Programme

A safe, engaging and genuinely happy setting

Having fun and being happy, in a safe and loving environment, is closely linked to learning; there can be no learning without connection, and purposeful engagement.

‘Our children love coming here and love this place so much that they can’t get enough of it. We have had many hilarious moments where parents had to put their child in the car and drive by the nursery on weekends to prove that we were closed. This is what makes this place so great. Children find it a safe space and actually enjoy coming here!’ SIMONE, FIN LEAD TEACHER

Physical engagement opportunities

We know that young children need to be physically engaged for at least 3 hours per day. So, we made sure we have enough spaces, indoor and outdoor, that enable children to have at least 10 different kinds of physical play…even when the weather becomes too hot.

• Open spaces for running and ball play: each class has a direct access to an open space.
• Riding track, with signposts, for tricycles and different vehicles.
• Splash and water play areas.
• Outdoor climbing and adventure zones with ladders, rope climbing, sliding, balancing and swinging.
• Indoor soft gyms, with a ball pool, obstacle courses, trampolines and balancing beams.
• Sensory zones: each class has access to a sound wall, and a variety of sensory trays.
• Spaces for construction and imagination: dens, tents, large-scale painting and large structures.
• Quiet areas, outdoors and indoors, for children who feel overwhelmed.

Our Curriculum Framework

We provide a bilingual curriculum based on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework enriched with the International Early Years curriculum (IEYC). The IEYC emphasises child-centred learning, hands-on experiences, and active participation to foster curiosity, exploration, and a love for learning.

The EYFS describes what early years providers must do to promote the learning and development of all children in their care in seven different areas. Three are prime areas, forming the foundations upon which all further learning is built:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Four other areas are described as specific areas of learning, through which the prime areas are further applied and strengthened:

• Literacy (ability to read and write)
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

Our long experience in education enables us to continuously enrich our curriculum. We use research-based resources such as the Numicon multi-sensory maths programme to create confident mathematicians right from the start, and the Ben and Betty award-winning phonics approach to help our children develop their love of reading.

Unique Dual Language Approach

We prioritise language development as we believe it serves as a gateway to success. Research indicates that a child's proficiency in language prior to starting school is a strong predictor of their success in different critical areas like reading, mathematics, and social skills.

We offer an immersive environment where children have the opportunity to develop proficiency in both Arabic and English. Unlike many nurseries where the Arabic teacher is a visitor who joins a few times a week, and English and Arabic are taught in isolation, at FIN Arabic and English teachers spend the full day together, plan, and coordinate with each other. This ensures that all concepts, stories, themes, and routines are reinforced equally in both languages.

Each group of children has an Arabic-speaking teacher and an English-speaking teacher. Every day, children experience a combination of learning approaches: bilingual learning sessions where both teachers are present, focused Arabic sessions, and focused English sessions. It not only facilitates language acquisition and proficiency but also conveys a powerful message about the value of both languages and, by extension, the cultures they represent.

Our bilingual approach allows children who do not have Arabic as a home language to develop their skills in the national language of the country they live in.

Building Strong Executive Functions

At FIN, we are committed to equipping every child with the foundational elements of executive functions. We firmly believe that a child who can focus, retain information for a purpose, control impulses, and find different problem-solving approaches will excel in any chosen endeavour throughout their life. Recognizing the crucial role of early years, particularly ages 3 to 5, in fostering dramatic growth in these essential skills, we prioritize providing the necessary support.

How do we achieve this? Our guiding principle at FIN is simple: ‘DO NOT DO for children what they CAN DO by themselves.’ We emphasize giving children the time and space to practice and refine their skills continuously. Teachers facilitate this growth by using questions to prompt thinking rather than giving direct instructions.

Reconnecting with Nature

A growing body of research shows that a connection to the natural world is fundamental to all aspects of child development: unstructured outdoor play has holistic benefits for children and helps them build optimal mental, emotional, social and physical health.

By providing children with the freedom to move, assess risks, make choices, observe, and experiment in open outdoor spaces, we create an ideal environment for holistic learning. We have observed firsthand that children are simply happier when they have the opportunity to engage with nature and be outdoors.

We regularly take the children to outdoor areas, where they can experience great interactions with the natural world: picking up their own vegetables, feeding animals, or simply enjoying time in a park. We are privileged to live near the seaside, with its endless learning opportunities.

Rooted in Values

One of the first responsibilities we have, as early years education providers, is to enable children to develop confidence, a positive self-concept and a high level of self-esteem. In that regard, we acknowledge our children's heritage, culture and beliefs, thus empowering them to feel secure, confident and to take pride in their identity.

We wanted to avoid giving to the children the implicit message that Arabic was not ‘important’, and that the Arabic teacher, who speaks the home language of many of our children, is only a ‘visitor’ in the class and does not belong to the ‘family’. This is why we adopted an approach to bilingualism in which both Arabic and English languages ‘belong’ to the classroom environment and exist together throughout the daily routine.