Primary School (K1–G1)

Students engage in a balanced literacy programme made up of the following components:

• Speaking and Listening
• Reading
• Writing
• Language and Word Study

Each of these components is made up of a number of strategies that support children in developing skills and understandings about language. 

Starting in K2, students take part in Reading and Writing Workshop. This programme supports children in understanding the writing process and the importance of stamina in becoming a reader or writer. Classrooms are communities of readers and writers who share and celebrate their published work. 

EAL learners in K1 and K2 are supported in the classroom environment; there is no specific EAL programme as students are developing transferable literacy skills.

Young children learn mathematical concepts by engaging in meaningful, practical activities that connect to their daily lives. Our students take part in a variety of activities that support them in moving from the concrete to symbolic level of understanding. In K1 for example, concepts such as addition and subtraction might be modelled and explored with use of concrete materials in practical situations. As children move into Grade 1, these concepts are recorded symbolically with numbers and the plus, minus and equals signs.

Manipulatives such as counters or interlocking cubes are used to introduce and reinforce mathematical concepts in number or pattern. Play and hands-on experiences such as cooking are utilised on a regular basis to teach concepts in measurement, such as capacity, weight and length.

The development of reasoning, communication and problem-solving skills is integrated into our learning engagements and reflected on by students as part of mathematical inquiries.

Foreign and First language courses

All students have four lessons a week with a specialist teacher in one of the following languages:

• K1 – Chinese
• K2 – Chinese
• G1 – Chinese or Spanish

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Home languages (mother tongue) 

These classes are taught after school by a qualified teacher who uses the UWCSEA literacy curriculum to inform the lessons. These classes are taught in small groups at additional cost; languages are available subject to demand. 

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English as an Additional Language

A small number of EAL learners can be accommodated in the classroom and/or in small group lessons. 

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Infant School students learn about science and humanities through interdisciplinary units of study. These units allow them to explore a topic by applying their knowledge from a variety of subject areas. For example, in a unit on light and sound, students might use their knowledge of graphing skills to make sense of data collected during scientific investigations. 

The teaching of science and humanities also focuses on the core skills required in undertaking an inquiry. Both research skills and investigation skills are taught through hands-on experiences and follow-up discussion and analysis. 

Recognising that the making and appreciation of art is important for young children’s cognitive, motor and emotional development, our students have regular opportunities to express themselves through art in the classroom. Through learning centres and class projects, students paint, work with clay, create collages and build sculptures out of recycled materials. 

Through our music programme, students listen, sing and respond to music, exploring musical concepts such as rhythm, pitch and melody. Our students love music class; it is a time when they can express themselves in playful ways both with and without instruments. 

There are two 40-minute periods of music per week with our dedicated Infant School Music teacher, who conducts the lessons in our Infant School Music room. 

UWCSEA’s PE curriculum is designed to provide a fun and positive learning experience that gives students the skills and confidence to develop lifelong habits of physical activity. In the Infant School the emphasis is on exploring fundamental movement skills whilst developing spatial awareness when moving at speed and in different directions. Social interaction is encouraged through partner and small group activities, where students learn to use positive communication and to share space and equipment.

There are seven, five-week units, including locomotion (athletics), ball skills, gymnastics, dance and swimming. All students, regardless of current swimming ability, have swimming twice per year to help them to develop water confidence, to introduce the fundamentals of swimming, and to be safe in the water. 

All students have weekly PE lessons with a specialist PE teacher, accompanied by the classes Teacher Assistant:

• K2 and Grade 1, have two PE lessons each week
• K1 students have a PE lesson and three sessions of Perceptual Motor Programme (PMP) on a two week rotation. These small group sessions, taught in a dedicated PMP room in the K1 pod, focus on individual skill acquisition in fundamental movement

On PE days students should wear their PE kit to school and bring a water bottle. 

Our youngest students are given space and time to pursue their own interests within the curriculum framework. Centres for art, discovery, blocks, mathematics, reading, writing and dramatic play ensure that students can explore topics of interest as they emerge over the course of the year. 

Dedicated ‘Discovery Time’ allows students to collaborate with students from other K1 classes on large-scale, long-term projects that they design together, with minimal guidance from the teacher. Students have access to the K1 pod area, as well as the indoor and outdoor classroom spaces of their peers. This also supports students in their social and emotional development as they broaden their social networks and learn to collaborate with others.

Infant School students each have an Environmental Stewardship project in which they engage, creating authentic learning experiences that are directly linked to our service curriculum. This means that for our youngest students, College Service might involve recycling materials, caring for plants or helping the Facilities team to clean up rubbish and leaf litter.

Local Service includes working with ACRES, an established Singapore-based animal welfare organisation, and connecting regularly with children from Child @ Street 11, an organisation that educates young children from low income families. 

Our K2 classes host an annual tea party for local seniors, learning first about their guests’ abilities and personal preferences, then planning games and art activities, and rehearsing Chinese songs. 

Grade 1 classes visit a senior activity centre to play games, do art and converse with their elderly friends.

Under the umbrella of our Global Concerns (GC) programme, Infant School classes learn about and support Mumbai Mobile Creches, which provides a comprehensive daycare service for children of construction workers in Mumbai, India.