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Curriculum and Learning

British Curriculum

As an International School, we follow the British Curriculum and the learning objectives that are clearly set out for each Year group.

At Xabia international College we believe that each child is unique, and it is this uniqueness which allows each and every child to bring something special to our XIC family.

Our relaxed and friendly atmosphere lets each child grow at their own pace, and nurture their talents and gifts. We strongly believe that a good foundation in learning will allow your child to continue to build on their knowledge and understanding, both of academic subjects, and of the world around them.

Teaching

As a British School in Javea, in Key Stage 1, our approach to teaching is topic based using guidance from The British National Curriculum. We plan our lessons to suit the interests of the children so that the focus is on the learning of the child, where they can develop their naturally inquisitive minds, and ask pertinent questions about the world in which they live. It is important that children have a genuine interest in their learning, and take ownership of their development, so classes are organised so that children can access resources independently, and find different ways in which to challenge themselves and further their learning.  

As we are a school on the Costa Blanca, it is crucial that children have total immersion in their local environment. Children have the opportunity to study Spanish taught by native teachers, both as a native language or as an additional language. This way the children also have access to the Spanish curriculum, whilst learning about traditions and the culture of the beautiful country that we are fortunate to live in. School trips and our annual International Day festival support the teaching of our children to embrace people from all backgrounds and countries, making us a truly International family.

As well as studying the foundation subjects (Maths, English and Science), the children have the opportunity to study using ever-changing technologies as tools to aid them with their studies. We have a designated ICT suite and interactive resources in each classroom. Children are also encouraged to further their skills in the creative arts (drama, dance, music and art) and in sports. Our extensive after-school program gives children access to other skills and opportunities (for example, karate, Chinese, individual music lessons, drama, dance and art and ceramics).

Why join Key Stage 1 at Xabia International College?

Above all, we believe that school should be a fun and exciting place for children to come.

Your happily engaged child will achieve great things every day. Your children’s small footsteps leave big imprints in our ever-changing world, and we provide the guidance and support that each individual child needs to set them with a perfect start on their journey through life.

We work very closely with families, teachers are available to talk to every morning and afternoon, and we appreciate and encourage family members to come and be part of the school, by holding workshops, supporting reading or simply by coming to spend some time with us. Detailed reports about your child’s progress are sent home twice a year, and we have formal parent meetings every term to discuss your child’s progress and needs. Pastoral care is paramount, and we provide an environment where your child can seize every opportunity with the safety and security of the support of our XIC family.

With small class sizes we will get to know your child very well; we will find out what their strengths are and stretch them; we will find out the areas that need developing and thus provide the help and support to ensure they make the most of their potential. We aim to enable your child to develop in both the academic and creative areas within the curriculum.

It is vital that we empower children to play a major part in their learning journey and this can only be achieved by having dedicated, experienced and enthusiastic teachers. We know that if we have a happy child we will have a child who wants to learn.

It is important that teachers use a variety of teaching methods to engage and enthuse their class across the whole curriculum. Spanish continues to be an important subject and it is our wish to see as many children as possible in our native Spanish group, not just Spanish children!

We continually assess the children’s progress using both formal and informal methods. It is important to us that parents are a part of their children’s learning journey, so we are always available to discuss your child’s progress. Detailed reports continue to be sent home twice a year with termly parents’ meetings.

Our philosophy of education is very simple, if your child is happy then they will learn. All children have the right to fulfill their potential and it is our aim to help them achieve this. Xabia International College is a school that has happy, inquisitive and delightful children.

No English, no Spanish, no problem!

At XIC we aim to provide the highest possible quality of education and place a strong emphasis on the core subjects of English, Maths and Spanish.

In addition, we provide a range of foundation subjects relevant to the outside world, such as humanities, computing, music, drama, PE and games.

Our aim is to help children develop:

  • High levels of attainment in the key skills of literacy and numeracy
  • Skills in observation, information-seeking, posing questions and problem-solving
  • The ability to apply knowledge and skills to unfamiliar situations

The ability to co-operate and work productively with others, as well as to work and learn independently.

Year 1 Topics

Our study topic in the Autumn Term is  ‘All about me and other animals’. We learn all about mammals and other animals through science, and about where we live and where we come from in humanities. The children also start learning mapping skills, carrying out exciting animal treasure hunts in our local area and around our school, following simple maps and beginning to understand co-ordinates and keys.

