International preschool in Istanbul, Turkey

TEIS, Istanbul:
TEIS (The English International School of Istanbul) began life as the international section of the Turkish Pre-School, Pinokyo Özel Anaokulu which started in 1977 in Istanbul. Since it began it has enjoyed an excellent reputation as an international school with both foreign and Turkish national families that continues to this day. The new purpose built campus,1100 m2, is very central, and conveniently located on the same street in 4.Levent. It is a beautiful building offering 11 large, light and airy classrooms, most with their own outdoor play extension. The design is modern and child-centred, incorporating a dedicated art room, sports hall and 1200 m2 garden, complete with 'safety' flooring. TEIS provides a happy, healty, caring and stimulating environment that encourages positive self image and joy in the learning process.

Email: Contact us here

TEIS is aiming to offer a sound curriculum tailored to our students and the international setting. With this in mind we have developed a school curriculum based on the following documents from the U.K.

- Early Years Foundation Stage
This document lays out learning objectives for children aged between 3 to 5 years.

- National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies
These documents lay out more specific learning objectives for reading, writing and maths work.

- Key Stage 1 Curriculum
This is the main curriculum document from the U.K. for children aged between 5 to 7 and we use these objectives for our older children in Year 1.

Early Years Foundation Stage Learning Objectives

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Successful personal, social and emotional development is critical for very young children in all aspects of their lives and gives them the best opportunity for success in all other areas of learning. It is crucial that settings provide the experiences and support to enable children to develop a positive sense of themselves. To give all children the best opportunities for personal, social and emotional development, practitioners should give particular attention to:

>> establishing constructive relationships with children, with other practitioners, between practitioners and children, with parents and with workers from other agencies, that take account of differences and different needs and expectations;

>> finding opportunities to give positive encouragement to children, with practitioners acting as positive role models;

>> planning opportunities for children to work alone and in small and large groups;

>> ensuring that there is time and space for children to focus on activities and experiences and develop their own interests;

>> planning activities that promote emotional, moral, spiritual and social development alongside intellectual development;

>> planning experiences that help children develop autonomy and the disposition to learn;

>> providing positive images in, for example, books and displays that challenge children’s thinking and help them to embrace differences in gender, ethnicity, religion, special educational needs and disabilities;

>> providing opportunities for play and learning that acknowledge children’s particular religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds;

>> planning for the development of independence skills, particularly for children who are highly dependent upon adult support for personal care;

>> providing support and a structured approach to achieve the successful social and emotional development of vulnerable children and those with particular behavioural or communication difficulties.

Communication, language and literacy
Communication, language and literacy depend on learning and being competent in a number of key skills, together with having the confidence, opportunity, encouragement, support and disposition to use them. This area of learning includes communication, speaking and listening in different situations and for different purposes, being read a wide range of books and reading simple texts and writing for a variety of purposes. To give all children the best opportunities for effective development and learning in communication, language and literacy, practitioners should give particular attention to:

>> providing opportunities for children to communicate thoughts, ideas and feelings and build up relationships with adults and each other;

>> incorporating communication, language and literacy development in planned activities in each area of learning;

>> giving opportunities to share and enjoy a wide range of rhymes, music, songs, poetry, stories and non-fiction books;

>> giving opportunities for linking language with physical movement in action songs and rhymes, role play and practical experiences such as cookery and gardening;

>> planning an environment that reflects the importance of language through signs, notices and books;

>> providing opportunities for children to see adults writing and for children to experiment with writing for themselves through making marks, personal writing symbols and conventional script;

>> providing time and opportunities to develop spoken language through conversations between children and adults, both one-to-one and in small groups, with particular awareness of, and sensitivity to, the needs of children for whom English is an additional language, using their home language when appropriate;

>> planning opportunities for children to become aware of languages and writing systems other than English, and communication systems such as signing and braille;

>> early identification of and response to any particular difficulties in children’s language development;

>> close teamwork between, where appropriate, bilingual workers, speech therapists and practitioners;

>> opportunities for children who use alternative communication systems to develop ways of recording and accessing texts to develop their skills in these methods.

Mathematical development
Mathematical development depends on becoming confident and competent in learning and using key skills. This area of learning includes counting, sorting, matching, seeking patterns, making connections, recognising relationships and working with numbers, shapes, space and measures. Mathematical understanding should be developed through stories, songs, games and imaginative play, so that children enjoy using and experimenting with numbers, including numbers larger than 10. To give all children the best opportunities for effective mathematical development, practitioners should give particular attention to:

>> many different activities, some of which will focus on mathematical development and some of which will draw out the mathematical learning in other activities, including observing numbers and patterns in the environment and daily routines;

>> practical activities underpinned by children’s developing communication skills;

>> activities that are imaginative and enjoyable;

>> help for those children who use a means of communication other than spoken English in developing and understanding specific mathematical language; opportunities to observe, assess and plan the next stage in children’s learning;

>> relevant training to improve practitioners’ knowledge, skills and understanding.

Knowledge & understanding of the world
In this area of learning, children are developing the crucial knowledge, skills and understanding that help them to make sense of the world. This forms the foundation for later work in science, design and technology, history, geography, and information and communication technology (ICT). To give all children the best opportunities for developing effectively their knowledge and understanding of the world, practitioners should give particular attention to:

>> activities based on first-hand experiences that encourage exploration, observation, problem solving, prediction, critical thinking, decision making and discussion;

>> an environment with a wide range of activities indoors and outdoors that stimulate children’s interest and curiosity;

>> opportunities that help children to become aware of, explore and question issues of differences in gender, ethnicity, language, religion and culture and of special educational needs and disability issues;

>> adult support in helping children communicate and record orally and in other ways;

>> supplementary experience and information for children with sensory impairment.

Physical development 
Physical development in the foundation stage is about improving skills of coordination, control, manipulation and movement. Physical development has two other very important aspects. It helps children gain confidence in what they can do and enables them to feel the positive benefits of being healthy and active. Effective physical development helps children develop a positive sense of well-being. To give all children the best opportunities for effective physical development, practitioners should give particular attention to:

>> planning activities that offer appropriate physical challenges;

>> providing sufficient space, indoors and outdoors, to set up relevant activities;

>> giving sufficient time for children to use a range of equipment;

>> providing resources that can be used in a variety of ways or to support specific skills;

>> introducing the language of movement to children, alongside their actions;

>> providing time and opportunities for children with physical disabilities or motor impairments to develop their physical skills, working as necessary with physiotherapists and occupational therapists;

>> using additional adult help, if necessary, to support individuals and to encourage increased independence in physical activities.

Creative development
Creativity is fundamental to successful learning. Being creative enables children to make connections between one area of learning and another and so extend their understanding. This area of learning includes art, music, dance, role play and imaginative play. To give all children the best opportunity for effective creative development, practitioners should give particular attention to:

>> a stimulating environment in which creativity, originality and expressiveness are valued;

>> a wide range of activities that children can respond to by using many senses;

>> sufficient time for children to explore, develop ideas and finish working at their ideas;

>> opportunities for children to express their ideas through a wide range of types of representation;

>> resources from a variety of cultures to stimulate different ways of thinking;

>> opportunities to work alongside artists and other creative adults;

>> opportunities for children with visual impairment to access and have physical contact with artefacts, materials, spaces and movements;

>>opportunities for children with hearing impairment to experience sound through physical contact with instruments and other sources of sound;

>> opportunities for children who cannot communicate by voice to respond to music in different ways, such as gestures;

>> accommodating children’s specific religious or cultural beliefs relating to particular forms of art or methods of representation.