St. John's School

International Childcare & Preschool in Cascais for Ages 1 to 5

“Children do their most important learning before the age of five”

St. John’s in Cascais offers children aged 1-5 a nurturing, international preschool and daycare environment guided by the British EYFS curriculum, with a warm, inclusive community and variety of extracurricular activities.

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SCHOOL BROCHURE

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CHILDCARE

EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE (EYFS)

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for the development, learning, and care of children from birth to five years of age.

This page outlines the themes and principles of the EYFS framework:

THEMES AND PRINCIPLES

EYFS is based around four themes, each of which is linked to an important principle:

A Unique Child

Every child is a capable learner from birth who can be resilient, confident, self-assured and full of potential.

Positive Relationships

Children learn to be strong and independent through loving, secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.

Enabling Environments

A rich, supportive environment plays a vital role in extending and enhancing children’s development and learning.

Learning and Development

Children learn and develop at different rates and in different ways. All areas of learning are equally important and interconnected.
Each principle is supported by four commitments, which explain how it can be put into practice.

At St John’s, we follow the English National Curriculum, and children aged three to five follow the Foundation Stage. This stage is of great importance, as it provides a secure educational foundation for future learning.

The goals covered in the Foundation Stage relate to the six main areas of young children’s development and learning:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development • Communication, Language and Literacy (including Jolly Phonics) • Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy • Knowledge and Understanding of the World • Physical Development • Creative Development

All areas of learning are delivered in a planned and integrated way, creating a calm, secure, and engaging environment where children feel confident and motivated to explore.

Learning takes place primarily through play-based, age-appropriate activities, including:

• Pre-writing and pre-reading activities • Early number concepts and maths games • Introduction to technology and computer awareness

Teachers at St John’s build on each child’s existing skills, interests and experiences to ensure they get the very best out of their early years. Our goal is to foster children who are happy, enthusiastic, independent, and eager to embrace future learning.