Settling in

Some children walk in on the first day and never look back. Others take a few weeks. Both are normal, and both are planned for.

Before term begins, we invite families to visit the classroom, meet the teacher, and see the space their child will spend the year in. On the first day, teachers are ready to say your child’s name at the door. Small steps like these matter more than they look. They tell a child that they are known here from the start.

For children who need more time to settle, we build in a gentler start. Shorter days at first if it helps. Quieter corners of the room they can return to. A familiar teacher waiting when they arrive. Nothing about settling in is rushed, and nothing about it is left to chance.

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A typical day

A day in Early Years balances quiet, focused learning with active play, shared time with individual attention, structure with freedom to explore.

Morning

Children arrive between 7:45 and 8:00 for KG2, or by 8:00 for Nursery and KG1. Teachers greet each child by name at the door. The first part of the morning is calm and structured: a gentle welcome activity, a check-in with the group, and the day’s first focused learning session, usually phonics, early number, or a story.

Mid-morning

A break, then a longer session of structured play and hands-on learning. Children rotate through activities designed by the teacher: writing corners, construction, sensory play, small-group reading. Arabic sessions run daily, taught by specialist teachers through song, story, and conversation.

Middle of the day

Snack together as a class. Outdoor time, weather permitting, on the outdoor learning area. Physical play, exploration, and movement matter as much at this age as anything happening indoors.

Afternoon

Quieter activities. Group story time. Music or art. A closing circle where the day’s learning is shared and the next day is looked forward to. Home time by 12:30 for Nursery, 12:45 for KG1, and 1:00 for KG2.

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What we watch for

Teachers observe every child through the week, during focused activities, during play, during the small unstructured moments in between. Those observations shape the next week’s planning.

We look at more than academic progress. How is each child settling? Making friends? Managing frustration? Are they asking questions, or waiting to be asked? Are they confident enough to try something new? At this age, learning to be at school matters as much as learning what school teaches.

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Talking to parents

Communication is regular and honest. Teachers share what they see, and welcome what you see at home. Small things matter: how a child slept, what they talked about at dinner, what they were excited about or anxious about that morning. The more we know, the better we teach.

Formal parent meetings happen through the year. But the everyday conversations at pick-up and drop-off are often where the most useful things get said.