During the Spring Term, our first topic is ‘Toys and materials’. There is always much excitement when we open and investigate our treasure box of old toys from the past. Children also enjoy a visit to Alicante castle, to imagine how it would be like to be a child living there in the past, or to the local caves and park where we investigate different materials. Our second Spring Term topic is ‘Weather watchers’ where children learn all about weather symbols, maps, weather forecasting and different climates around the world.

In the Summer Term, we study ‘Plants and minibeasts’ – a topic that really captures the children, particularly when we plant magic beans like Jack, or watch the different stages of the life cycle of a butterfly before our very eyes in our classroom butterfly garden. The Summer term also brings our fabulous International week, wherein Year 1 we learn all about Oceania; the native animals, indigenous people, and the landscapes both above and below sea level. This fabulous week of creative learning accumulates in a shared assembly and an International festival in the afternoon, where our wonderful families host stalls representing the countries they are from, with food, drink, music, games and dances from around the world, celebrating our truly International School.

Year 2 Topics

During the Autumn term, the Year 2 Humanities topics are ‘The UK’ and ‘The Great Fire of London’.

The children look at the UK from a geographical perspective – including naming the countries and capital cities, looking at the climate and geographical features and making comparisons between the UK and Spain. In History, we investigate the series of events surrounding the Great Fire of London – including how and why it started and how we know about the events; we also look at differences between London then and now.

In Science, during the first term, the children cover ‘Materials’ and ‘Animals including Humans’. They look at different materials, how they can be used for different purposes, and how materials can change. With a scientific focus, the children look at animals and their offspring, life-cycles and stages of development and what humans need to survive.

In the Spring Term, Year 2 start their Science topic ‘Living Things and Their Habitats’. This extended cross-curricular topic includes understanding local wildlife and habitats, properties of living things, food chains and a Minibeast Hunt to explore our local environment, before broadening to investigate habitats around the world.  

In Literacy the children conduct an author focus (Eric Carle) – looking at the similarities and differences between his books, completing book reviews and re-writing one of his stories before writing their own Eric Carle-style story. This topic is complemented by Art and D&T, including pencil drawing, different painting techniques, collage and sewing.

The class then build on their knowledge from Year 1 with further investigation of ‘Plants’, to include labelling the parts of a plant, knowing the needs of a plant, and planting both seeds and bulbs and accurately record the progress.

Humanities, in this term, covers the Geography topic ‘What a Wonderful World’ – naming the continents and oceans; following compass directions and locating countries and continents using maps, globes and atlases. In History, the topic ‘Kings and Queens’ looks at the chronology of British monarchs, historical achievements and significant individuals and has a strong cross-curricular link with Literacy including report writing and diary writing.

In the Summer term, Year 2’s Geographical learning is Africa with a particular focus on Kenya, including where it is located, understanding cultural and lifestyle differences and studying the animals that are found there. This topic is timed to coincide with XIC’s ‘International Week’ and culminates with a whole school assembly where Year 2 share what they have learnt, show some of the art and D&T work that they have completed and perform an African song and dance.

During this term, ‘The Environment’ is the science topic covered in Year 2. The children learn about how and why climate change is occurring and the effects this is having on the planet. They look at ways to reduce, reuse and recycle and to use more sustainable energy and how these choices can have a positive impact on the environment.

English

We know that we have such a diverse intake of students, from all nationalities and with different levels of understanding in English, and so our main aim is to integrate all the children and give them access to the curriculum.  Our English lessons are a mixture of speaking and listening, reading and writing. 

Phonic learning is integral to teaching our younger children the basic skills in how to read and write, and we have guided reading sessions (both in small groups or on a 1:1 basis) every day. Drama, poetry and songs help our non-native English speakers develop the confidence to communicate in English. Handwriting, grammar, spelling and punctuation are also all integral to our curriculum.

We use non-fiction and fiction texts for short topics such as ‘Superheroes’, ‘Owls’ and ‘Stories from other cultures’ within our English lessons, to develop basic Literacy skills, and to set a foundation for future learning.

Maths

Learning maths is like building a tower; children must have firm foundations and acquire specific building blocks in a certain order. If any of these blocks of understanding are missing, then the tower is shaky and can be toppled at any time with the presentation of new challenges or concepts.

Therefore, at Xabia International Primary, we teach maths differently. Children are not simply rushed through the curriculum, gaining vast, but superficial knowledge that can fall apart whenever they encounter something unfamiliar. Instead, significant time is spent ensuring children have a deep, sustained knowledge of mathematical concepts and that secure building blocks are in place. As a result, we believe that all of our children can succeed in this subject, that no child ‘just can’t do it’.

