Our Foundation: The IB Programme
ISHR’s curriculum reflects the interconnected world we live in and gives our students a global perspective within their subjects. We offer the full International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum from 3-year-old kindergarten through Grade 12. The inquiry-based Primary Years Programme (PYP) is used in our Primary School (3-year-old kindergarten through Grade 5). Students in Grade 6 – Grade 10 utilize the Middle Years Programme (MYP), in which they develop the skills they need to make connections between their studies and the world around them. All ISHR students in Grade 11 and 12 are enrolled in the Diploma Programme, a prestigious and rigorous curriculum that enables our students to become lifelong learners and understand complex multidisciplinary topics.
Early Years Programme
Early Years is the foundation upon which all future schooling builds. Teachers and children build community within their classrooms, a secure place where the children can learn to become part of a group while developing a positive self-identity. Our teachers are particularly skilled at helping children to become independent, to adapt, to become resilient in the face of change, and to develop compassion and tolerance for those whose perspectives and experiences may be different than their own.
Their safety, well-being, and learning are the focal points around which we make decisions. We have developed a rich, responsive curriculum to engage children and a unique facility for learning to take place. Most importantly, we have created a nurturing, caring community to welcome your children.
Our Early Years section comprises three classes of three and four year-olds and two kindergarten classes for the five-six year olds. They follow an authorised and evaluated version of the IB Primary Years Programme.
Our programme aims to:
- Help children make an easy transition from home to school
- Assist children in developing a sensitivity and respect for themselves and an awareness that we are all unique and that this uniqueness should be celebrated
- Foster in the children an appreciation for other nationalities and cultures
- Facilitate exploration of the environment and experimentation with real objects and relevant ideas
- Provide an rich language learning environment in which the language is learned naturally and is used as a tool for communication and learning
- Implement a curriculum that reflects a balance of all areas of learning and reflects the holistic nature of the learning process
- Support and challenge our students in the development of their social, emotional, physical, spiritual and intellectual selves, while acknowledging individual needs and differences
- Promote a love of books and an interest in mathematics
- Build mutually trustful relationships with parents, the child’s primary educators
- Promote a sincere and lifelong love of learning.
Primary Years Programme
From Grade 1 through Grade 5, ISHR students follow the authorized and evaluated IB Primary Years Programme, which is a child-centered programme of learning through inquiry using a holistic and constructivist approach. It helps our students to develop skills, attitudes and understandings as well as an inquiring mind, which are the foundations for becoming life-long learners and for the acquisition of knowledge in later years.
ISHR provides its students with a cooperative, caring environment in which to learn through a challenging, comprehensive, and engaging curriculum. we are committed to a holistic education which encourages curiosity, independence, reflection and service. In order to be successful, our children need strong skills in thinking, research and self-management and excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ultimately, they must learn to apply their knowledge in a thoughtful and constructive manner.
In the IB PYP, a strong emphasis is placed on how students learn as well as what they learn. Through inquiry-based learning, the children are able to make personal connections and develop their own understanding.
Parents are an integral part of our community and we regard this relationship as a vital partnership. Respectful communication between parents and ISHR staff is the basis of all learning and is evident with the open door policy we have throughout our school, with every adult being a role model for our students at all times.
Middle Years Programme
The MYP is an approach to learning designed for students aged 11 to 16. It naturally follows the PYP, and is excellent preparation for the Diploma Programme. Central to the MYP programme is the belief in Holistic education, Intercultural Awareness and Communication.
The MYP places the student at its centre, giving great importance on student inquiry. Like the PYP and the Diploma programme, the MYP encourages students to embody the attributes of a Learner Profile which make up a successful, rounded and effective learner.
Students are led to a conceptual understanding within each subject area so that they can learn the skills and knowledge which can be applied in both familiar and unfamiliar situations. Therefore, the MYP aims to prepare students for a life of learning.
Learning in the MYP is given meaning through the global contexts, which provide specific, real world situations in which their skills and knowledge can lead to a greater understanding of both themselves and the world around them.
Further information about these and other central ideas within the MYP can be found in the curriculum handbooks for each grade level, available for download in the curriculum section of this website.
