Early childhood, SEK-El Castillo

OUR APPROACH

Our aim is to foster and celebrate children’s natural qualities through an innovative and creative curriculum that ensures the best learning and teaching practices in Early Childhood.

OUR EDUCATIONAL MODEL

Play. At SEK-El Castillo, play is the vehicle for children’s learning and all-round development with the aim of fostering student agency and where they can build meaning by interacting with the physical and social world and through active methodologies.
Relationships and emotional development. Our programmes encourage and promote positive relationships among the entire educational community.
Inquiry. Learning is developed through inquiry, which arises from exploring different environments, investigating materials, playing, and interacting with others. Authentic experiences that cater to the interests and needs of the child.
Creative expression and the arts. The holistic development of children is enriched through these languages, which they use to communicate and expand their ideas, in addition to develop skills and attitudes.
Learning spaces. A fundamental part of Early Childhood are the school’s learning spaces, interconnected indoor spaces with exits to the outdoors and natural environments. Versatile spaces that allow designing experiences and developing skills and different learning approaches.

LEARNING IN EARLY CHILHOOD- SEK-EL CASTILLO

Our Early Childhood years span two stages: NURSERY, from 4 months to 3 years old and PRESCHOOL from 3 to 6 years of age. Main components of learning at this stage:

Spanish curriculum and International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.
The NEASC accreditation guarantees the quality of our practices and the impact they have on learning.

The SEK Group combines all these elements in its own Future Learning Model whose mission is to promote flexible and personalised learning, fostering critical thinking and student agency.

Full English-language immersion with collaborative learning in Spanish.
Play-based learning.
Development of social and emotional skills.
Opportunities to develop representation skills, such as spoken and written language, emerging literacy, drawing and mathematical signs.
The acquisition of basic health and well-being habits.
Improvement of motor skills and hand coordination.
Learning in natural environments and versatile spaces that provoke inquiry, exploration and curiosity.
Discovering and interacting with the world through the use of their senses.
The use of technology to extend inquiry.
Creativity and symbolic exploration, through music, arts and different forms of communication.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD- SEK-EL CASTILLO

Teachers:

Native English-speaking, or fluent English-speaking, teachers (level C2) who are also fluent in Spanish.
English classroom assistants.
Assistant and support teachers
Psychomotor skills, swimming and music specialists.
Guidance Department made up of specialists in psychology, pedagogy and speech therapy

Own kitchen and meals service mandatory at all stages.

Nursery school hours