The importance of the first three years

A child’s early years are the foundation for their future development, providing a base for lifelong learning abilities, including cognitive and social development. The quality of a child's education in the first few years, has a lasting effect on their school life and beyond.

Research shows that 90% of a child’s brain develops by age 5 and the brain connections required for many important higher-level abilities are formed during this time. With this consensus in mind many educators agree that Nursery and Pre-Prep is the ideal time to start a challenging, accelerated curriculum. The reason being that younger minds learn much faster.

However, development is not an automatic process, it depends on each child being given opportunities unique to them. It is paramount that all learning activities are carefully planned, well-structured and supported to ensure that all children have the right experience, allowing them to progress through the years with confidence, social awareness and a readiness for learning.

In the first few years of school children take in a huge amount of information. They begin to learn to read and write, understand what a full stop means and give examples of parts of speech. They begin to add and subtract numbers, practice timetables, share with others and manage their emotions. They learn to kick, throw and catch a ball as well as play team games, they solve problems creatively, sing in tune, play an instrument, feel a pulse, project their voices on stage, look after plants and the world around them. In the case of those at Leweston, they learn how to speak French and Spanish, how to swim and how to manage technology safely in their lessons with specialist teachers.

Children do not learn these things simply by osmosis. Whilst they are naturally curious and have a thirst for knowledge, it is all too easy for them to be put off in the classroom, something which often comes down to how confident they feel. This confidence is gained through successes, failures, safety nets and risk-taking. The teachers at Leweston prioritise developing confidence because the way a child feels about going to school can have a long-lasting impact on how they approach their education. 

Teachers forge a close relationship with the children and their parents, providing a sense of security essential to their effectiveness in learning. A warm, caring environment encourages young children to have a go, try again, succeed, all in the knowledge that they have supportive adults around them. Being a good learner is not about getting things right straight away or being perfectly behaved; it is about having the confidence and courage to make mistakes and learn from them. 

This is one of the reasons why confidence is one of the five key characteristics of the Leweston Learner, our learning philosophy which teaches our pupils 'how to learn' as well as 'what to learn'. Embedded across the school from Nursery to Sixth Form the Leweston Learner encourages pupils to be confident, inquisitive, adventurous, resilient and creative right from the start. 

To find out more about the Leweston Learner and its impact in Pre-Prep contact our Prep Registrar, Amanda Wilson, on 01963 211054 or email admissions@leweston.dorset.sch.uk