Downloads
Diploma Programme
We currently have over 100 students from Grade 11 to grade 12 in our IB Diploma Programme, joining a community of over 140 countries world wide. The IB Diploma Programme preparing students for effective participation in a rapidly evolving world, in which learning communities are created where students are able to increase their understanding of both language and culture, helping them to become more globally engaged.
As an IB Continuum school, the IB DP is the culminating experience for students in the IB Programme. It is designed for students aged 16 – 19 years old and is a two year programme, which naturally progresses on from the MYP. During this time, students develop both a breadth and depth of knowledge from the subjects they select, whilst being challenged: physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.
For more information about the IB Diploma Programme, please see the following:
“What is an IB education?” from the International Baccalaureate on Vimeo
“IB Learner Profile” from the International Baccalaureate on Vimeo
The ISHR High School Diploma
A High School Diploma is a common feature of International Schools across the world. It offers a record of the courses taken by a student within the school from Grades 9 to 12 and his or her academic performance. Each year a student is awarded credits for courses they attend and points for academic achievement. At the end of each year a students’ points are averaged to give a Grade Point Average (GPA).
The High School Diploma is a school leaving certificate accepted as an entrance qualification by colleges in the United States, countries with US-style education systems and colleges of further education who accept international students. This includes many private institutions in Europe. It should be noted, however, that the High School Diploma without a full IB Diploma is not acceptable on its own for entry into a mainstream European University.
HOW IT WORKS
All ISHR students participate in the High School Diploma from Grade 9 onwards. The High School Diploma runs parallel with the IB Middle Years Programme and the International Baccalaureate.
The basic principles of the High School Diploma are:
Students are awarded credits where 1 credit = successful completion of a 4 period per week course over 1 academic year.
Credits for courses of longer or shorter duration during the school year are calculated proportionally.
A student is deemed to have successfully completed a course if:
a) Attendance is not below 85% (approximately absent for more than 1.5
lessons out of every 10).
b) The student has met all the requirements.
GRADING
A student’s Grade Point Average (GPA) is the average academic grade obtained at the end of the school year for all successful courses taken. This is calculated each year as follows:
GPA = Total of (average subject grade x credit)/Total Credits (excluding CAS and TOK)
Thus core subjects with a higher credit (English, German, Maths, Science) contribute more proportionally to the GPA.
The grading system works as follows:
- Grades are awarded as per the MYP and IB programs, with a scale of 1 to 7
- In Grades 11 and 12 Higher Level courses have an additional weighting of 1.0. Hence a student doing English A2 HL and receiving a 4 would use 5 in calculating the GPA.
- Standard Level courses have an additional weighting of 0.5.
- GPA only applies to courses that are regularly assessed. This excludes CAS, PE and Theory of Knowledge. These courses, however, do contribute to Diploma Credits.
- A student who achieves a GPA of 5.5 or more would be considered a strong University candidate.
- A student with a final GPA of 5.5 or more is awarded a Diploma with Merit.
CREDITS
All students must have achieved the following minimum subject credits by the end of Grade 12 to be awarded a High School Diploma:
English (3.5), Maths (3.5), Non-English language (3.5), Experimental Sciences (4), Humanities (3.5), PE and CAS (3), Electives (4.5)
MINIMUM TOTAL = 25.5 credits
Additional Points:
- All students must complete a personal project in grade 10.
- All students must complete a 4000 word research essay in English over the period of their final two years.
- All students must complete an 800-1300 word essay based on the Theory of Knowledge course.
- All students must meet the minimum requirements for CAS as defined by the MYP and IB programs.
Other requirements of the course such as assignment and coursework.
A student must obtain a minimum GPA of 3.5 by the end of Grade 12.
Want to know more?
The IB Programme isn’t only for classrooms. Find out more about how we help our students to get a wholesome education by learning about the world.
CAS Groups
Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS): these activities are at the center of the IB Programme.
Immersive Learning
From our on-campus garden, to outdoor learning activities, to field trips, learning beyond the classroom is an essential component of an ISHR education.
