Infant Education
Preschool Education forms the foundation of your child’s lifelong educational journey and is where the formative processes of learning are established. Through clear communication and a carefully designed learning programme, we help children to develop self-esteem, manage their emotions and encourage them to be curious and excited about learning. Each child is unique and exceptional, and the warmth and experience of our teachers and teaching assistants helps each individual to progress at their own pace.
The teachers at Agora Madrid International School are experienced professionals, actively engaging in your child’s development and creating a learning environment that is happy, safe and above all enjoyable. Each child is guided forwards in accordance with their particular strengths and abilities. We maintain close and ongoing contact with parents and families as we believe that a strong and coordinated home/school relationship is essential to the success of your child’s educational progress
First Stage (Years 0 and 2)
Children at this stage are taught exclusively in English. We help our youngest students to engage directly with the learning process and encourage active participation both as individuals and in group activities with other children. Teaching strategies are adapted to suit the particular needs, interests and cognitive style of each child, and much of the work is connected with exploring and understanding emotions, feelings and core values. Children at this level tend to learn best through play and games which involve developing a wide range of competencies including physical and motor skills, music, song and dance, maths and literacy games, handicrafts and creative activities, drama and role play and so on. The dedication and professionalism of both teaching and non-teaching staff ensure that all our pupils' needs are catered for within a positive, secure and supportive learning environment.
Second stage (Years 3-5)
At age 3 the English-Spanish bilingual programme begins, with most classes delivered in English and some literacy classes delivered in Spanish or bilingually as shown below:
- Getting to know myself – delivered in English.
- Getting to know my environment – my physical environment, the social environment and the natural world – delivered in English
- Language – Reading and writing and audio-visual activities in Spanish, technology, Jolly Phonics, psychomotor activities and creative expression in English.
Classes involving the development of psychomotor skills such as hand-eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills, physical play and games are delivered in English and we also bring more music into the curriculum at this stage, taught in English by specialist music teachers. The children also start to learn Mandarin Chinese.
Games and play activities are used to facilitate learning and as a source of stimulation, in addition to teaching and learning methodologies based on multiple intelligences. We focus on learning; helping our pupils learn how to engage, learn how to learn, and to learn how to be the person they want to be – adaptable, honest, open, empathetic and clear thinking. We help children at this stage of their education to recognise and manage their emotions and to develop social confidence. Our curriculum enables our students to progress physically, emotionally, intellectually and socially and promotes healthy communication, better integration and happy coexistence.
Our staff are continually trained and updated with the latest research in child development allowing us to adapt our teaching programmes to incorporate new and innovative teaching techniques and to ensure that each child’s pathway is fine tuned to suit their pace and style of learning. Teachers work in close collaboration with our excellent guidance department.