Upper Primary (Y3-Y6)
We are committed to providing an environment full of exciting and stimulating experiences encouraging our students to develop their personal strengths and interests while exploring new ideas.
Each IPC theme has a Knowledge Harvest where students explore what they already know and what they want to find out in each IPC theme.
FIS provides opportunities for students to meet challenges, make decisions, evaluate and improve their own performance, work in co-operation with others and know their efforts are valued.
Enjoyment and Excellence
Our aim is for all students to enjoy learning and acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to take them confidently to the next stage of their education as positive individuals and competent learners.
Teachers work very closely together across the year groups to ensure that every class has similar learning experiences. A lot of work is done orally concentrating on higher order thinking skills. A mixture of teaching approaches are used - whole class groups and individual, depending on the particular need. A cross curricular approach is adopted between subject areas through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). Building on the foundations laid in Reception to Year 6, FIS continues to instill in students a love of learning while guiding students through the more challenging topics and concepts covered in the Programmes for Learning. Learning is the core of all our work. Our definition of learning is : Learning is the lifelong process of acquiring knowledge, developing skills and making connections in order to understand the world and our place within it.
The positive support of our parents is very important and we maintain an open and welcoming environment where we can work in partnership for the benefit of our students. Our curriculum in partnership with parents and the local community promotes global citizenship and international mindedness. Working together students, parents and staff wrote our definition of international mindedness. Our definition of international mindedness is : At FIS, International Mindedness is being inclusive, respectful accepting and open-minded about each other differences and cultures.
What do our students learn?
Instruction is provided in English.
Our curriculum is based on the English National Curriculum, which provides structure and continuity for the FIS learning objectives and a benchmark for our high expectations. Other than English and Maths other subjects are delivered through exciting IPC themes. We take advantage of local resources, expertise, history and geography. Our IPC curriculum interconnects to ensure our students progress through the years. IPC is a thematic curriculum which links learning through independent yet interdependent subjects within a theme subjects such as PE, Music, IT, History, Geography, Science, Art, Design, International and Society.
The IS Primary is an accredited IPC school. The accreditation report states:
The Accreditation team during observations noted that the learners were given choice in every lesson that they visited, which links to the school mission of developing confident, independent learners and this can be seen as a strength of the school.
Classes & Subjects
- IPC
- Mathematics
- English
- French
- Mandarin
- Music
- PE
- IT
IPC provides opportunities for our students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live through experimentation, discovery, practical experience and the study and discussion of sources of information.
Each unit beginnings with an Entry Point followed by a Knowledge Harvest where students and teachers personalise the learning in each theme.
The Big Picture allows the students to make connections between subject goals, personal goals and international goals.
Students undertake Research and recording activities before sharing their learning with peers, other children, parents and French Stream students during Exit Points.
As students move through the primary years they will be able to confidently solve problems, reason mathematically and successfully perform investigations by drawing upon the mathematical experiences and knowledge gained through a rich, broad and exciting Mathematics curriculum. Mathematical learning at FIS allows students to deepen their understanding and master key concepts in preparation for their future.
Our students are growing up in an increasingly international world, and communication lies at the heart of every successful community. It is our aim that students develop these skills so that they can communicate effectively and creatively through the spoken word and written language. Students are enabled to express themselves creatively and imaginatively as they become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories, poetry and drama, as well as of non-fiction and media texts. Students gain an understanding of how language works by looking at its patterns, structures and origins. Students follow a structured, balanced curriculum with the emphasis on independent writing increasing as they progress through the primary years in preparation for the next phase in their education.
Activities and Field Trips
