Early Years
At the British International Programme, our Early Years programme is based on the UK Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, providing a strong, well-rounded foundation for our youngest learners.
The EYFS framework emphasises the development of the whole child, nurturing their social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth. We believe that every child is unique and deserves an environment that encourages exploration, creativity, and a love for learning. Our Early Years setting focuses on creating a safe, stimulating, and inclusive space where children are empowered to discover and learn at their own pace.
Our dedicated Early Years team uses play-based learning as a key method of instruction. We understand that young children learn best through hands-on experiences, so our curriculum is designed to engage their natural curiosity and provide opportunities for them to explore, question, and discover. Through a blend of teacher-led and child-initiated activities, children develop essential skills in areas such as:
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
A Holistic Learning Environment
In our Early Years classrooms, learning is never just about the basics. We nurture each child’s individual interests, helping them build confidence and self-esteem while developing essential life skills. Our outdoor spaces further enhance learning, allowing children to explore the world around them in an engaging and fun way.
As we prepare our early learners for Primary Education, we also begin to develop emergent literacy and numeracy and a proportion of the school day becomes dedicated to more formal elements as we prepare for the transition to Year 1. This includes a greater focus on phonics, literacy and mathematics with more time devoted to traditional learning activities and focusing on assigned tasks.
Parental Involvement
We believe that the best outcomes are achieved when school and home work together. Our Early Years team communicates regularly with parents, ensuring that you are kept informed of your child’s progress, achievements, and development. We encourage parents to actively participate in school events and activities, reinforcing the partnership between home and school.
At the British International Programme our Early Years programme is designed to ignite a passion for learning, laying the foundation for a successful and fulfilling educational journey.
*Please note that both Foundation 1 (Nursery) and Foundation 2 (Reception) are only currently available in NEC BIP Yenibogazici. Foundation 2 newly opened in NEC BIP Nicosia from 2024 onwards. Early Years in DSG BIP Kyrenia is planned for development in 2026.
Primary Education
Primary education at BIP, encompasses Year 1 to Year 6 for children aged 5 – 11. Our curriculum nurtures and challenges BIP children through a diverse and stimulating British curriculum. We take an international perspective on the National Curriculum for England and Wales, recognising our context within Cyprus and utilising its rich history and culture, and reflecting the diversity of our international student body.
Across all of our curriculum subjects, we frame our learning from multiple perspectives: our host country on the beautiful island of Cyprus, our home country which may lie outside of Cyprus, and our heritage countries which recognise that many of our children belong to multicultural families. International mindedness is something that we value highly and children at BIP develop these not only through our school culture and ethos, but also through our curriculum subject of Global Citizenship.
Our curriculum is divided into two categories.
Our core subjects of English, Maths, Science and Computing and ICT which contribute to, and support, all other learning and our foundation subjects which offer a broad and varied learning experience in all the other areas of academic and creative study. These include Art Design Technology (ADT), French, Geography, Global Citizenship, History, Music, Physical Education (P.E.) and Turkish. Foundation subjects are typically taught through thematic cross-curricular units that link learning across academic domains. These subjects are largely taught by your child’s class teacher, with the exception of ICT and Computing, French, P.E. and Turkish which are taught by specialist teachers. Turkish is divided into first and second language speakers and these follow different curricula.
All our learning is taught in English, with the exception of French and Turkish, and the language of communication in our school community is English. Above all we are an inclusive and caring school. As much as our academic curriculum is important to us, we value equally the personal development of your child through our outstanding pastoral provision. Our teachers really look after your children. Our priority is safety and happiness where learning can flourish.