Your guide to
Infants The British International School Shanghai, Pudong
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CONTENTS 5
Our story
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First, a little background
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Setting the scene
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The main plot line
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Character development
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Textbook heroes
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Thinking outside the book
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Happily ever after
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Find out more
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Want to hear our story?
Welcome to our guide to Infants. This guide tells the story of the opportunities that await your child at the Pudong Campus of The British International School Shanghai. At our school, we never fail to be impressed by the level of achievement from our younger students, and inside we introduce you to some of our students and their inspiring tales. After reading this guide, you will have a better idea of what your child can hope to achieve, as well as the excellent staff, facilities and environment they can enjoy.
your guide to infants
FIRST, A LITTLE BACKGROUND Our curriculum and how we teach it
Students from age five to seven, in Years 1 and 2, form our Infants School. Each year group is divided into four or five form groups and class sizes rarely go above 22, although
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Average class size - 17 students
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72% of our teachers are from the UK
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Chinese teaching assistants in every class
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Students from 60 nationalities
they are mostly much smaller. Our Infants teaching team is dedicated to growing and nurturing young learners. Students engage in fun and insightful lessons to develop fundamental skills in literary and numeracy, with a focus on emotional and social development. We think our teachers are wonderful! Each of them is highly-qualified and experienced in international settings and has the strong support of our international Nord Anglia Education system. Our curriculum is founded on the reliable and proven English National Curriculum Key Stage 1, enhanced with an international influence. Teaching and learning in Infants fosters a holistic approach to your child’s education. Developed over many years, our unique approach – High Performance Learning – provides the groundwork for academic success and future achievement as members of the global community. Your child will benefit from outstanding teaching and an environment that incorporates eight core Values, Attitudes and Attributes (VAA) adapted for our setting. They are: Caring, Inquiring, Risk Taking, Independent, Collaborative, Creative, Respectful, and Persevering. Our aim, right from the beginning, is to encourage your child to introduce themself to the world as a global citizen.
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We think our teachers are wonderful!
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your guide to infants
SETTING THE SCENE Creating the best learning environment for your child
Samuel is an amazing artist and he has already produced some outstanding work in Year 2. Samuel’s passion for art extends beyond his wonderful accuracy and 3-D rendering to vivid and original creativity. Both his drawing and modelling skills illustrate his gift for design. Focus, determination, and pride in his work are qualities that Samuel has in great measure. Our Infants truly learn beyond the classroom. Every Infants class has direct access to outdoors areas as well as thoughtfully designed communal indoor spaces that provide opportunities for inspiration and engagement. Walk through the halls of our Infants school and you will immediately notice the openness of our classrooms, and the pride with which students present their work. The bright and airy classrooms are designed to maximize your child’s learning, with easy access to the latest smartboard and computer technology, as well as quiet and comfortable spaces for reading and group activities. Learning in Infants flows through all parts of their environment. The hallway is set up with engaging activity areas, used throughout the day, that give your child the opportunity to build their abilities as an independent learner, taking initiative and making independent inquiries. Other communal spaces promote group interactions, an important aspect of learning for our global citizens.
