Our Curriculum

The Cambridge Curriculum at BISI

At the British International School we follow the Cambridge International Curriculum in our Primary School and Secondary School up to and including IGCSE.

What is an international curriculum?

Over 10,000 schools in over 160 countries follow the Cambridge international curriculum. The curriculum is international in philosophy and approach, but can be tailored to local contexts Cambridge students study for Cambridge international qualifications which are accepted and recognised around the world. Schools can also combine the Cambridge International curriculum with national curricula. Cambridge students moving between Cambridge schools can continue their studies following the same curriculum.

Cambridge Pathway

The Cambridge Pathway gives students a clear path for educational success from age 5 to 18. With a wide range of subjects, the Cambridge Pathway helps students discover new abilities and a wider world, and gives them the skills they need for life, so they can achieve at school, university and work. Its flexibility gives us the chance to shape the curriculum so that it is exciting and relevant for our students.

The stages lead seamlessly from primary to secondary and pre-university years. Each stage – Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary, and Cambridge Upper Secondary  – builds on the learners’ development from the previous one, but can also be offered separately. Similarly, each syllabus adopts a ‘spiral’ approach, building on previous learning to help advance students study. Our curriculum is compatible with other curricula, internationally relevant and sensitive to different needs and cultures and supports students with English as a first or second language.

Cambridge programmes combine an emphasis on mastering subjects in depth with the development skills for study and work in the future. We value deep subject knowledge as well as the conceptual understanding that helps students make links between different aspects of a subject. We also encourage students to develop higher order thinking skills - problem solving, critical thinking, independent research, collaboration and presenting arguments. These are transferable skills that will last a lifetime, preparing students for their future lives. They also make learning enjoyable and rewarding.

Choice and flexibility for schools and students

Many schools around the world use Cambridge programmes and qualifications as the English-medium strand of a bilingual education programme. Bilingual teaching methods vary, but the flexibility of the Cambridge approach means that learners can work towards a Cambridge qualification through the medium of English while also following their own national curriculum. This is the case in the National School which combines the Cambridge International Curriculum with the Turkish Curriculum.

Cambridge Learners

The concept of a ‘Cambridge learner’ helps us communicate attributes we believe are important for learners in the modern world. We recognise that a meaningful curriculum is more than a collection of subjects. Learners need to develop a set of academic skills, life skills and attitudes to be successful. Cambridge learners are:

Confident in working with information and ideas – their own and those of others

Responsible for themselves, responsive to and respectful of others

Reflective as learners, developing their ability to learn

Innovative and equipped for new and future challenges

Engaged intellectually and socially, ready to make a difference

More information about the Cambridge Curriculum at BISI can be found in the year specific Curriculum Overviews below.