Welcome to the Primary department of The British School of Beijing. In welcoming your child into the BSB community we aim to ensure that all children in our care are happy, confident, well-motivated, enthusiastic and excited about life.

One of our key goals is to develop within our pupils a desire to learn that will remain with them for life and help them to meet future challenges confidently and successfully.

In addition we aim to:

-         Educate pupils intellectually, socially, morally, aesthetically, physically and spiritually

-         Give instruction in the basic skills, namely reading, verbal skills, literacy, and numeracy by the most effective methods available to us

-         Encourage the development of all pupils, so that they will learn to take their place in society,

-         Instil in pupils a sense of decency, commitment, self-reliance, responsibility, respect for others and healthy self-esteem

-        Create an atmosphere that is relaxed but purposeful and facilitate the achievement of these aims by forming the best possible relationships between teachers, children, parents and others involved.

We are concerned with the development of the whole personality of each individual. We endeavour to teach what each child needs, regardless of age, sex or ability. We aim to make it difficult to fail. We try to present the child with work which is attractive. We wish to create incentives, to increase the natural thirst for knowledge and skills that is present in almost all children and to channel efforts into useful and interesting pursuits. We want children to enjoy school and to make the best use of their time there.

Our aim is for children to enjoy their time at school and to develop knowledge, understanding and values in order to reach their full potential in all academic and social areas of school life. The work of each year group is guided by the appropriate level of the English National Curriculum, Key Stage 1, which is by nature broad and balanced. Subject areas include English Language, Mathematics, Science, Geography, History, Art and Craft, Music, Physical Education (including swimming), Health Education and Information Technology.

In Language and Literacy we aim to provide a rich and stimulating environment in which children find interest and pleasure in communicating in English. The are offered many experiences to develop their interest in reading with fluency, accuracy, understanding and enjoyment. The development of handwriting skills forms an important part of Language and Literacy.

In Mathematics and Science we aim to develop a knowledge and understanding of the role of these subjects in everyday life. Children are encouraged to relate their Mathematics and Science work to other areas of the curriculum and the skills and attitudes acquired are important components of cross-curricular topic work.

In Key Stage 2 some pupil work falls easily into identifiable subject areas but children are also involved in a variety of cross-curricular topic based investigations. This approach promotes a variety of skills and offers scope for the development of many different concepts. We emphasise active investigative methods to facilitate purposeful learning and to encourage independence, while at the same time ensuring that the main requirements of the National Curriculum are covered.

As in Britain, towards the end of Year 6, the children take Standard Achievement Tests (SATs) in the three "core" subjects (English Language, Maths and Science) and these are then sent to Britain for evaluation and marking. The Curriculum also covers Art, Craft and Technology, Humanities, Chinese Language, Information and Communication Technology, Music and P.E. These subjects, in addition to the core subjects of Maths, English and Science, complete the curriculum.

In general, primary children work mainly with one class teacher although certain subjects, such as Music and P.E. are studied with specialist teachers. All teaching staff are British Nationals, with appropriate teaching qualifications from British universities, and experience in delivering the English National Curriculum in British schools in the UK and overseas. Each teacher also has the support of a full-time Teacher Assistant who typically joins the school as part of a gap year placement scheme. Teacher Assistants are recruited from the most prestigious independent schools in the UK and this approach helps ensure that the highest quality of teaching and learning takes place in our classrooms, particularly in the areas of literacy and numeracy.