Saint Kentigern Preschool |Early Childhood Education

Our children learn in an environment full of discovery and wonder under the guiding principles of Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum of the Ministry of Education.

Through a diverse range of structured and unstructured learning activities, our professional, well qualified staff promote learning that is purposeful and enjoyable for children.

Our youngsters are encouraged to create, explore, invent, discover, question and experiment to construct their knowledge and enrich their understanding of the world around them.

Embedded in each day are periods of explicit learning where time is set aside to teach specific pre-literacy and pre-numeracy concepts and skills.

Our staff work with children in small groups or one-on-one throughout the day creating a positive start to their learning programme.

Full group ‘mat times’ are a fun experience for all staff and children where a range of songs, books, interactive story-telling, dramatic play and news items encourage participation with their peers each day.

Access to ICT is a strong part of our Preschool with laptop computers, printers, children’s cameras, for them to take their own photos and download them to print, iPads, and a large interactive touch screen that is accessible to children under staff supervision during their day.

This learning supports our teaching programme and is continually evolving.

Indoor and outdoor experiences are an integral part of our programme and routine. Play is central to children’s development by providing opportunities for both structured and spontaneous activities.

Play is a child’s unique way to learn about their world. It is also a means of expressing knowledge from previous experiences.

We aim to provide opportunities for boys and girls to play freely regardless of any stereotype roles they may choose.

Home Contact Folders have been designed to keep you informed of what we do at Preschool and provide a link and close relationship between Preschool and home. We find this reinforces the children’s learning each week in a positive, fun and constructive manner.

The response from the children has been so positive. They look forward to their new sheet each week and to reading the teacher’s comments on their previous work. Children are encouraged to be involved with this but it is not compulsory.

Our individual Portfolios document the journey of Learning and Development for each child and provide invaluable feedback to our parents. This is a comprehensive compilation about your child's individual progress through their Preschool years.

These are treasured by the parents and children and include individual development reports, learning stories, photos and magic moments, Preschool plans and learning outcomes, children’s artwork – and other special mementoes of their Preschool days.

Our Programme

Our children learn in an environment full of discovery and wonder under the guiding principles of Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum of the Ministry of Education.

Home Contact Folders have been designed to keep you informed of what we do at Preschool and provide a link and close relationship between Preschool and home. We find this reinforces the children’s learning each week in a positive, fun and constructive manner.