Primary Years
Abigail Nicholas
Head of Primary
Passionate and engaged teachers
Our lessons are led by passionate and engaged teachers who inspire, motivate and develop meaningful relationships with students. Our carefully planned learning experiences provide opportunities for young learners to engage with the subject matter, while being fully aware that learners have individual needs and abilities. This ensures that instruction is tailored to meet each child's needs.
During each unit of work, teachers will identify learning objectives from the schools curriculum framework for each subject. The school's curriculum framework documents have been compiled using the UK National Curriculum.
English
At Capital School, our English Curriculum has developed significantly and is reflective of the needs of the different year groups and key stages.
In Year One, the children continue with their phonics development through daily phonics sessions. Phonics is delivered through the Little Wandle scheme that is a proven UK systematic synthetic phonics programme that ensures consistency and structure across early reading and writing. All our Year One team have received thorough training to allow them to teach phonics successfully and effectively.
During the Primary years, our English topics follow the Talk for Writing approach and are linked directly to and embedded in other topics taught in other subjects. Talk for Writing is a highly effective approach to teaching English across the primary phase as it focuses on developing student’s speaking, listening and writing skills in a structured and engaging way. Focusing on the principles of imitation, innovation and independent application, it supports students in internalising language patterns and genre-specific structures, which are then used to create high-quality pieces of writing. In Key Stage 1, children begin by learning stories and non-fiction texts orally, using actions and story maps to help them retell and understand key language features. This oral foundation builds confidence and fluency, allowing even reluctant writers to develop a sense of pride and ownership over their ideas. As students progress into Key Stage 2, the method becomes more sophisticated, with a greater focus on adapting and innovating model texts, extending vocabulary, and refining grammatical accuracy.
Maths
We aim to give the children a good understanding of the mathematical skills we teach and the confidence in applying them to everyday situations. Practical activities enable the children to handle equipment and make discoveries about volume, capacity, sets, measurement, time and number.
Children learn to record their findings in a meaningful way on paper and thus start to bridge the gulf between practical and abstract activities. Our approach, throughout the school, is based on an understanding of the mathematical processes.
Our Mathematics Curriculum Framework is divided into the following four strands, as shown below:
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Number – numbers and the number system, calculations, mental arithmetic
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Problem Solving
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Organising and Using Data
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Shape, Space and Measures – patterns and properties of shape, properties of position and movement, measures.
ICT
Our Information and Communication Technology (ICT) curriculum prepares pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are increasingly transformed by access to varied and developing technology.
Children at our school use ICT tools to find, explore, analyse, exchange and present information responsibly and creatively. They learn how to employ ICT to enable rapid access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of sources.
Increased capability in the use of ICT promotes initiative and independent learning, with children being able to make informed judgments about when and where to use ICT to best effect.
We incorporate the best of modern practice into our teaching and ensure that our digital technologies are in line with what would be on offer at a top British Primary School. We have interactive whiteboards in all classrooms, two ICT suites and a variety of iPads and Chromebooks that are available in all classrooms for children to make everyday use of.
History, Geography and Art
Historical, geographical and social understanding fires children’s curiosity and imagination about who we are, where we have come from, where we live and where we might be going next. It connects the past with the present and the future, it helps children make sense of our place in the world and is central to their development as informed, active and responsible citizens.
This area of learning encourages children to investigate the world around them, both locally and globally. They learn about the impact of their actions on the planet and understand the importance of developing a future that is sustainable. Through exploring cultures, beliefs, values, human rights and responsibilities, children develop a deeper understanding of themselves and others, and a sense of belonging.
Children learn about diversity and interdependence, fairness and justice. They begin to understand how events that happened long ago can affect our lives today and how our actions shape the future.
Science
Science for children means exploring, discovering, investigating and understanding the world around them. Science is largely a practical subject and we are very fortunate at Capital School to have access to multiple Science laboratories. These science labs are made use of from Year One, with children being encouraged to independently and responsibly use equipment and material.
Our aim in setting practical tasks is to encourage children to ask questions, conduct experiments, test theories, increase their knowledge and skills, and to enable them to work with each other co-operatively.
Our Science Curriculum Framework is divided into the following four strands, as shown below.
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Scientific Inquiry
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Life Processes and Living Things
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Materials and their Properties
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Physical Processes
Physical Education
We aim to provide a physical education curriculum that offers balance and diversity. We offer opportunities for every child to experiment with a wide range of physical activities. The activities we provide are differentiated to accommodate a wide range of ability, which encourages motivation, and progression of skills.
In both Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, all children have two timetabled PE lessons. Children from FS1 – Year 6 also have swimming lessons with qualifies swimming coaches, at different points of the year.
Children are taught P.E. during curriculum time by qualified specialist teachers and have numerous opportunities to participate in a range of competitive and non-competitive sport during extra-curricular activities. The P.E. Curriculum Framework is divided into the following five strands:
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Body Control and Spatial Awareness
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Movement to Music (Dance)
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Games
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Gymnastics
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Health-related Activities
Arabic, Islamic, Moral Education and Social Studies
From FS1, our children learn the Arabic language and are also introduced to the values that underpin Islam – these include being kind, honest, respectful and responsible. Children are also introduced to Social Studies and Moral Education in Year One with more formal lessons beginning from Year Two upwards.
As a British Curriculum School in the UAE, we place significant importance on these subjects and look for opportunities to integrate them into our English National Curriculum where possible.
To engage all students, we hold many competitions throughout the year to reinforce the importance and love of the Arabic language: Spelling Bee, Quran, Creative Writing, Reading, Poem Writing and more.
Music
Children are taught music throughout the school by a specialist music teacher. The Music Curriculum Framework is divided into the following five strands:
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Performing – singing and performing instruments
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Creating and composing
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Notation
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Listening and appreciation
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Music in society
There are also various opportunities throughout the year for our children to showcase their musical talents. Our Music teachers prepare children for Winter concerts, National Day events and end of year celebrations.
Our children are also encouraged to learn a musical instrument and can receive individual musical tuition from our Music teacher.
French
The French primary classes allow children to enjoy discovering a new language, to think about the way the language works and to introduce them to a new culture. The children learn through computer software, songs, reading and interactive lessons.
ADDRESS
P.O. Box 236498
Baghdad Street
Al Qusais, Dubai
United Arab Emirates