'Stay & Play' Event: Experience Dulwich College Early Years

By Sponsored, April 10, 2023

On Saturday, April 22, families interested in experiencing the world-class Early Years provision at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi are invited to register for our Early Years Stay & Play event.

While the children spend time in our delightful Early Years classrooms exploring our resources and experiencing what it feels like to learn in our school, parents in attendance will have the opportunity to:

Meet our teachers and academic leaders, including Head of Primary, Christine Haslett and Deputy Head of Primary, Gemma Stanton.
Spend time in our classrooms with their children, watching them experience the purposeful environments that inspire curiosity and learning
Tour our state-of-the-art campus facilities
Ask any questions they may have about our Early Years provision

Scan the QR code below or click here to register:

Contact our Admissions team for details:

What makes the Early Years at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi special?

2 to U: Toddler to University

An Early Years Programme Aligned with the IBDP

Our Early Years setting is the beginning of an exciting educational journey for our students; a journey that will lead them through the Primary School, Senior School, the IB Diploma Programme and on to university.

All our curricula, starting in the Early Years, are aligned in the IB Diploma Programme. This is to ensure that from two years old our students are developing the skills, knowledge and motivation to become true 21st century global citizens who will be successful not only at university, but in their lives and careers.

We describe this approach as 2 to U: Toddler to University.

The Curiosity Approach

Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi is the first school in China to embark on becoming an accredited Curiosity Approach setting in the Early Years.

The Curiosity Approach draws on the work of influential early years theorists such as Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Steiner, and Froebel, who all emphasised the importance of providing children with a rich, stimulating, and child-centered learning environment that encourages exploration, discovery, and investigation.

Our Early Years settings provide children with an environment, experiences, activities, and resources that foster their innate need to be curious, explore and engage in a high level of sustained shared thinking.

Early Years at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, in drawing on the Curiosity Approach, promotes creativity, problem-solving skills, and independence in young children, while also fostering a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them.

As the first school in China to adopt the Curiosity Approach, Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi is at the forefront of innovation and leadership in the Early Years.

Dual-Language Approach

We truly value our location in Shanghai, one of the most advanced and dynamic cities in the world. It is our hope that all students who join the College will become proficient not only in English, but also in Mandarin.

In the Early Years, we adopt a Dual-Language Approach to instruction. That means that students are learning fluently in both languages, supported by highly qualified staff at all levels.

Each class is supported by a fully qualified, native English speaking Early Years practitioner, and a fully qualified, native Chinese speaking Early Years practitioner. By switching fluently between English and Chinese, we ensure that all students who leave the Early Years are equipped to continue their studies in English, whilst also maintaining a high degree of fluency in Mandarin.

This is important, as we know that our students will go on to become leaders both abroad and here in China. It is our duty to ensure that they can operate seamlessly and confidently, wherever their paths may take them in the future.

Early Years Practitioner Teachers

We believe that getting it right in the classroom starts with getting the right teachers. We do not compromise on our commitment to hiring the very best educators from around the world. As a result, our Early Years is staffed by fully qualified Early Years Practitioners.

Early Years Practitioners play a critical role in the development and education of young children, providing them with a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment that supports their learning and development.

Early Years Practitioners are qualified to plan and facilitate a range of activities and experiences that support children's development across all areas, including social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.

They also work closely with parents and carers to ensure that each child's needs are met and to provide feedback on their child's progress. Early Years Practitioners must have a good understanding of child development, be skilled in observing and assessing children's progress, and be able to work effectively as part of a team.

In addition to their Core Programmes of Learning, all our children from Toddler upwards take part in specialist swimming, PE, music and library lessons, where highly skilled specialist teachers deliver high-quality, focused sessions.

Our World-Class Swimming Programme

Every student in our Early Years programme learns to swim, supported by our specialist training pool and Olympic standard 50-metre swimming pool.

From Toddler to Year 2, students take swimming lessons each week, meaning that by the time they leave our DUCKS programme students are confident, safe swimmers who can fully enjoy the world of water sports.

In addition to our regular swimming lessons, in Toddler we offer weekly Family Fun Swimming sessions. Each Monday morning our Toddler parents join our students and swimming instructors in the pool for a family friendly lesson together.

READ MORE: Family Fun Swimming in Toddlers

Being Part of a Growing, Caring Community

One of the most special things about joining Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi is becoming part of a growing community of students, staff and parents who care for another and are truly committed to doing everything we can to bring out the best in our students.

From our community events such as Founder’s Day, Winter Ball and DUCKS Fun Run to our extensive Parent Academy programme, Parent Workshops, Coffee Mornings, Community Gardening (Gather in the Garden) events, parent volunteer programmes and more, the opportunities to get involved and have a positive impact you our student’s education are boundless.

If you are interested in learning more, we strongly encourage you to join our upcoming Early Years Stay and Play:

Contact our Admissions team for a personalised consultation: