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Primary Years 1-6

Primary Section

The Primary section consists of Years 1 to 6. Students are placed in classes depending on age.

The Primary section upholds and promotes the Mission Statement of Garden International School.

The Primary section aims to:

• Create a stimulating and effective learning environment for all the students entrusted into our care.
• Promote a good working environment for students, teachers, non-teaching staff and parents
• Develop awareness in students of their own value as an individual and as a member of the community
• Help students develop lively inquiring minds, the ability to question and to apply themselves to tasks and physical skills
• Inspire confidence in students to acquire basic skills, knowledge and concepts, where possible through first hand experience
• Instil respect for religious and moral values and to help students to value and be sensitive towards others
• Help students to understand and appreciate the world in which we live
• Create life long learners

The Primary School Day

School starts at 8am and finishes at 3:10pm. The last lesson on Monday to Thursday is an optional choice of clubs.

 

 

 

Primary Clubs

From Monday to Thursday the last lesson is an optional club where the students can choose from a wide range of clubs each day; alternatively they can choose to go home. The clubs change each half term. The list below is typical of what we offer.

 Lunches

School lunches are available for your child from the school cafeteria, which provides a variety of Western, vegetarian, and Thai food every day. Alternatively students can bring their own packed lunch if they wish to do so. Snacks are also available at break times.  Primary students are not permitted to buy chocolate, unhealthy snacks or fizzy drinks.

 
Uniforms

School Uniform is available at the school shop. For boys, it is a green polo shirt and blue shorts. For girls, it is a checked skirt and green polo shirt or blue shorts and green polo shirt.

Footwear should be white socks and sensible shoes or trainers with a back strap.

Hats to protect the head from the sun should be worn outside at all times.

P.E. Kit

White G.I.S. T-shirts and black shorts with green stripes, white socks and trainers.

A towel will need to be brought into school for students to use when they shower.

Swimming

For swimming, students need a school costume, goggles and towel. If girls have long hair, they also need a swimming hat or a hair tie.

Please label all uniforms as soon as they are bought so that it does not get lost or misplaced.

Jewellery

Jewellery is not to be worn by Primary children unless it is a small religious emblem, stud earrings or a watch. This restriction on jewellery is done to ensure that your child is at as little risk as possible from an accident in school time and secondly, to ensure items which are of sentimental value are not lost at school.

The Primary Curriculum

We offer an International Curriculum based on the English National Curriculum which is a balanced curriculum including the following subjects:

English, Mathematics, Science, Information Communications Technology, History, Geography, Art, Music, Physical Education, Design and Technology, Thai Studies and Personal and Social and Health Education.

Within the curriculum areas, we ensure that we:

• provide a wide variety of educational opportunities
• offer challenges, enjoyment and success in the pupil's work
• plan breadth and balance of curriculum
• provide equal access and opportunity
• provide a curriculum that will be well-matched to the student's needs
• will show differentiation, progression and continuity in learning
• will provide a curriculum relevant to society today
• "Teach how to learn" (i.e. processes, not just acquisition of knowledge).

Complete curriculum documentation is available at the school.

In addition to the curriculum, we aim to develop confidence, independence, self-discipline and positive working, and social relationships.

The Primary Department has a weekly assembly in which we celebrate festivals and special days from all religions, cultures and countries. Each class takes one assembly a term usually related to the work they are doing within the classroom. Parents are invited to attend the class assemblies.

Assessment

Successful schools engage students in all aspects of their learning. The more we know about individual students as they engage in the learning process, the better we can adjust instruction to ensure that all students continue to achieve by moving forward in their learning. We use two basic types of assessment at GIS.

Summative Assessments are given periodically to determine at a particular point in time what students know and do not know. An example would be 'End of Unit' tests or spelling tests as well as the 'End of Year' tests that all children from Year 2 to Year 6 complete. Summative assessment is used to check student learning relative to class expectations after learning has occurred.

Formative Assessment provides the information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening. These adjustments help to ensure students achieve targets within a set time frame. Formative assessment helps teachers determine the next steps during the learning process. Students need to be involved in their own learning, this increase their motivation and formative assessment allows this to happen. Teachers identify learning goals, set clear targets for success, and then help the students to achieve these. Once the assessment has been done the students get feedback on their work allowing them to see their own progress. Descriptive feedback provides students with an understanding of what they are doing well, links to classroom learning, and gives specific input on how to reach the next step in the learning progression.

Some of the instructional strategies that are used in GIS include the following:

• Creating clear expectations in order to be successful, students need to understand and know the learning target/goal and the criteria for reaching it.
• Observations assist teachers in gathering evidence of student learning to inform planning. This evidence can be recorded and used as feedback for students about their learning.
• Questioning strategies provides teachers with insight into the degree and depth of understanding.
• Self and peer assessment helps to create a learning community within a classroom and helps students see each other as resources for understanding and checking the quality of their work.
• Student record keeping this helps to the teachers to measure the progress made by each student over the time they spend at GIS. It also helps the student to see where they started and the progress they are making towards the targets set by the teacher.

Within the Primary Section, assessment - whether formal or informal - is being carried out at all times. English is assessed once a month in the form of a "First of the Month Book" in which students write unaided on a variety of genre. This work is compared with the results with those expected at this age for this type of writing - based on standards set by the British government-  once a term to highlight and ensure progress. Other subjects have more summative assessments at the end of a unit of work.

All assessment results are recorded in teachers' records and kept on file. These records follow the child through their whole career in the Primary Department and form the basis for report writing. 

Reports to Parents

Term 1
Parents receive a written report on the progress of their child in November. This is a 'settling in report' and relates mainly to social and emotional issues your child might be having. At the end of the term Years 3-6 have grade cards and all classes have a Parent-Teacher evening.

Term 2
There are two grade cards; one before half term and one at the end of the term.

Term 3
At the end of year a full written report is sent home at the end of term.

We have an 'open door' policy and we encourage parents to come into school to discuss any concerns they have however minor they may seem before it becomes a problem for you or your child.

If the class teacher has a problem with a particular student, the Head of Primary will be consulted. If the problem persists, then the parents will be invited into school to discuss the child's behaviour. In this way, we can work together to form a solution to a particular problem. A very important book is the 'Communication Book' in which the student records important information, has notes written by the teacher or head of Primary and in which you, as parents, can communicate with the teacher. The Communication Book comes home each day with the child.

Home Reading

A great deal of importance is placed on home reading, and all Primary students are expected to read every night at home. Each child will take home a reading book and a library book every day in their school bag. They will also bring a reading diary with the date and book title. This package will be sent home every evening and should be returned to school everyday, regardless of whether the book has been finished, as the same book will be used for class reading. Please ensure that you sign and comment in the reading record when you listen to them read.

Homework Policy

Each class teacher will give homework relevant to the Curriculum being followed in class.

• Homework is used to consolidate and extend student's learning
• It provides students with opportunities both to prepare for and to further develop work done in class
• Reading for enjoyment is a significant feature of homework throughout all Key Stages
• Homework is built into the planned curriculum
• It increasingly promotes independent study and research skills
• It aims, as far as possible, to exploit learning opportunities less readily available in the classroom
• It is suited to the individual learning needs of the child
• Its intended outcomes will be clear to both the child and to the parent who may wish to offer support
• The teacher appropriately follows up all homework.

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