Academic Life

At the heart of the Primary department lies a learning community that embraces opportunity and allows every child to reach their full potential. We encourage our children to be creative, unique, open minded and independent individuals, who respect themselves and others in our school, as well as in our community and the wider world. Our aim is to provide an environment within which our students can grow in confidence as they prepare for their transition to Secondary School.

The Primary School follows the National Curriculum and ensure all pupils have access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum, differentiated to meet individual needs. We plan our lessons to ensure our students are not merely covering content but achieving a depth to their learning which enables them to use their skills and understanding in all areas of the curriculum. Our careful curriculum design and planning means that we build in many opportunities for repetition and practice, as well as instilling essential knowledge, skills and understanding in every subject. This ensures that children are able to revisit previous learning, which allows them to gradually develop a deeper understanding of the skills and processes within subjects, at their own pace and in the best possible way for each individual student.

In the core subjects of English, maths and science the focus is on teaching the fundamentals and acquiring the core skills. Alongside this we develop a love for reading in our pupils by giving them the opportunity to develop their language and vocabulary. In addition to the core subjects, students learn humanities, Kuwaiti Social Studies, art, drama, ICT, design and technology, French and physical education. In Arabic and Islamic Studies students follow the curriculum as required by the Ministry of Education.

Our teaching methods recognise and reflect the fact that each child is an individual with her own aspirations and aptitudes. In promoting active learning, we ensure that learning experiences are stimulating and challenging, as well as relevant and meaningful. We seek to promote enthusiasm for life-long learning.

The overall purpose of assessment is to support learning. The Primary School use a variety of formative assessment strategies to teach children how they can improve upon their current standards of work. It acknowledges that children and young people progress and achieve in different ways and at different rates. Teachers set realistically challenging targets for their pupils, helping to ensure that the pace of learning is appropriate. Our teachers carry out continuous assessment as part of their daily practice to ensure that learning activities are meeting the needs of their pupils and extending and developing learning. Progress is tracked carefully to ensure students attain a certain level by the end of each year. The teacher judges whether the child is working at the expected level for the year group as outlined by the curriculum and use that information to inform their teaching. Feedback is provided at parents’ evenings and is formally reported in the mid-year and end of year reports.

We aim to use meaningful homework to reinforce and consolidate learning and encourage students to become more independent in their own learning, enabling them to take ownership and responsibility of it. Homework tasks include written work, research, project work, reading, learning work and revision.

Students in all classes follow the curriculum as provided by the Ministry of Education of Kuwait. The school’s Arabic department is proud of the teaching expertise that it has built up over the years and aims to teach Arabic to our students in a stimulating and enjoyable learning environment. Teachers strive to give students the fundamentals of the Arabic language, using interactive and dynamic methods. They also engage the students in activities that allow them to apply their learning and inspire them to become the poets and authors of the next generation.

In Islamic Studies, we teach Islamic Studies and Quran according to the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education. Our teachers strive to:

• Establish a strong bond between the students and the Holy Quran. This is achieved through helping the students attain proper recitation (Tajweed), followed by gradual explanation and reflection on the meanings of select verses, and ultimately, memorisation of these verses.
• Develop a genuine sense of pride and love towards the Holy Quran, through the appreciation of its teachings, guidance, and rulings. This appreciation helps students embody the social manners and etiquettes found and learned throughout the Glorious Quran and produces a generation of students that is well grounded in the love of Allah, His Book, and His Religion.
• Produce well-rounded and intelligent students, who understand the fine details of their religious obligations, and at the same time, are proud of their Islamic identity. This is achieved through systematic teaching of a variety of diverse subjects, such as: Creed (Aqeeda), Jurisprudence (Fiqh), History (Seerah), and Manners (Akhlaq).

The school is dedicated to the emotional, physical and social well-being of every student and we encourage each girl to live a healthy, productive, and responsible life. Our Pastoral Care system is designed so that students are supported in all aspects of their school life; in addition, all teachers in the school know their students well and monitor their welfare on a daily basis.

Through our carefully-planned system of pastoral support, we aim to:
• Promote responsibility, self-esteem, confidence, independence of thought and respect.
• Encourage the development of the individual as a whole person.
• Encourage a high standard of behaviour.

Our Head of Pastoral Care and school counsellor and social worker work with teachers and parents to resolve any concerns that a student or family have, and to remove any barriers to learning. Appointments to meet with them confidentially can be arranged through the school office.

The school nurse plays an important role in school life and she works closely with the students, pastoral staff and teachers.