British International School of Brussels British International School of Brussels
3
Inspection Finding

 
"The school provides a broad and interesting educational experience, which successfully meets its aim to enrich pupils and for them to be successful in their academic and pastoral development".

 - ISI Report
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Curriculum

BISB offers a high quality educational service which covers the full primary age range from Nursery to the end of Key Stage 2 (Ages 2½ - 11). The education provided by BISB is based on the National Curriculum for England and Wales with some variations in the Geography and History syllabus in order to encompass the widely varying needs and experiences of the pupil population and the geographical location of the school at the Heart of Europe.

Within our Nursery, children are given the opportunity to socialise with other children in a controlled situation in which they are encouraged to part from their parents for short periods of time initially, increasing to longer periods as they gain in confidence. A happy well-structured environment is provided to enable children to become more independent and secure whilst benefiting from play activities and social interactions which they would not normally encounter within the home. As they mature both physically and emotionally they are helped to develop pre-school skills which provide them with the firm grounding necessary to ensure a smooth transition to the start of their Reception class. These two groups together form what is termed the Early Years Foundation Stage of the National Curriculum wherein children’s spend time concentrating on Communication, Language and Literacy, Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Physical Development, Creative Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy

The next two stages are termed Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) and Key Stage 2 (Years 3, 4, 5 and 6). Throughout these two stages a combination of topic-based and subject-based approaches is used, with generally a different topic each half-term. Academic subjects covered are the core ones of English, Mathematics and Science, together with Information and Communications Technology, History, Geography, Design & Technology, Art, Music and Physical Education. Comparative Religious Education is introduced in the Key Stage 2 classes.

In 2008-09, as well as working on the requirements of the UK National curriculum and the Numeracy and Literacy strategies, our pupils receive 4 French lessons per week from the Reception class upwards. All children have a specialist Music lesson twice a week and 7 week blocks of swimming lessons during the year. Key Stage 2 children also benefit from 7 week blocks of Tennis lessons

Topics 2008/2009

Nursery: Ourselves and our families, People who Help Us, Food, Jungle, Transport, Holidays

Reception: Ourselves, Celebrations, Shoes, Patterns, Space, Dinosaurs

Year 1: Moving and Growing, Sorting and using materials, Sound and Hearing Light and Dark, Pushes and Pulls, Growing Plants. Around our school, How can we make our local area safer? Where in the world is Barnaby Bear. Passport to the world. How are our toys different from those in the past, What were homes like a long time ago? What were seaside holidays like in the past? Self Portraits, Using Materials, Sculpture, Patterns, Cultures, Journeys

Year 2: Plants and animals in the local environment. Health and Growth, Forces and Movement, Using Electricity, Grouping and changing materials, Variation. Journeys, An island home, A contrasting location overseas. Global Eye People and Journeys in the past. (Darwin, Stephenson, Nightingale, Livingstone). What were castles like a long time ago? How do we know about the Great Fire of London? Mother Nature, Can Buildings Speak? Picture this. Vehicles Puppets,

Year 3: Teeth and Healthy Eating Characteristics of Materials Light and Shadows Magnets and Springs Rocks and Soils, Helping Plants Grow well Can we Change Places e.g. what is seen from our window. Weather around the world. Village Settlers, A village in India What was it like here in the past? Why have people invaded and settled somewhere else in the past? A Roman Case Study, Why do we remember Isambard Kingdom Brunel, , Packaging & Sandwich Snacks, Photograph Frames, Building Bridges, Portraying Relationships, , Investigating Pattern

Year 4: Moving and Growing, Keeping Warm, Habitats, Respiratory / Circulatory system Circuits and Conductors Friction Improving our environment, Water, What’s in the News, Connecting ourselves to the world. Why did Henry VIII marry six times? Rich and poor in Tudor times. Who were the Ancient Greeks, Who were the Aztecs. Money containers, Storybooks, Torches and Lighting up. Viewpoints. Take a seat. Journeys / Art of other cultures.

Year 5: Keeping Healthy, Life Cycles, Gases around us. Changing state, Earth Sun & moon. Changing sounds. Rivers and waterways, Coasts, Local Traffic. What was Belgium like in the past? Belgium in the First World War. What was life like for a Victorian child? Musical instruments, Storybooks. Moving toys Talking textiles, Objects and Meanings, Containers

Year 6: Interdependence and adaption, Micro-organisms, Dissolving, Reversible and Irreversible, Earth Sun and Moon, Forces in Action, Mountain Environment, Investigating Coasts, Geography and Numbers. Indus Valley Children in the Second world War How life in Europe has changed since 1948, Slippers, Shelters Contollable Vehicles. People in Action. What a performance. A Sense of Place.

Religious Education The school welcomes and respects children of all religious faiths, or of none. No "messages" from any particular religion are given at assemblies or elsewhere. However, religious education does form part of the primary school curriculum, the aim being to introduce children to the world's principal religions, their main features and beliefs, in order to broaden the child's education and enable them eventually to form their own opinions.

Homework At BISB we believe that the right amount and type of homework is very beneficial for children, fostering in them positive attitudes and habits. Homework facilitates the acquisition and consolidation of knowledge by giving opportunities to build on work undertaken in class, as well as helping to acquaint parents with content being covered in class. We are also aware that current research indicates that too much homework has a detrimental effect on children, and runs the risk of overloading them to the point where they feel saturated and lose interest in learning. It is important that they have sufficient time for play, socialisation and relaxation. We are very keen to get the right balance, both in the amount and the type of homework that our children are given.

The various types of homework given include the following:

  • Practising individually new skills which they have worked on in school e.g. reinforcing maths concepts through answering extra questions
  • Reinforcing and extending knowledge e.g. learning vocabulary, memorising tables
  • Developing understanding of new topics e.g. background reading and research, comprehension exercises
  • Improving study skills e.g. reading, descriptive or creative writing

With regard to timing, we have the following guidelines:

Nursery and Reception No regular homework (although children may be asked to discuss current topics with parents and look for relevant resources to bring into school)
Year 1 A small amount (5 or 10 minutes) 4 or 5 times per term, plus weekly spelling lists
Year 2 A small amount (5 or 10 minutes) per week, plus weekly spelling lists
Year 3 Up to 1½ hours per week
Year 4 1½ hours per week
Year 5 2 hours per week
Year 6 2½ hours per week

We do not included reading time in these guidelines - reading (both alone and with parents) requires an extra allocation of time according to the level and interest of the individual child.

 

 
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