The National Curriculum lies at the heart of what is taught at Telfair International Primary School. It sets out a clear, full, and statutory entitlement to learning for all children aged five to eleven and determines the content of what will be taught.

It is preceded by the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum which is taught to children aged three to five at Tiny Tots Day Care Centre.

Both are designed to:

• be broad and balanced
• promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, intellectual, and physical development of children
• prepare children for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of adult life

“The curriculum at Telfair is not static and is subject to ongoing development to enhance the delivery to our children and remove potential barriers to learning”

In order to learn successfully, we believe children need:

• to develop positive self-images through knowing they are valued for themselves
• to have equality of opportunity to gain full access to the curriculum
• opportunities to form positive relationships within a stable and secure environment
• opportunities to express themselves creatively and apply their skills and knowledge
• access to a range of stimulating activities and appropriate tools

The current National Curriculum is divided into Core and Foundation subjects and is taught to children in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

The Core Curriculum subjects are:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science

The Foundation subjects are:

• Information and Communication Technology
• History
• Geography
• Design and Technology
• Music and Singing
• Drama
• French
• Art
• Physical Education and Dance
• Robotics
• Citizenship and Personal Social and Health Education.

Each subject has a program of study which specifies the knowledge, skills, and concepts that the children will be expected to acquire as they progress through both primary and secondary schools. There will be times when these subjects are best taught discretely and systematically, and other times when they will be taught in a cross-curricular way enabling the children to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in a broader sense.

Core Subjects

English: In studying English, children develop skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This enables them to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and helps them to communicate with others effectively. Great emphasis is placed on developing children’s spoken language, as this is crucial for learning to read, write, to be numerate and successful in all areas of learning.

Mathematics: Mathematics equips children with a uniquely powerful set of tools to understand and change the world. Children are involved in a broad range of activities to learn mathematical concepts and develop numeracy. They are given practical experience, investigative tasks, regular practice and memorisation of mathematical facts and procedures to develop mental skills.

Science: Science stimulates and excites children’s curiosity about phenomena and events in the world around them. It links direct practical experience with ideas, and therefore engages children’s interest at many levels. Children are taught to discriminate, classify, recognise relationships and select information from a variety of sources. They develop skills in hypothesising, testing, and evaluating ideas, and communicating using scientific language, drawings, charts and tables

Foundation Subjects

ITC: Computer literacy is an essential skill in the modern world. All children at Telfair International Primary School have the opportunity to work with computers and digital equipment from age of four to eleven. They are taught how to use ICT tools safely to find, explore, analyse, and present information responsibly and creatively in order to advance their learning across the curriculum.

Robotics is part of our Curriculum since 2018.

History and Geography: History fires children’s curiosity about the past. In studying history, children consider how the past influences the present, what past societies were like, and what beliefs and cultures influenced people’s actions.

In Geography, children develop knowledge of places and environments throughout the world, an understanding of maps, and a range of investigative and problem-solving skills. The school aims to use the immediate local area, as well as Mauritius’ rich historical and geographical resources, to extend children’s knowledge and experience.

Design and Technology: Design and Technology is about making things. Children can work on a range of designing and making activities. They explore how familiar things work and think about what products are used for and the needs of people who use them. They plan what must be done and identify what works well and what could be improved in their own and other people’s designs.

Art: Art stimulates creativity and imagination. Understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the visual arts has the power to enrich our lives. During their time in school, children are introduced to a wide variety of creative activities including drawing, painting, modelling and printing, and they are taught to use materials with precision and care.

Music and Dance: Music and Dance play a large part in our school life and are taught to all classes; we are fortunate to have specialist teachers for these subjects. The teaching of music develops children’s ability to listen and appreciate a wide variety of music, as well as giving them opportunities to sing and make music. Children have opportunities to learn to play a range of percussion instruments as well as the recorder. We also offer several after-school music clubs which include tuition in keyboard, drums, and guitar. In dance, children learn to create and perform dances using a range of movement patterns, including those from different periods of time, places, and cultures. We also offer after-school clubs.

Physical Education: All children are required to take part in Aqua gym, Athletics and Team Sports classes to develop physical skills and agility, and to develop an active and healthy lifestyle. All children need a change of clothes for PE consisting of school shorts, white school polo and sports shoes. Long hair should be tied back for all PE lessons. Children go to the swimming pool once a week throughout the first term and need to bring a swimming costume and a towel. Athletics takes place during our second term.

Citizenship and Personal Social and Health Education: Citizenship and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) aims to give children the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident and independent lives and become informed and responsible citizens. They also learn basic rules for keeping themselves healthy and safe and for behaving well.

French: We have two levels of French at school: First Language French and Foreign Language French. French is taught orally in Key Stage 1 and Formal French is introduced in Key Stage 2. French is taught twice a week and Reading is done once a week at school.