Outdoor and indoor active spaces abound, with size and skill-appropriate adventure playgrounds, readily accessible playing fields, as well as our indoor gymnasium, sports halls and studio space. Our Infants benefit from the thoughtful design of facilities including: • •
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The Hive - an excellent new facility, integrating multimedia and technology in an innovative classroom space The Learning Centre - at the heart of our school, this bright and welcoming space is filled with books and resources, providing knowledge at students’ fingertips Music Room - with a rich array of musical equipment and totally soundproof allowing for full freedom of expression English as an Additional Language Room – providing the perfect separate environment for EAL learning right beside the classroom Infants Cafeteria - purposefully designed for young children and offering a selection of Asian and Western foods Performing Arts Centre - a new 400 seat space for school assemblies and regular performances
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your guide to infants
THE MAIN PLOT LINE Developing learners •
High Performance Learning
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Progress data produced six times per year
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My Learning Programme
Our dedicated teachers have developed a context-led, creative curriculum which recognises the importance of making learning engaging, meaningful and memorable. For this reason we teach many of our subjects through a themed, experience-based approach helping your child to make connections and link ideas and areas of learning. The focus for learning is to develop skills that provide a grounding for future success. Our teaching encourages the development of: • • • •
Independence – in learning and decision-making Social Awareness – to build positive friendships and be able to work in a team Perseverance – to produce work to a certain standard Creativity – to explore all possibilities
Using a framework of High Performance Learning, every student is taught as the top of the class, and challenged to meet targets. At the same time, no child is ever made to feel uncomfortable or out of their depth. Your child will engage in meaningful and interesting home learning through our My Learning Programme, focusing on the values they are learning in class, and extending their thinking skills while working in partnership with parents. We encourage and expect our students to extend their learning beyond UK national averages and teachers discuss key progress markers with you, the parents, every step of the way.
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We recognise the importance of making learning engaging, meaningful and memorable
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your guide to infants
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT Well-rounded learning, well-rounded students
Your child will benefit from our holistic approach to education in Infants and beyond. Our curriculum embraces important ideals that will ensure your child develops the skills to become an active participant in the global community. We work to instil in your child the Values, Attitudes and Attributes (VAA) that we believe provide the grounding for their future success. In line with the UK government’s Every Child Matters document we believe that schools must provide a broad and balanced curriculum which: •
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Promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental, emotional, social and physical development and well-being of pupils at the school and in wider society Prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life
Health and well-being are central to the life of our school and its relationships with the wider community, and we support this through: • • •
Daily Guidance lessons which include development of thinking skills Encouraging lunches and snacks to follow the healthy eating guidelines from the UK Weekly themed assemblies celebrating children’s achievements
Whilst achieving academic brilliance is our first goal, we greatly value the co-curricular involvement for all, and believe invaluable skills
are developed this way. Our Infants extended learning activities include: Music Our specialist music teachers make learning fun and encourage public performance. Singing is a regular part of our assemblies, and students have the chance to join the Rainbow Review choir. Performance Performing is a valuable way to develop confidence and leadership. Your child has the opportunity to become involved in the various processes including scriptwriting, prop and costume making, and acting. Sport Being active and healthily competitive is encouraged inside and outside of the curriculum. All students take part in at least two Physical Education (PE) lessons per week, taking advantage of our excellent sporting facilities. Students can join competitive sports as part of our after school programme, SPACE, which also includes classes in yoga and martial arts.
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your guide to infants
TEXTBOOK HEROES Daily routine of subjects and activities
Laura joined us as a complete beginner to English half way through her Reception year. She attended EAL support lessons and graduated to mainstream classes at the
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Daily phonics focus
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Daily Mandarin lessons
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Group and guided reading sessions
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English as an Additional Language (EAL) support
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Regular Numeracy problem solving sessions
beginning of Year 2. Her levels of spoken English, reading and writing now match those of a Year 2 child in the UK and we’ll expect to see her beyond UK expectations very soon. Our classrooms are language-rich environments, where great books are at the heart of learning. We use a combination of colour-banded reading schemes, and encourage your child to get stuck into a range of fiction and non-fiction texts. Our teachers lead daily phonics sessions based on letters and sounds and your child will participate in guided and shared reading sessions as well. We encourage parents and carers to read to and with their children at home, and your child will have a reading record in their learning journal. We also run curriculum evenings which includes workshops on supporting reading at home. Students for whom English is not the main language spoken at home are assisted to join the mainstream Literacy classroom through English as an Additional Language (EAL) classes. Recognising that your child learns at their own pace, we group students according to where they are in the development of their learning in numeracy. We use guided teaching to review concepts and allow all students to extend their knowledge in a supportive environment. Even the youngest child can apply maths to their everyday lives, and we use practical examples to assist them to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. Mandarin is an important element of your child’s learning in Infants and classes are held daily, led by native Mandarin speaking teachers. Your child is grouped with students at a similar level – beginner, intermediate or native.
