Welcome to Key Stage 1

Key Stage 1 at Discovery Bay International School (DBIS) consists of Years 1 and 2 and is the second of three parts of the children’s learning journey in our Primary School. Our children follow the Key Stage 1 National Curriculum of England, which is adapted and personalised to suit our international context and is delivered through an inquirybased pedagogy that is progressive in nature as children move through the phase.

As we do in all sections of our Primary School, in Key Stage 1, we view children as having extraordinary potential for learning and the ability to form their own understandings of the world around them. Our focus is upon nurturing creative, resilient and independent learners who are excited and confident to experiment and explore through active learning.

The Characteristics of Effective Learning and the DBIS Learner Profile provide the foundations to support our children in becoming lifelong learners and critical thinkers. Supporting the development of different learning dispositions, behaviours and habits continues to be an important part of our approach to teaching and learning within Key Stage 1 as the children transition into a different phase of their learning journey in which the curriculum moves from the seven areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to specific subjects in Key Stage 1.

Our environments continue to be viewed as the third teacher in Key Stage 1. Continuous provision (the resources and materials that are continually available to the children) is carefully planned to ensure learning within all subject areas is constantly happening, skills can develop and the children can make connections between different subject areas.

The environments are enhanced with resources, activities and opportunities that link to the children’s interests and the current areas of focus within the curriculum to ensure that learning is placed in a meaningful context for our children. The children engage with a mixture of adult-directed, adult-initiated and child-initiated learning opportunities to ensure new concepts, ideas and critical knowledge are acquired and can be applied in a range of ways which meet the expectations for achievement and attainment in Key Stage 1. Our timetable is flexible to allow the children the time and space required to explore concepts and engage with both adults and their peers to develop understanding and demonstrate and practise newly acquired skills. Every aspect of the children’s day is seen as an opportunity for learning; therefore, incidental opportunities for learning, including tidy-up time and transitions, are capitalised upon to ensure there is always the potential for learning to take place.

We continue to identify the children’s strengths so that learning can be tailored to meet individual starting points and consider the knowledge, skills and understanding the children will need in order to successfully transition to Key Stage 2. Our children are supported to take risks, think critically and develop understandings through openended and guided inquiry, as well as through explicit teaching and activities. Our children continue to experience authentic learning opportunities such as woodwork and Forest School. This experience is underpinned by our child-centred, personalised learning approach, which supports the development of the whole child.

The role of teachers and educational assistants is crucial to ensure the children make the best possible progress. Adults are involved with the children’s learning throughout the day in a range of different ways, including explicitly teaching new ideas, questioning the children’s thinking, co-constructing new ideas and observing the children as they explore different concepts to identify the next steps in their personal learning journeys.

We place great importance on positive relationships and interactions amongst all members of our Primary School community as these support our holistic and inclusive approach. We derive much of our strength from the surrounding community; therefore, establishing and maintaining supportive relationships is key to our Primary School’s ethos. By working together, we can ensure that all children continue to value and enjoy their time at DBIS, that they are sufficiently challenged and supported in their learning and that they realise their potential in a happy, nurturing environment.

After reading this booklet, you will gain a sense of how our warm and caring environment as well as the provision of opportunities for stimulating, inquiry-based learning inspire our children to become curious, independent learners who demonstrate awe and wonder at the world around them.

Hannah Tait Head of EYFS & Primary