Elementary School

Section 1: How does Elementary school work?

ISA’s Elementary School starts with kindergarten which is P1 in the Scottish system and Year 1 in the English system.  Students are 5 years old at the start of the year.  It ends with Grade 5 when students are 11, which is P6 in the Scottish system and Year 6 in the English.

Elementary students have a classroom teacher who is their principal carer in school and helps develop students’ executive function skills.  They teach English, mathematics, science and social studies in both specialist and integrated units.  Students spend the majority of their time with these teachers, who are parents’ first reference for concerns or updates.

Elementary students also have specialist teachers for: visual art, music, PE and languages.  Families can choose for their child to study either French or Spanish and then stay with that choice during their time at ISA.   Students also have a weekly library session with a teacher-librarian to encourage research skills and a love of books. 

Section 2: Courses

ISA aims to provide a holistic education.  This means students should enjoy  a broad range of ways to experience and know about the world.  This includes English and another language, the arts and PE.    You can read specific course descriptions in our curriculum handbook. 

Section 3: Assessment and Reporting

ISA assesses according to the developmental needs of the student so there are different report card formats for kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2, and Grades 3 to 5.  The emphasis is on what the student needs to do to take the next step in improvement.  

You can read more about assessment and reporting in our curriculum handbook.