Today's Learners, Tomorrow's Leaders
A World Class Education
Preparing to engage with and succeed in a complex world.
All stages of a child’s education are important but during Key Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2), many new skills are established. We therefore use a variety of teaching approaches at MIS and aim to make our teaching of reading, writing, spoken Language, maths and science, rigorous and challenging for all children no matter what their individual stage.
Our Key Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2) programme helps encourage a love of learning both within and outside the classroom. With a strong understanding that every child is different, we seek to ensure that our students are given ample opportunities to explore new knowledge and skills, enabling them to discover their strengths and passions.
Key Stage 2 (Years 3 – 6) begins the next step in a student’s learning journey and builds on learning from Key Stage 1. Our aim is that all students in KS2 will receive a broad, balanced and enjoyable learning experience that will equip each individual with the skills necessary for a successful transition into secondary school.
Learning is planned around the objectives of the Cambridge Curriculum. This is supplemented by inquiry based themes where students become immersed in a variety of topics. Our aim to ensure that solid foundations are laid for the future success of our students, whilst allowing them plenty of space to explore and develop their passions and interests.
We encourage our students to be successful by providing them access to:
Students are assessed regularly, through self-reflection and teacher feedback. They become increasingly aware of the progress they make and next steps for improvement. This progress is tracked by the teachers, which in turn informs their planning. Planning is differentiated to provide opportunities for each student to reach their potential.
Our curriculum empowers learners in their application of English, and encourages life-long enthusiasm for reading, writing and spoken communication. It develops communication skills in English that learners can apply in everyday situations and in study. It also equips them with transferrable language skills for interrogating and producing spoken and written texts, and working collaboratively. Together the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills acquired through Cambridge Primary English support learners’ overall intellectual, creative and social development.
English as a Second Language is designed for learners who speak a language other than English at home and can be used in any cultural context. There is no expectation that learners will have prior experience of English before starting Stage 1 of the Primary English as a Second Language curriculum.
The English as a Second Language curriculum empowers learners to communicate confidently and effectively and to develop the critical skills needed to respond to a range of information, media and texts. It also promotes active learning, develops thinking skills and encourages intellectual engagement. The programme develops a solid foundation for further study of English as a Second Language, and for study through the medium of English.
Mathematics encourages life-long enthusiasm for analytical and rational thinking. Learners develop a holistic understanding of the subject, focussing on principles, patterns, systems, functions and relationships. Learners become mathematically competent and fluent in computation, which they can apply to everyday situations.A unique feature of our primary mathematics curriculum is ‘Thinking and Working Mathematically’, which comprises eight characteristics that are intertwined and interdependent: specialising, generalising, conjecturing, convincing, characterising, classifying, critiquing and improving.
Science supports learners in developing life-long curiosity about the natural world and enables them to seek scientific explanations to the phenomena around them. Learners will develop a holistic approach to science by considering scientific thinking and practical skills alongside knowledge and understanding which is vital for explaining the world around us. This approach provides learners with the knowledge and skills they require to access and excel at science in later phases of education and to make informed choices, including considering sustainability issues and meeting the challenges facing our environment.
Global Perspectives is a unique, transformational programme that helps primary learners to develop transferable skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. It offers valuable opportunities to reinforce links with and skills learnt in other subjects across the Cambridge Primary programme. The emphasis is on developing learners’ ability to think critically about a range of global issues where there is always more than one point of view. Learners study global topics that are relevant to them – for example, the environment, education and keeping healthy.
Learning about the world around them helps young learners better understand their place within that world. Our Social Studies curriculum provides students with the opportunity to explore the meaning of community, family, citizenship, fairness, and cooperation. The aim of Social Studies is to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to be positive contributors to their communities, both in school, at home, and in the wider world. By developing the tools they need to work with and value others, our students will be able to engage with all aspects of their lives in proactive ways.
Our Myanmar curriculum is a balance of Myanmar language learning and Myanmar cultural studies. The language learning is inspired by the Myanmar government’s curriculum for language, introducing students to the language through the use of culturally relevant resources. Students will be exposed to traditional stories, literature and poems as a medium to engage with their language learning. Cultural studies allow all students - both from Myanmar and other countries - to learn more about the history, traditions, music, geography, and ethnicities of this wonderfully diverse country.
Mandarin is one of the most spoken languages in the world, and is becoming an increasingly global language of business and communication. Our curriculum is designed for learners of all levels, including those with no prior knowledge. Learners will be introduced to Mandarin through the use of Chinese Characters and pinyin, acquiring vocabulary and speaking skills to help them communicate about themselves and their surroundings. Students will also learn more of the rich heritage of China through cultural topics exploring Chinese New Year, the Mid Autumn Festival, the Winter Solstice and the Chinese Zodiac.
Our Computing curriculum helps young learners to understand how computer devices work. Learners have the opportunity to: investigate how individual components are joined together to form functioning systems and networks; use computational thinking to create precise sets of instruction and to break down complex problems into smaller, simpler steps; write short computer programs, using a fun and accessible programming language, to discover how logical sets of instruction can be given to a computer.
Learners are encouraged to think like a computer. In doing this, they understand that logic and precision underpin how computers work. They develop their own logical thinking skills and apply these to other areas of their learning. This curriculum explains how computers are used to gather, store, sort and represent data within spreadsheets and other databases. Learners consider how data is transferred between devices and how the decisions that computers make are informed by the data that they receive.
This wide ranging discipline enables learners to explore their creativity and to express themselves through a range of artistic forms. They will experiment with artistic media, consider the artistic process that all artists follow and use concentration and perseverance to convert their creative ideas and their experiments into both personal and collaborative pieces of art. Throughout their artistic journey, learners will also benefit from reflecting on their own experiences and from the experiences of others.
Music fosters creativity and builds confidence. It helps learners develop a deeper understanding of self-expression, and shows them the importance of communication as they learn to connect with other musicians and audiences. This curriculum emphasises musical exploration and gives learners the opportunity to both make music and make sense of music at every stage of development. The focus is on play and on responding to music which leads to an increasing awareness of self and personal musicality.
Physical education is a vital part of a balanced school curriculum. Regular exercise improves both physical and mental health and there is growing evidence that it improves academic performance across the curriculum. Establishing good patterns of exercise in primary schools also provides learners with the foundation of an active and healthy lifestyle for life. The focus of our curriculum is on depth of skills rather than referring to particular activity types or sports.