ART
 The
dynamic staff in the Art department are dedicated to raising
student achievements within the framework of the great opportunities
provided by EIC within National Curriculum guidelines for
Key Stage 3 and GCSE, AS and A level Edexcel at Key Stage
4 and 5. We aim to provide an environment brimming with
stimuli and creativity based on discipline, independence,
experience and a firm grounding of artistic knowledge.
The department acknowledges that it is essential to recognise and
develop the individual talents and aspirations of the pupils.
At EIC, students will have the opportunity to express themselves
freely using a range of materials, based on a sound knowledge
of the visual language and good technical skills.
We aim to ensure that pupils are able to make considered,
informed and sensible decisions and assessments. It is vital
that they have a sound body of knowledge and an awareness
and understanding of the criteria and processes involved
in artistic ‘decision making’.
Key Stage 3
Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 will be involved with developing
their visual skills. They will be provided with the opportunity
for individual creative experiment and the cultivation of
a keener observation and an enquiring mind.
Teaching of the effective rendering of the main elements
of Art is all important i.e. tone/form, line, shape, texture
and colour.
Key Stage 4
Years 10 and 11 will follow the GCSE course which entails
the completion of two units of coursework and one unit of
controlled test over the 2 year period.
Students must stick rigidly to the four assessment objectives
set by Edexcel.
Key Stage 5
Years 12 and 13 will follow the AS/A2 course which entails
the completion of six units overall (three at AS level and
three at A2 level).
AS level - two units of coursework plus a controlled test.
A level - two units of coursework plus a controlled test.
Click here to go to the Art Department homepage
DRAMA
 Drama
should facilitate learning about Literature, content and
form, personal growth, social development, and the acquisition
of theatre knowledge, techniques and craft.
Drama at EIC is taught throughout the curriculum. In Years
7, 8 and 9 (Key Stage 3) all students have two periods of
Drama every week. In Year 10 and 11 Drama is offered as
a GCSE examination subject and then in Years 12 and 13,
students can take Drama and Theatre Arts AS and A level.
It is a linear curriculum, with each stage naturally progressing
to the next.
Drama at Key Stage 3 starts with mime and experiential
drama as its teaching methodology in Year 7 and slowly builds
to a more performance based course in Year 9. Students are
encouraged to take LAMDA examinations as a natural extension
of their curricular studies in mime, spoken English and
improvisation.
GCSE Drama (Edexcel) is a very varied course. Throughout
the two years, students work with text, learn to improvise
and make their own theatre, developing their communication
skills and increasing their confidence. They develop team
building skills and learn how to evaluate their work effectively.
The course is mostly practical, although there is a written
coursework element, where they write about their own work
and the theatre productions that they have seen.
AS Level Drama and Theatre Studies (Edexcel) encourages
life-long learning and a range of important work skills
as well as providing access to drama and theatre-related
careers. The course broadens experience, develops imagination,
fosters creativity and promotes personal levels of confidence
and social development. It encourages appreciation of the
significance of social, cultural and historical influences
on theatre practice, both past and present. All students
on this course take part in an exciting and stimulating
annual theatre trip to London theatre land and Stratford-Upon-Avon
Extra curricular activities
In the Autumn Term students in the Sixth Form spend time
working on the annual Sixth Form Show.
At various times in the year, individuals and groups have
the opportunity to attend workshops after school to prepare
for a variety of LAMDA examinations.
The examination groups perform a variety of devised pieces
and scripts throughout the year to invited audiences. Students
are also given the opportunity to show their work in assembly.
Students are encouraged to take part in the annual school
production.
Click here to go to the Drama Department
homepage
ENGLISH AND CLASSICS
English is fundamental to learning in all curriculum areas
and is a compulsory element of each student’s experience
at EIC. We follow the English National Curriculum throughout
the Key Stages. This involves developing students’
skills in Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing. The
Key Stage 3 curriculum is organised into half-termly units
and incorporates a major assignment at the end of each unit.
Each student is awarded an attainment level at the end of
the year (included on the end of year report). Two Shakespeare
plays are studied at Key Stage 3 (in Years 8 and 9).
At Key Stage 4, all students follow the IGCSE First Language
English course. They particularly concentrate on summary
work, inferential reading, responding to a range of texts,
and writing in different genres for a variety of audiences.
IGCSE Literature is a further compulsory strand of the English
curriculum for all students at Key Stage 4. As part of the
IGCSE English Literature course, students study five texts
from a range of poetry, plays and prose. At Key Stage 4,
students are prepared for their IGCSE examinations in English
Language and English Literature by means of an integrated
course which covers all of the compulsory requirements for
each examination.
