Overview of Key Stage One

As children emerge from the wonder of EYFS, they are excited and prepared to take on the next stage of their educational journey with us. Gradually introduced to the wider school life, our children in KS1 are now ready to join whole school assemblies and play out in the open school play areas, albeit within their own allocated areas.
These special years observe children gradually embrace a slightly more formal education and absorb the benefits of further specialist subjects however all with the gentle guidance of our fun and engaging teachers. Lessons are active with a strong focus remaining on communication and language, supporting children with their ever growing vocabulary and understanding of the world around them. With daily storytelling, circle times and group work, children continue to learn in a way that matches their developmental stage. Emphasis remains on following their interests and creating learning opportunities to motivate and inspire our growing little minds.

The learning dispositions introduced since Pre-School are now firmly embedded and the ethos of our classrooms is one in which mistakes are viewed as learning and celebrated as such. Challenges are welcomed and children are confident to communicate and express themselves.
Our school values are integrated into daily life at Sherborne Qatar Prep School with staff, parents and children reminded of their importance throughout all we do.

All lessons incorporate a combination of concrete materials and pictorial representation to support the children with their understanding of each abstract concept. Time is taken to deeply embed understanding and provide children with the chance to reach mastery level within each concept.
English writing is taught using the Talk for Writing approach in which children spend time getting to know the structure of a text and building their own composition around a well-known framework. This combines spelling, punctuation and grammar alongside creative writing skills and an exposure to quality vocabulary.

Our enquiry – led curriculum will enable children to take more ownership of their learning and be more creative and inquisitive in their studies. All enquiries start with a ‘WOW’ experience to engage the children and these range from specially created videos, treasure hunts and letters from mystery people.

The enquiries culminate in an outcome such as a sharing day with parents, a performance, a written report or a presentation. During the enquiry, children are immersed in the required skills and knowledge and are given the opportunity to ‘have a go’ before embarking on the final challenge. Because the children know their challenge from the outset and they are provided with a model example, their learning is purposeful and with clear direction.

Our school values of Responsibility, Perseverance, Teamwork, Kindness, Respect and Honesty are intrinsically linked into all learning and the daily life of a child at Sherborne Qatar. Through our assemblies, circle times and class discussions, these guide our conversations with the children about their actions.
We are relentless in our positivity and praise of children in order to develop their self – esteem and positive attitude. Specialist teachers extend the curriculum with: Music, Modern Foreign Languages, PE and Games.
Year groups also operate together for big projects, such as year group productions.
By the end of Key Stage One, our Shirburnians are prepared to move over to the Annexe building and flourish under the care of our Key Stage Two staff.