The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), is the entry point of formal schooling at Dubai Scholars. This program sets the standards that promote teaching and learning to ensure children’s school readiness. Our program gives children a broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.

There are four guiding principles that shape teaching practice in foundation settings. These are:

• Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships;
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences relate to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between school and home and
• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.

The seven areas of learning and development within the EYFS are equally important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

These three prime areas are:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

The four specific areas of learning, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied, are:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

In planning and guiding children’s activities, teachers assess the different learning styles children employ and reflect these in their practice. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

• Playing and exploring – children investigate, experience and encounter new activities.
• Active learning – children concentrate and are encouraged to continue working when they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements.
• Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies around projects.