In Year 10, a small group of able students is given the
opportunity to study GCSE Latin as part of the department’s
enrichment programme. These students take their IGCSE First
Language English in Year 10 and IGCSE English Literature
and GCSE Latin in Year 11. They also have the opportunity
to visit Pompeii in Year 10 and Rome in Year 11 in order
to consolidate their study of Latin texts and Roman culture.
In the Sixth Form we also offer AS and A2 courses in English
Literature (Edexcel). Texts studied range from Chaucer to
contemporary fiction, across a variety of forms. The full
A level is divided into four units.. AS and A2 level courses
in English Language are also available. Again, the full
A level is divided into four units, two of which involve
individual language study. A further option for non-native
speakers in the Sixth Form is Cambridge Advanced English,
an internationally recognised examination which develops
the skills acquired at IGCSE.
Click here to go to the English Department
homepage
HUMANITIES
The Humanities department offers a range of courses for students
in Years 7 to 13 which follow the English National Curriculum.
From Year 7 to 9, it is compulsory for all students to study
Geography and History. However, in Years 10 and 11 students
may opt to choose Business Studies, as well as Geography
and History. Students are encouraged to study at least one
of these subjects and may choose to study more than one
- all are popular options at EIC. All courses follow the
IGCSE syllabuses of the Cambridge International Examinations
Board. At AS and A2 level, students may again choose to
study Business Studies, Geography or History; Economics
is also offered at this level. These courses follow the
specifications of the Edexcel Examinations Board. There
are currently five members of staff in the Humanities Department,
all specialists in at least one of the subject areas outlined
above. Students will have the opportunity to take part in
field trips, including residential and international trips.
Recent trips have included a ten day trip to Morocco, a
weekend break in Seville and a residential trip to the Sierra
de Gredos, central Spain. We are also planning trips further
afield.
Click here to go to the History
and Geography
pages.
ICT AND COMPUTING
 At
EIC students study Information and Communication Technology
from Early Years through to GCSE level as one of the ‘core’
subjects.
In the Primary School and throughout Key Stage 3 we follow
the guidance as laid out by the QCA in the UK. At Key Stage
4, the Edexcel GCSE is followed. This comprises four practical
coursework pieces worth 60% of the overall examination,
the remaining 40% being the written paper. The coursework
projects include databases, spreadsheets, desktop publishing
and word processing. The theory work covers a broad range
including hardware, software, databases, spreadsheets, desktop
publishing, word processing, modelling, networks, the internet
and e-commerce.
At both AS and A2 level students prepare for the Edexcel
Computing examination. At each level, students take three
units: two theoretical and one practical. All units have
an equal weighting. The coursework at AS covers the analysis
and design of a project whilst at A2 the same project is
implemented using a programming language. Theory units at
AS include computer systems and their design and at A2 include
information systems and their development.
Three dedicated laboratories in Primary, Secondary and
the Sixth Form as well as interactive whiteboards in the
classrooms provide an IT-rich environment.
Click here to go to the ICT Department
homepage
MATHEMATICS
The Mathematics Department has a clear unifying philosophy, strong
links between the Primary and Secondary departments and
excellent results at all levels. We believe students should
enjoy the subject, be encouraged to ask questions and take
pride in their work. Myths about the subject are challenged;
for example: “it is not creative”; “men
are better than women”; “there is only one way
to do problems”; “answers have to be exact”.
In the Secondary Department there is an emphasis on rigour,
algebra and pictorial representation - consequently, there
is a healthy uptake at both AS and A level and many students
have gone on to study Mathematics and related subjects at
Oxford and other top universities in Britain, Europe and
the United States.
Maths Quest and Maths Challenges
Every year ECIS (The European Council of Independent Schools)
holds a competition where the maths enthusiasts from around
the world ‘meet to compete’. The school has
entered for many years and done very well. We hope to maintain
this tradition.
Click here to go to the Maths Department
homepage
MUSIC
 Music
is an important part of the curriculum at EIC from Early
Years through to GCSE and Advanced Level. Special emphasis
is placed on the practical side of the subject to allow
development of social, communication, team-work and presentation
skills. Students regularly perform in assemblies, to other
year groups and in festivals. It is currently taught by
two members of staff - one at Primary level and one at Secondary,
with visiting peripatetic teachers. Also offered are extra-curricular
activities such as choir and singing groups, musical theatre
groups, theory classes and Saturday workshops. Additional
instrument tuition is available at all levels.
Click here to go to the Music Department
homepage
MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
The department of ten specialist teachers offers three modern languages:
Spanish from Early Years class to A level, French from Year
4 to A level and German from Year 7 to A level.
