From 3 to 6 years of age, the child refines their symbolic thought, constructs the first logical structures, develops an ability to narrate, learns to recognise themselves as an individual in relation to others and begins to construct the maps they’ll use to understand the world. Rootes Preschool accompanies this fundamental phase with a strong bilingual approach, in which playing, studying and relating are deeply entwined, and so become daily tools for growth.
At the basis of this educational offer there is a clear vision of the child: an active and competent protagonist, taking a full part in their own learning process, naturally curious and possessing a variety of intelligence to develop, immersed in a network of important relationships with adults and peers which help their development.
Rootes School promotes a vision of childhood as a foundation and transformative in which cognitive, relational, physical and expressive inclinations are rooted
Elements of both the Anglo-Saxon experience-based approach and active Italian pedagogy produce between them a bicultural curriculum. This educational proposal unites the requirements of the Italian National Indications and the British EYFS – Early Years Foundation Stage. The five areas of English learning and the Italian ‘experience camps’ meet in an organic curriculum, built to continue the 0-3 year-old path and linking up with the primary school cycle.
Activities are planned with specific didactic ends. It is never a question of ‘entertaining kids’, but rather of nurturing their multipolar intelligence: logic and mathematics, linguistics, music, physical exercise, visual and spatial awareness, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, and development of curiosity.
Nature is a powerful ally in education. The children spend some time outdoors each day, collecting, observing, moving and touching. Discovering the world starts with direct access to what surrounds you, not with abstract representations. Nature, the town and the neighbourhood become active and authentic places for exploration.
In their final year at Rootes Preschool, children take part in the international Trinity Stars project: Young Performers in English Award, promoted by Trinity College London, a British certifying authority.
This consists of a group performance bringing together English and drama, in which the children stage real communicative situations, guided by their mother-tongue teacher. The performance takes place in front of an expert sent by Trinity who observes and interacts with the children, and assesses the group’s communicative effectiveness. At the end, each child receives a medal and official certificate. This acknowledgement is unique to Rootes, as it is the only infant school which issues a language certificate recognised internationally as early as this age group.
The Rootes Preschool educational journey has been designed to support an all-round development, in which each child can develop their own cognitive, emotional and relation-oriented potential. Its fundamental aims include that of nourishing a curiosity for knowledge, in other words the authentic desire to understand how the world works, to observe, ask questions and join the dots. The children benefit from self-confidence, and learn to make decisions, reason with their own brain and act in increasing autonomy.
Particular attention is paid to the development of relation-oriented skills; children learn to consider their group as a place of comparison and cooperation, with respect for shared rules. Relationships between peers become inclusive, and stimulate empathy and the development of relationships with others. From a cognitive point of view, the journey is articulated in order to accompany the child towards symbolic and abstract thought, with a view to the literacy and numeracy which they will meet in primary school. Educational activities encourage diverging thinking, creativity and problem-solving, and acknowledge that mistakes are part of the learning process: a precious opportunity to stop, reformulate and investigate.
The classrooms are divided between areas of experience: a creative workshop, a reading corner, an area for physical movement, a structured outdoor area and a didactic garden. Each setting has been designed to provide stimuli suitable for the varying cognitive styles and for each child’s inclinations.
The adult is a guide and a mirror. The teacher does not direct, but accompanies. She does not anticipate, but observes and measures. She is an affectionate and knowing point of reference, able to offer control and freedom in equal measures. She does not give answers, but creates the conditions so that the child can find them. The constant presence of mother-tongue teachers creates an authentic exposure to both languages, which are intertwined in daily life and theme-based laboratories.
The team is led by didactic coordinators who guarantee that the educational project will have consistency, attention and quality.
Each section is entrusted to a key mother-tongue English teacher, accompanied by Italian educators and specialists in motor, linguistic and cognitive education. Teamwork is constant, shared and oriented to the child’s overall well-being. Continuous staff training is a structural element of our approach.
Each child creates their own portfolio of skills, a collection of footprints, images and narrative observations which return the experiences. It’s a tool for dialogue between school and family which recounts rather than measures, and it’s designed to throw the development of thought, relationships and daily achievements into relief.