But our children do not learn just how to ‘do maths’; huge emphasis is also placed on teaching them to ‘think mathematically’. Through contextualized problem-solving activities, children learn skills such as reasoning, conjecturing, generalizing and working systematically. This allows children to experience maths as something that is fundamentally useful, and not just a series of skills that must be learnt in order to pass tests. 

Spanish

The ability to understand and communicate in Spanish is a crucial part of living here in Javea.

In Years 1 and 2, native Spanish teachers deliver the lessons in two groups. One for native Spanish speakers, and one for children learning Spanish as an additional language. The teachers deliver the lessons in an interactive style, using songs, games, flashcards, real objects, puppets and Spanish storybooks.

Pupils in Key Stage 1 study Spanish 3 times a week, in sessions of 1 hour and 10 minutes.

By the time they leave Year 2, the children have a good grounding in spoken Spanish vocabulary and structures, an excellent preparation for greater demands in Key Stage 2.

Physical Education

Throughout the year, each Year group has three timetabled slots per week for PE and Games, which consist of Swimming, Indoor PE, Dance, Yoga and Outdoor Games. The activities within these lessons change each term. 

In Outdoor Games, Year 1 experience a multi-skills approach to games activities. Year 2 enjoy Tag Rugby, Football, and Handball Skills.

ICT

Information and Communication Technology has become part of everyday life and pupils need to become more aware of the effects this changing technology has on their school, workplace, home and community. They will then be better placed to meet the demands of our ever-increasingly technological society. 

We deliver the curriculum in Key Stage 1 with a focus on providing a meaningful context to ICT teaching and learning. There is a strong focus on programming.

We aim to enable children to confidently and independently use and apply information technology skills across all curriculum areas, from as early an age as possible, using:

  • Personal computers
  • Programmable robots
  • CD/DVD players
  • Television
  • Video
  • Digital photography
  • The Internet

Each classroom has a networked computer. In addition, we have an ICT suite with ten laptops, which are used for weekly ICT lessons. Each classroom is equipped with a television linked to the networked computer.

Our focus is to consolidate and extend previous learning by giving the children the opportunity to express themselves and have the confidence to make the most of their abilities.

In Key Stage 2, we continue the excellent foundation laid by our Foundation and Key Stage 1 colleagues.
It is vital that children and parents feel a part of our XIC family and therefore cared for and nurtured in a warm and loving environment.

Teaching

At Xabia International College we are fortunate to have children from over 20 different countries making us truly International. Children develop without prejudice, recognising that we are all different but knowing that we are really all the same. Our team of very experienced and dedicated teachers will quickly get to know your child very well, what their strengths are and thus able to extend them, what they may struggle or feel less confident with thus offering help that is tailored to there specific needs. Naturally, at the end of Key Stage 2 we help to prepare the children (and parents) for the next part of their educational journey to the Secondary School.

Alongside the British Curriculum, there is a full Spanish programme that caters for both native and additional language children. Technology is now a part of our everyday lives and is an important part of your child’s future, to ensure they are confident with a wide range of applications we supply all children in Key Stage 2 with a tablet. This is used as a resource allowing teachers to access a wonderful range of teaching aids plus allowing for greater research opportunities. Our teachers now use Google Classroom which allows them to post a variety of resources directly to the tablets thus having a very convenient record of materials, but it is also much eco-friendlier.  

Alongside the academic subjects, we nurture creativity through Art, Drama and Music. KS2 has a very active school choir and orchestra. Physical Education is an area that is very important to many children and we teach a full range of Sports, Gymnastics and Dance.

Why join Key Stage 2 at Xabia International College?

With small class sizes we will get to know your child very well; we will find out what their strengths are and stretch them; we will find out the areas that need developing and thus provide the help and support to ensure they make the most of their potential. We aim to enable your child to develop in both the academic and creative areas within the curriculum.

It is vital that we empower children to play a major part in their learning journey and this can only be achieved by having dedicated, experienced and enthusiastic teachers. We know that if we have a happy child we will have a child who wants to learn.

It is important that teachers use a variety of teaching methods to engage and enthuse their class across the whole curriculum. Spanish continues to be an important subject and it is our wish to see as many children as possible in our native Spanish group, not just Spanish children!

We continually assess the children’s progress using both formal and informal methods. It is important to us that parents are a part of their children’s learning journey, so we are always available to discuss your child’s progress. Detailed reports continue to be sent home twice a year with termly parents’ meetings.

Our philosophy of education is very simple, if your child is happy then they will learn. All children have the right to fulfil their potential and it is our aim to help them achieve this. Xabia International College is a school that has happy, inquisitive and delightful children.

No English, no Spanish, no problem!

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