The Foundation Subjects

There are seven foundation subjects; these are:

• Art & Design

• Design & Technology

• Geography

• History

• Physical Education

• Music

• Learning Technologies

ART & DESIGN

We support our children in continuing to develop an appreciation of art as one of the many languages of learning. Our ateliers support the children in developing new skills with which they can experiment, invent and create. Our children are encouraged to think critically about their designs and to develop an appreciation for how art and design shape and reflect our history and contribute to different cultures.

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Our environments provide the children with the opportunity to see themselves as designers and to engage with the design process to create a product which can be evaluated and critically analysed. The children’s creativity and imagination is supported with opportunities to engage with problem-solving and to design products that solve these problems by drawing upon mathematical, scientific, engineering, artistic and computing disciplines. Our woodwork sessions allow the children to take risks and innovate in order to produce creative and enterprising designs.

HUMANITIES (HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY)

In Key Stage 1, we build upon the children’s experiences in EYFS, inspiring curiosity and fascination in the world around them. Through carefully planned environments and Discovery units, the children begin to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes as well as the formation and use of landscapes and environments. The value we place on our surrounding environment supports the children to engage with their community and develop as responsible, global citizens.

By developing conceptual understandings, the children are encouraged to question, think critically, evaluate and develop perspective and judgement. Keeping our international context and community at the heart of our learning, the children are supported in understanding the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change and the diversity of societies and relationships. We value the individual histories our young learners bring to our setting and provide regular opportunities for these to be celebrated through the children’s play and within the environment.

Physical Education

Physical Education (PE) at DBIS is taught by specialist teachers. Through exposure to a wide variety of sports and movement patterns, children in Key Stage 1 develop fundamental movement skills, becoming increasingly competent and confident through access to a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination. The children are able to engage in competitive (both against self and others) and co-operative physical activities, in a range of increasingly challenging situations. They are taught to master basic movements, including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and coordination. The children begin to apply these skills in a range of activities and participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending. They also participate in gymnastics, in which they perform sequences using simple movement patterns.

By the end of Year 2, the children will be expected to achieve the following outcomes in the different disciplines:

Gymnastics

• Demonstrate flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance

• Perform simple moves, including balances, rolls, jumps and travelling actions

• Apply the basic movements to short routines with a clear start and finish

Swimming

• Competently, confidently and proficiently swim a distance of at least 25m

• Use a range of strokes effectively, including freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke

• Perform a self-rescue in different water-based situations

Athletics

• Perform basic movements, including running, jumping and throwing

• Perform these skills in competitive situations

Games

• Begin to apply basic hand–eye and foot–eye coordination skills to sport-specific activities

• Remember and understand basic rules when playing games or participating in drills

• Participate in small/modified team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending

Music

Music lessons in Key Stage 1 are taught by specialist teachers and continue to build on the children’s ability to sing and play in time with their peers. The children begin to understand basic rhythm notation and prepare small-group performances independently. In Year 1, the children explore Music through singing folk songs from a wide range of different cultures and explore instruments through storytelling. In Year 2, the children explore both tuned and untuned percussion instruments and learn to sing in rounds. By the end of Year 2, the children are expected to sing rounds confidently, compose three-note phrases on pitched percussion instruments, and play in time with the class.

Learning Technologies

The curriculum in Key Stage 1 aims to develop the students’ skills in utilising technology for learning and collaborating effectively. Throughout Year 1, they learn to navigate digital tools and platforms to access and organise information, gain an understanding of computational thinking fundamentals and create basic multimedia projects. In Year 2, the students further develop their digital literacy skills by exploring different software applications and programming tools. By the end of Year 2, they will be expected to confidently use digital tools to collaborate with peers, create and present their own multimedia projects, and demonstrate an understanding of basic programming concepts. Both year groups also gain hands-on experience using a Chromebook, preparing them for when they are assigned a one-to-one device in Year 3 to use across the whole curriculum. Learning Technologies lessons at DBIS are taught by specialist teachers.

Mandarin

In Key Stage 1, the children learn Mandarin either as a second or foreign language (non-native) or as a native speaker.

Native Speakers

By the end of Key Stage 1, the children will be able to retell stories that have been introduced in class. They will also be able to apply the language in classroom communications with increasing confidence as they move through Years 1 and 2. They will be able to create their own short stories verbally and will be able to read and write key sentences based on the learnt stories.

Non-native Speakers

By the end of Key Stage 1, the children will understand common classroom language and have a firm understanding of stories that have been introduced in class. They will be able to perform role plays with gesture aid prompts and express their feelings and requests in the classroom with increasing confidence as they move through Years 1 and 2. They will be able to write key Chinese characters and short sentences in the correct form.