanding and enjoyment of text during Kindergarten 2. Reading and language are coupled with individual creativity and fluency in writing skills. Conversation, drama and singing are an integral part of their whole language approach to the growth of literacy skills in the classroom as well as in the aesthetics programme.
Maths - The central focus of their maths programme is problem solving, building on a child’s intuitive insights and prior knowledge. They follow a language-based approach, similar to the methods used by Singapore schools for problem solving. The children gain their understanding of mathematical concepts and skills through the use of written and oral language. The teachers encourage students to talk and write about mathematics and children are stimulated to observe, discuss, explain and create mathematical solutions.
Physical Education - Physical Education lessons are held on a weekly basis, when the children learn to cooperate in groups and to work in teams. During this time they develop both fine and large motor skills, whilst having fun in the playground.
Computer Discovery - Computer work is integrated throughout the curriculum. Computers in the classroom allows each child regular access to the computer so that every student grows familiar with the technology, learning to think and write naturally with a computer. The Oxford Reading Tree language programme is stored on all their computers, enabling students to practise reading from a variety of media. For some children computers stimulate curiosity and develop a desire to learn that may not be evident using other techniques.
Cookery and Science - The children enjoy regular science based activities through cooking. The lessons are great fun, encourage cooperation and promote healthy attitudes towards eating. Cooking classes provide natural practice for estimating, measuring, dividing and other related maths skills, observation, experimentation, language and number practice. For safety, children prepare the food in the classroom. The food is then taken to the kitchen for baking and returned to the classroom for the best part- eating!
Art and Craft - In these early years many areas of the curriculum are expressed through art and craft. This stimulates the children’s interest and at the same time develops their creative thought. Through these activities their fine motor skills, so necessary for later schooling, are developed. In each year group, the children are exposed to a wide range of materials and techniques appropriate to their development.
Mandarin - They realise the importance of a high standard of spoken and written Chinese to the child entering Primary 1. To this end, their programme has been designed in conjunction with a Singapore educational consultant, to fulfill the requirements of the Ministry of Education at initial Primary 1 level. At Nursery level their work is entirely oral, developing ear training and an awareness of sounds. Vocabulary is built through song, language games, activities and stories. Written work begins in earnest in Kindergarten 1 as vocabulary builds and extends to story writing in Kindergarten 2.
Aesthetics - Visiting specialist teachers from Julia Gabriel Centre conduct EduDrama (speech and drama) and Music sessions once a week with each class.