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your guide to infants
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOOK Connecting with the world around us •
Chinese cultural lessons and activities
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Trips and visits to the wider community
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Charity and community action
After studying endangered animals and their decline, children in Infants with the assistance of supportive parents and teachers, held bake sales and sought sponsorship, raising enough money to sponsor five animals through the World Wildlife Fund. They are very proud of themselves and can not only tell you all about the plight of these animals and the decline of their habitats, but also exactly how much money they raised, how long it took and what exactly it will do to help the charity they chose to support. We encourage our Infants to expand their social conscience and dedicate some study time to worthy global causes. We show students at this age the impact of charity, of helping others around them. Our strong links with community groups and charities ensure we have a focus for our fundraising events and activities. An understanding of the community we live in and the culture that surrounds us is an important part of your child’s education. We embrace Chinese culture and make learning about it informative and fun for our students. Your child may learn to make traditional Chinese foods when celebrating festivals on the Chinese calendar; they may watch a traditional Chinese performance or have the opportunity to dress up for our Chinese New Year assembly in English and Mandarin. As part of our Co-Curricular Activities (CCA), they can also try their hand at Chinese calligraphy.
As part of our commitment to taking learning outside of the classroom, our teachers make full use of the unique resources provided within the Shanghai area taking classes on fun and informative excursions to many interesting places, including: • • • •
The Aquarium Sculpture Park Safari Park Shanghai Maritime Museum
Classes make best use of trip time to link all the activities they participate in to the current topic being studied in class. Following the excursion, we encourage children to share their experiences with the school community, leading assembly presentations and performances. We have a fleet of air-conditioned school buses and our teachers welcome parents to come along to enjoy the visits with your child.
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your guide to infants
HAPPILY EVER AFTER Success stories
In Year 2 while studying the topic of Electricity, Daniel proved so competent that he was able to support his peers by taking them through the process of making a circuit and explaining how it worked. Daniel has an amiable and friendly attitude which makes him well liked by his classmates and by putting one hundred percent effort in to his work he is achieving great results. Success is never taken for granted at The British International School Shanghai. We are a reflective school, striving each year to improve on our previous best acheivements. Our focus goes beyond grades, and we celebrate and encourage students who are committed to our values of being Respectful, Honest, Trustworthy, Kind and Committed. We gauge your child’s success on their personal progress and achievements. Through our philosophy of High Performance Learning, each student works during the year towards their individual High Performance Target, different for every child. We believe achievements should be celebrated. Your child’s achievements are recognised on a daily basis with points awarded for achieving our Values, Attitudes and Attributes (VAA). Each week they can aspire to being their class Weekly Star, recognised in our whole school assembly, and be rewarded with House Points for achieving our school values, as well as for academic and sporting achievements. For us, seeing our students go home excited about coming back toschool the next day is the greatest gauge of our success.
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your guide to infants
FIND OUT MORE
The best way to find out about what we can offer you and your child is by visiting us and experiencing for yourself our welcoming school environment. The Pudong Campus of The British International School Shanghai is open to visitors year-round, and our friendly admissions team is always on hand to answer your questions. To book a visit or ask a question: +86 21 5812 7455 admissions@bisspudong.com Skype
Read more about our school and keep up to date with news and events online at: bisspudong.com weblog.bisspudong.com facebook.com/BISSPudong twitter.com/BISSPudong 600 Cambridge Forest New Town, 2729 Hunan Road, Pudong 201315
CENTRAL SHANGHAI
HONGQIAO AIRPORT
PUDONG AIRPORT
Lost? Look online at the interactive Google maps on our website to find out our location.
THE BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, PUDONG CAMPUS
* Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals in this document.
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