Empowering children to grow into confident and compassionate global citizens, ready to make a positive impact on their world
A Holistic Approach – English National Curriculum
St. Andrews International School Sathorn
A Holistic Approach - English National Curriculum
Introduction
Our curriculum is thoughtfully designed to provide students with a holistic learning experience. We want our children to graduate from St. Andrews Sathorn, equipped with the knowledge, skills and positive characteristics required to thrive in school and in life. With the world constantly and rapidly changing, we frequently review the curriculum to ensure it remains relevant to our children, our community and the wider world. In addition to achieving academic excellence, learning is also designed to build character and develop a global mindset.
We take the very best of the English national curriculum and adapt it to suit the needs of our diverse, international learning community – this means we are able to offer the best of both worlds: a challenging and rigorous academic program, combined with a curriculum that is future-facing and truly global in nature. The result is a blended curricular experience filled with powerful and engaging learning opportunities, which cater not only for our students’ academic needs, but also for their physical, social, emotional and cultural development.
We believe learning at Primary school should be fun and enjoyable – we want to ignite in all of our children a deep love for learning. With this in mind,our experienced and talented teachers are constantly seeking ways to provide the children with interactive, meaningful and experiential learning opportunities which enable them to make links between what they are learning in the classroom and what is happening in their world around them.
What is a Holistic Curriculum?
Academic Excellence
We pride ourselves on setting high expectations and achieving academic results which consistently outperform those of equivalent schools in the UK. For core academic subjects such as Literacy, Maths, Computing and Science, we follow the English national curriculum which is both ambitious and rigorous in its design. The curriculum comprises the essential knowledge students need to become educated citizens as well as exciting and stimulating learning experiences which promote the holistic development of pupils at the school. We are an inclusive school which means we adapt and personalise our curriculum to suit the needs of our learners.
Healthy Minds and Bodies
We know that having a solid academic foundation is important, but on its own we also know this is not enough for our children to thrive. That is why wellbeing and personal and social development are integral elements of our curriculum.
Children’s physical wellbeing is promoted through a comprehensive Physical Education curriculum and enhanced further through our Outdoor Education curriculum as well as a rich and varied extra-curricular program. Our students’ wellbeing is a top priority so we teach Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) from the Early Years up to Year 6. PSHE provides the children with the skills they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. These skills and attributes help pupils to stay healthy, safe and prepare them for life.
We also understand what a big part online technology has to play in our children’s lives so we teach them how to be positive digital citizens.
Global Citizenship
We have adapted our curriculum to reflect our international context – children learn about other cultures and are taught to embrace and celebrate diversity.
We provide many opportunities for children to learn about, and take action on, meaningful real-world projects that not only expose them to substantive issues but also teach them how to work well with others as well as build leadership skills. A number of our curricular topics are linked to the UN Global Goals, providing a perfect stimulus for children to learn about sustainability, environmental awareness, equality and diversity. As global citizens, our students learn to care about their world and are empowered to take positive action to make it a better and fairer place for everyone.
World language learning lays the foundation for global citizenship which is why, in addition to Thai language and culture, we also offer French and Mandarin as part of our curriculum from Year 3 upwards.
Innovation
We are a school that values knowledge and skills equally. Creativity and curiosity are just as important to us as an in depth grasp of facts and knowledge. We want our children to be problem solvers, risk takers and innovators and we encourage this by providing them with opportunities to undertake a range of activities such as open-ended inquiry based projects, STEAM activities, design thinking and more. By working collaboratively, children learn soft skills which will help them prepare for their future.
Creative Arts
The Arts hold a very important place in our curriculum. As well as access to a specialist music teacher, children are given countless opportunities to express themselves through art, drama, poetry, performances, concerts and assemblies. Such experiences allow the children to develop their self-confidence, while also honing key soft-skills such as collaboration and communication. Whether it is singing in a choir, playing drums in the rock band, or performing as part of our youth theatre, our extensive extra-curricular program also allows children to express themselves creatively in a way that suits them.
