Our Preparatory Years (PY) Programme is one of the most highly sought-after in Hong Kong for its focus on holistic development and bilingualism. The two-year programme offers young children a balanced education catering to their physical, intellectual, moral, emotional and social development. Our preparatory year students progress seamlessly onto our primary programme and secondary section. Most of our students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme started at the school in the Preparatory Years and Primary section. While we are known for our academically rigorous programme, we offer a broad-based education in which every child is given the care and support to help them flourish and enjoy the process of learning.
Qualified Professionals in Early Childhood Education
Our teachers are qualified who are trained personnel in early childhood education. This ensures to meet the needs of each child and recognise every child’s special abilities. Every class is also assigned a classroom assistant to support teachers in meeting the students’ needs. The teacher to pupil ratio is approximately 1:11.
Bilingual in English and Chinese
All our subjects except for Mathematics and the language classes are conducted in both English and Chinese, giving your child lots of opportunities to use both languages. We are one of the few schools in Hong Kong to provide Chinese lessons using Putonghua with simplified characters.
Subjects and Language Of Instruction
| Subject | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese Language | √ | |
| English Language | √ | |
| Mathematics | √ | |
| Physical Education | √ | √ |
| Rhyme and Movement | √ | √ |
| Art | √ | √ |
| Outdoor Play | √ | √ |
School Hours and Class Sizes
| Level | School Hours | Class Size | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| PY1 | 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm | 20 | 6 |
| PY2 | 8:10 am – 12:10 pm | 22 | 6 |
Curriculum Model
Young children are naturally inquisitive and imaginative, and our Preparatory Years (PY) Programme strives to deepen these innate drives by providing our young children with authentic learning experiences to build character and strengthen their holistic development through active interactions and purposeful play. In the process, we want our children to explore, discover and reflect on new knowledge and skills through thematic and integrated learning.
This learning experience forms the foundation to nurture innovative and enterprising minds with caring hearts.
The curriculum model is delivered by focusing on character building as well as core skills and knowledge for school readiness at the Primary Years and beyond through five key learning areas namely:
- Value-Based Education (Character Development)
- Literacy (Chinese and English) and Numeracy
- Discovery of the World (Science and Social Science)
- Health & Motor Skills Development
- Aesthetic and Creative Expression
LEARNING AREA 1: Value-Based Education (Character Development)
Education is for life and we see the need that our young children are imbued with moral values that will provide the compass to guide them in making ethical decisions and lead values-driven lives to foster a happy and peaceful world. This will allow our children to function and share their world well with others.
Our young children will learn the School’s values of Respect, Responsibility, Resilience, Integrity, Care and Harmony in School. They are universal moral values embraced by many cultures and religions around the World. They are also the Singapore’s national and family values. We want our children to understand what is right from wrong, as well as develop social and emotional competencies to build a positive self-image and esteem. By so doing, our children will be more confident to respond effectively to challenges and play a collaborative and constructive role in a team or group environment.
Storytelling is the best approach to teach values and we use books containing key messages related to the School’s values to share and teach our children. The moral understanding and awareness of these values will be deepened through group/class discussions, assembly talks, and role-playing activities that are carried out throughout the year.
To allow our children to live these values, opportunities are created for them to demonstrate these values, such as performing acts of kindness, reflecting on their actions and raising funds for charity. By so doing, we hope our children will develop a caring heart.
LEARNING AREA 2: Literacy (Chinese and English) and Numeracy
During the Preparatory Years, our children are immersed in a bilingual language environment with English and Chinese (Putonghua & Simplified Chinese). Speaking, listening, reading and writing are essential literacy skills that young children need to develop as prerequisites for future learning. These skills help our children make sense of the print-rich environment found in their lives and help them express their ideas and personal experiences better.
Phonological awareness is emphasised in the English curriculum. Children learn the phonics structure of the English Language and develop skills in decoding and spelling in a systematic manner through games and activities.
To cultivate a love of reading, a reading programme in both English and Chinese that is designed for Preparatory Years age children is implemented in the second semester of PY1 year and continues onto PY2 year.
Numeracy helps young children make sense of their daily encounters in the World. Our Mathematics curriculum puts an emphasis on discovery learning and learning through play, which helps in laying a good foundation for problem-solving and thinking skills that are essential building blocks of future learning in the Primary Years. The Mathematics curriculum focuses on 4 strands of mathematics.
- Simple Relationships and Patterns
- Counting and Number Sense
- Basic Shapes
- Spatial Concepts
LEARNING AREA 3: Discovery of the World (Science and Social Science)
Discovery of the World is a key component of our Preparatory Years programme. It is designed to provide the content for an interdisciplinary approach that encompasses natural and social sciences. It is intended to allow our children to explore and discover their physical and social world that they are living in.
Our children are given opportunities to find out why things happen and how things work in the World around them through fun and engaging activities involving simple investigations, problem-solving, discussions, experimentations, collaborations, explorations, observations, etc. This is part of the strengths in the Singapore’s Mathematics and Science education.
For example, the unit on “Building and Constructions”, gives our children the chance to explore building and constructing structures using a variety of materials in their daily lives. Through playful explorations and experimentations, our children construct their own learning and discovery about building designs. This spirit of inquiry and innovation provides the foundation for the key qualities/traits found in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) professions.
Meanwhile, some units are designed to help young children develop a positive attitude towards their communities and the World at large and build a strong sense of personal identity. For example, “Same, Same but Different” is a unit build from a storybook about two children from different cultures. The story serves as the springboard to discussions on diversity and learning to appreciate differences and understanding that respect for all cultures brings peace and harmony. In the process, we are able to weave in values, social awareness and perspective-taking into the learning process as we strengthen our children’s learning of social science.
We hope that our children will gain a better insight and understanding of the World around them. The knowledge and skills are foundations for future learning in school as they begin to discover their strengths and interests in Mathematics, Science and Humanities.
LEARNING AREA 4: Health & Motor Skills Development
Young children are naturally imaginative and creative. Art, music-making and drama are some aspects of expressions that our children will go through in class. This will allow our children who are seen as active learners constructing their own meaning about the World that they live in and their own identity by asking questions, creating aesthetic expressions and reflecting on their own identity and individuality.
The skills and knowledge learned will strengthen our children’s understanding of STEM and their world; thus making them more creative and innovative individuals.
LEARNING AREA 5: Aesthetic and Creative Expression
In our Preparatory Year Programme, our young children are given opportunities to be involved in physical activities that contribute to the development of their motor skills every day.
Activities like outdoor play, physical education, rhyme and movement are covered throughout the week, giving our children many opportunities to develop their motor capacities. Additionally, a special gymnastics programme (12 sessions 1 hour per session) conducted by professional coaches is built into our PY2 Scheme of Work to enhance our children’s coordination, body control and flexibility.
For more information please visit the school website here.