As a British school we follow the English National Curriculum,
but as a base, not a target. Spanish from Early Years is
a compulsory language for all students until Year 11. A
large percentage of our students take their GCSE Spanish
examination early, achieving excellent results and then
sit AS level in Year 11 and A level in Year 12. French and
German are currently offered in Year 7 for half a year each,
at the end of which students choose the language they wish
to study for two more years. At the end of Years 8 and 9
the students visit the country of their chosen language,
France or Germany, for a ‘culture week’. In
Year 10 they may continue with this language in the GCSE
options and then on to AS and A level.
For children who wish to follow part of the Spanish ESO
programme, we arrange classes once a week after school.
The Primary language staff also organise a wide range of
excursions to local venues to help children understand different
aspects of the culture and society in which they are living.
Our aim is to encourage students to learn at least one
foreign language, if not two, in an enjoyable and relevant
way and so help to prepare them for a multilingual future.
Click here to go to the Modern Languages
Department homepage
SCIENCE
 Science,
the gateway to ‘more careers than you can shake a
test tube at’. At EIC the Science Department makes
sure that all those wonderful options - Aeronautical Engineering,
Astrophysics, Genetic Research, Medicine and many more -
are open to our students.
Our students follow the English National Curriculum for
Science until the end of Year 9. Physics, Chemistry and
Biology are offered as single subjects at both IGCSE and
A level, one Science subject being compulsory at IGCSE.
Even before they enter the Secondary School, the budding
scientists in Primary will have been following their own
Science courses and given the opportunity to visit the senior
laboratories on a regular basis to use our equipment and
to be inspired by the experience.
Upon their arrival in Year 7, their curiosity is at fever
pitch and they explore the wonders of Physics, Chemistry
and Biology in a coordinated Science course until the end
of Year 8. The three Sciences are then studied separately
under the guidance of specialists who achieve outstanding
results at IGCSE and ‘A’ level.
The focus is always on practical work and investigations
which brings a lively, dynamic atmosphere to the department.
Wander in at any time and soak it up! This continues for
those who choose to study A level Sciences. An average A
level Physics lesson sees a myriad of different experiments
set up in Lab 3 with students bent over meters, springs,
circuits, pendulums or Geiger counters. In Biology, the
most diverse of modern sciences, we are fortunate to have
expertise in all the major disciplines from Biochemistry
to the study of Ecology.
In Chemistry, we return to those test tubes. This paper,
the ink and virtually everything man made on the planet
has been produced with the help of chemists whose training
begins at A level.
With the support offered by our specialist Science teachers,
our laboratory technician, an accommodating Mathematics
department, our interactive white boards and our resources,
our young scientists leave with top grades and a world of
options.
Click here to go to the Science Department
homepage
PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION
Students of all years spend one lesson a week studying PSHE. This
incorporates subjects such as drug education, sex and relationship
education, health topics and issues such as bullying and
racism. Many of these themes are also further explored across
the curriculum in other subjects such as Drama, English
and Biology.
At EIC the new subject of Citizenship is also included,
having been modified to suit our international status. Hence,
students discover the workings of the European Parliament
and United Nations as well as discuss issues such as globalisation
and human rights. Current affairs play a big part in this
area of the course and flexibility is built into the upper
school curriculum to allow for in-depth discussion of important
issues. To encourage our students’ ability to form
their own educated opinions, aspects of philosophy are also
addressed.
Overall, the aim of this aspect of the subject is to encourage
students to be aware not only of their own rights and responsibilities,
but also of their wider rights and responsibilities as citizens
of our global community.
At certain key points of the year, time is spent on study,
revision and examination skills which aim to enhance our
students’ performance in their academic life. Careers
is an important component of the course and allows pupils
to investigate option choices and their future ambitions.
Students investigate a variety of careers and also develop
skills, such as presentations and CV writing, in order to
prepare for their working life. In addition, all Year 10
students participate in a week’s work experience during
the year. In Year 11, all students have automatic membership
of the International Schools Careers Organisation scheme.
This includes a detailed psychometric test aimed at highlighting
a student’s personal skills and determining suitable
career paths.
In summary, PSHE is a comprehensive course that provides
the students with the information and skills to enable them
to lead a healthy and productive adult life.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
 Sport
is very important at EIC with nearly every student involved
in teams and individual fixtures at all levels of ability.
Through strong links with the surrounding schools, students
have the opportunity to participate in competitions in swimming,
athletics, volleyball, basketball and football. In addition
touch rugby, triathlon, cross country running, cricket,
and rounders. Hockey and netball are part of sport exposure.
The department is made up of four fully qualified teachers
and one full-time support teacher. Sporting opportunities
are enhanced by visiting coaches in football, fencing and
martial arts.
PE is compulsory throughout the school, with students studying
GCSE PE in Years 10 and 11. The more able can choose A level
PE in Years 12 and 13.
Click here to go to the PE Department homepage
<- previous page --- next page -> |
