OUR
Primary Stage
SIA PRIMARY STAGE CURRICULUM
At SIA, we believe that the Primary years are a critical time for seeding the development of a child’s learning mindset. At this stage of life, children are naturally open and curious. Our curriculum is designed to work with these innate strengths to maximize a child’s potential. In the Primary years, students start their journey to become 6C learners: Critical thinkers, communicators, cooperative, caring, creative and courageous in all they do.
Our Primary curriculum remains as broad and balanced as possible, with a strong focus on project-based and child-centred learning. Children develop their independence as they begin to take greater responsibility for their learning and behaviour choices.
Teachers take an intentional approach to creating lesson plans that are imaginative, engaging, and project based. At the beginning of a new lesson or concept, each teacher creates their own individual project brainstorm. This is a chance to think creatively about the different tasks their students might like to be involved in and to plan engaging ways to explore a particular concept. This is then brought to another member of the teaching team for collaboration and enhancement. Teachers continue to assess and adjust their lesson plans to meet the unique needs of their students.
To inspire children to take an active role in their learning, teachers adhere to several core principles:
- Learners are afforded control over the direction of their learning.
- Learners must be able to learn through many different experiences, including touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing.
- Learners are encouraged to work together and develop relationships with other learners.
- Learners are encouraged to explore freely and are given opportunities to express themselves.
A Wide Range of Subjects
Following the British Curriculum, we offer Primary students a range of core subjects:
- Mathematics
- English
- Science
- Computing
- Physical Education
- Humanities – Geography and History
- Music
- Art
- Drama
- Design and Technology
Our curriculum also incorporates a values-based learning approach that allows students to develop an international mindset, empathy for other cultures, and a deep understanding of the world around them. At the same time, we offer learning that celebrates the distinct traditions, history, and culture of the UAE.
Additional subjects offered to Primary learners are:
- Arabic (for Arabic as a first language and as a second language)
- Islamic (PSHE and Global Perspectives)
- Moral Education
- Social Studies
Rigorous Assessments
At SIA, we believe that all children are capable of reaching or surpassing critical milestones in their learning. Although all learners learn at a slightly different pace, our approach ensures that everyone is aiming towards the same high standards. In year one, learners undergo a phonics screening which they have been prepared for through our Read Write Ink programme. This is an important check of how well our learners can read words, especially the sounds of words they haven’t seen before – sometimes called decoding. This helps identify when learners need extra help with reading.
Once learners reach certain milestones in primary school, they take a combination of GL assessment progress tests and teacher-led assessments so that both the teachers and learners understand their next steps in learning. The GL Progress tests particularly measure English, Mathematics and Science year on year which provides at external measure of how our learners at progressing based on their own individual starting points. Our internal assessments are broader in comparison and are continuous in nature so that we can measure progress regularly and teachers can adapt learning opportunities accordingly.
Admissions Contact
- School Zone, Muweilah Area, Sharjah
- +971-(06)-519-7000
- admissions@sia.ae
- Mon - Thu : 07:15AM - 03:30PM