The Narrabundah Early Childhood School curriculum, birth to eight years, is based upon the principle that all children are capable and competent. The school's educators (teachers and Learning Support Assistants) work with the following understanding about the ways in which children learn:
- Connections between thought and language are securely laid down in the early years.
- Children's capacities to learn are enhanced by thoughtful language-based interactions.
- Children's development is holistic and integrated and involves different pathways and occurs at different rates.
- Children are active learners, constructing their knowledge, meanings and understandings through interactions in their physical and social worlds.
- Play is fundamental to children's learning – providing opportunities for children to express their ideas and feelings and engage in explorations, imagination, experimentation and manipulation.
- Fostering positive and robust dispositions - such as autonomy, responsibility, interdependence, curiosity, optimism, resilience and the enjoyment of learning - contributes to children's success as learners.
Narrabundah Early Childhood School teaching and learning plans reflect national curriculums. The Early Years Learning Framework guides preschool learning experiences. The Early Years Learning Framework acknowledges the value of learning through play for young children. The document places a strong emphasis on literacy, numeracy with the development of intellectual, physical, language, social and emotional competence supported by thoughtful, respectful relationships.
Teaching and learning programs in kindergarten, year 1 and year 2 are drawn directly from the Australian Curriculum. As the name suggests the Australian Curriculum guides all learning from the first formal year of school to year 10 in all states and territories in Australia.
All of our programs include opportunities for play-based learning experiences; explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy skills; and specialist teaching across curriculum areas.