The Primary section covers two key stages:
- Primary - Key Stage 1: KG and Grade 1 where students begin formal learning; they master the skills of reading, writing and basic arithmetic, as well as learning about the specific skills for interpreting knowledge in science and humanities.
- Primary - Key Stage 2: Grades 2 to 5 Where students start to become more independent learners and are expected to start to take responsibility for personal organisation and exploring their learning more deeply - developing real passions and interests.
The Primary school curriculum is built upon the learning objectives from the English National Curriculum. It is tailored to our identity as a British International School with strong German roots operating in India. We are the only school in Mumbai to offer the English National Curriculum which supports strong learning. It provides a clear and logical progression of skills development in all subject areas. Within DSB, we treat the curriculum as a strong framework on which we develop interesting and innovative learning at all levels. The flexibility in the curriculum enables plenty of opportunities for extension and following exciting new ideas. We enrich this curriculum with schemes of learning from varied sources and rich diversity of teaching materials to bolster quality teaching. Following the National Curriculum, gives us access to varied assessment tools that ensure we can monitor progress in the core subjects of Literacy/English, Numeracy/Mathematics and Science and compare the progress of our students with English and British international schools. Click here to learn more about the curriculum.
Our curriculum is far more than just a series of academic learning objectives. Threaded throughout its design is the intention to ensure our learners develop resilience and a strong voice and are confident and ethical citizens who can make positive choices and keep themselves safe. Equally, it ensures they are developing as internationally-minded citizens of a digital age with an inherent understanding of the value and importance of diversity and with a love of knowledge that provides the foundations for their future success in study and life beyond.
If you would like to find out more about our Primary programme - please reach out to our Head of Primary Micaela Ventura headofprimary@dsbindia.com or her deputy Richard Holt richardholt@dsbindia.com
We encourage our students to strive for excellence, to be inquisitive, to support and tolerate the needs and differences of others and, above all, to gain a love for learning to instil the values and the commitment to ‘lifelong learning.’
At DSB, our teaching and learning supports our key values: We value each other, we value responsible thinking and we value every effort, and our pedagogical principles: learning is dynamic, learning is life-long and learning is meaningful. We aim to provide a rich and engaging school experience that nurtures innate curiosity and lays the foundation for a successful attitude towards learning that stays with the student for life.
Students in the Primary Section at DSB study Literacy (Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing, Phonics and Grammar), Mathematics (Number, Operations, Fractions, Measures, Geometry and Statistics), German, Science, History, Geography, Design Technology, Computing (including Robotics for Grades 2-5), Music, Religious Education, Personal Social Health and Economic Education, Art, and Physical Education. Students are also taught Digital Literacy, Digital Citizenship and Hindi.
We provide support for our many English Language Learners, as appropriate, throughout Primary.
Science, Geography, History and PSHE are often taught through topics that combine subject-specific learning outcomes into combined themes. The cross curricular nature of these themes means they can be used across a wide range of subjects and can be developed in ways that meet the needs and interests of the learners.
Our primary years programme follows the guidelines and standards of the National Curriculum of England, frame-worked within an international context. We also offer the National Curriculum of Thüringen for students coming from German-speaking countries or for students who prefer to continue their education in German.
Both our curricula aim to provide a rich blend of academic rigour as well as physical, social, artistic and cultural activities. We value and recognise that each child is a unique individual. We provide a child-centred, supportive environment that encourages students to be independent and confident learners.