EARLY YEARS/PRESCHOOL

EARLY YEARS / PRESCHOOL

Westminster’s Early Years Programme : Bright Beginnings, Boundless Futures

Known as one of the best preschool programs in Islamabad, Early Years at Westminster is the first choice of local and expat millennial parents. Our Early Years’ learning spaces are safe, warm, friendly and inviting. Each indoor and outdoor learning area is immaculately decorated, clean, safe and inspiring. Some parents describe it as a home away from home and that makes us feel really proud.

A Lifetime of Learning Begins

The Early Years Foundation Stage is where a lifetime of learning begins. Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age six have a major impact on their future life chances. Good parenting and high quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. At Westminster we are committed to support your child achieve his/her maximum potential by becoming a successful learner, a confident individual, a tolerant person and a responsible citizen.

Teacher Student Ratio

Smaller student-to-teacher ratios are especially beneficial in Early Years’ education, leading to improved academic performance, increased individual attention and better classroom behaviour. These early benefits have lasting effects, supporting students even as class sizes grow in higher grades. To enhance these positive outcomes, we are committed to maintaining our teacher-to-student ratio in the Early Years, ensuring personalised attention and a strong educational foundation for all our students.

    Age 2-3 Years 1:9
    Age 3-4 Years 1:12
    Age 4-6 Years 1:12

Age Groups

The child must be 2 years of age by August 31 of the current school year to be considered for pre-Nursery.

The Westminster Early Years programme caters to children from 2-5 years of age.

The age bands we follow are:

Age (on August 1)

    Pre-Nursery: 2 Years Plus
    Nursery : 3 Years Plus
    Reception: 5 Years Plus

Curriculum

Our teaching is based on the English National Foundation Stage curriculum and is delivered through a multi-sensory, play-based approach.
The Early Years’ curriculum is designed to inspire and challenge each child’s natural ability to learn.
Four guiding principles that shape our approach are:

  • every child is unique and undergoes a process of learning continuously in order to become 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 respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between school and parents
  • every child develops and learns in different ways and at a different pace

Areas of Learning

Well-planned play is crucial for children’s learning, providing enjoyment and challenge during the Early Years. Children aged two to five are constantly encountering new experiences and seeking to understand them to extend their skills, develop confidence and build on their knowledge. Through play, talking, observing, planning, questioning, experimenting, testing, repeating, reflecting and interacting with adults and peers, children deepen their understanding.
We plan high-quality learning experiences that consider both children’s needs and achievements. Our programme is shaped by seven areas of learning and development, all of which are important and inter-connected. Three prime areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity, enthusiasm for learning and capacity to form relationships and thrive:

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

The above three prime areas are applied and reinforced which consequently leads them on the path of holistic development in the realms of :

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

By focusing on these areas, we ensure that children receive a well-rounded education that fosters their overall development and prepares them for future learning and success.

Reading Programme at Westminster

Cultivating a lifelong love of reading

“The whole world opened up to me when I learned to read”

Mary McCleod Bethune

We strongly believe that reading is the key for lifelong learning. It fires up a child’s imagination and stimulates creativity. In order to instill the love for reading, we have a unique open library which is a dynamic place where students come to learn and explore. Our reading coordinators inspire students to learn beyond the classroom and help facilitate diverse life skills, curiosity, innovation and critical thinking.
Our teachers employ the appropriate strategies for each grade level and vary instruction to make the reading lessons interesting and enjoyable. These strategies include shared storytelling, role play, simulations, demonstrations, reading aloud, shared reading, independent reading with leveled texts, learning logs and journals, literature response groups, use of charts and organisers, use of dictionary and group research projects. The teachers ensure that the environment is rich in print by making use of word walls, labels and vocabulary lists that are tied to the content being studied in class. Students are provided with plenty of high-interest reading material and are asked questions that promote higher order thinking. The overall aim is to make students enthusiastic about reading stories, poetry, drama and non-fiction and media texts