The BSN hosted an Early Years Forum on Wednesday 18 January at Junior School Leidschenveen (JSL) with a fun Maths theme.
The event, now in its third year, brought together other international schools from across the Netherlands including the International School of Amsterdam, Lighthouse, Zein, True Colours, The International School in the Hague and HSV, and European School of the Hague, to share best practice and ideas.
After a warm welcome from JSL Headteacher Mrs Van Zoest, who affirmed that maths should be fun and that Early Years has a big part to play in the foundation of all school learning, the group were taken on a tour of the school by a selection of student ambassadors. They confidently and proudly showed our guests around and highlighted their favourite special areas.
Maths Lead Teacher at JSL, Mrs Zwinkels, then delivered a very informative presentation introducing the Early Years practitioners to the Foundation Stage maths curriculum and how Numicon is used as a main resource in teaching maths to young children. Numicon is a durable multi sensory approach, built on a proven pedagogy that raises achievement across all mathematics ability levels. With problem-solving, reasoning and conversation at its heart, Numicon ensures every child can enjoy success in mathematics.
Other practical workshops were delivered encouraging everyone to play with a range of mathematical games with the view to swapping ideas. In fact, it was very much a collaborative day with BSN staff from across all Junior Schools delivering workshops and presentations, taking questions and leading discussion. Outdoors learning , iPads, continuous provision. and the importance of shape, space and measures were some of the areas covered.
During the afternoon guests spent time in Foundation Stage observing and interacting with our wonderful BSN students.
The BSN sees Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as vital for developing staff expertise, which in turn filters down to students so they get the best learning experiences possible.
Fiona Aartsen, Achievement and Progress leader, Foundation Stage,who organised this year’s forum said; “I really enjoyed the opportunity to share professional reflections with other Early Years practitioners who share the same passion for teaching and learning in the Early Years as I do.”
