Our Curriculum
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Astor International School is proud to offer Singapore Maths and English and the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) for students 5-12 years old. Our curriculum is structured around authentic, engaging and internationally relevant IPC Units of Enquiry.
At Astor International School, the philosophy of teaching and learning is based on the pedagogy of enquiry and the philosophy found in the International Primary Curriculum.
Through enquiry-based teaching methods and approaches, students at Astor have the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge while becoming lifelong learners with an open-mindedness towards the perspectives of others.
Striving to be one of the top international schools in Singapore, we want our students to be internationally minded citizens who leave us with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to participate actively in an exciting global society and be ready for higher learning.
At Astor International School, we value student-centred, hands-on, enquiry-based learning that encourages curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. Our approach empowers students to take ownership of their learning by exploring real-world questions and engaging in meaningful, practical experiences.​
We use manipulatives such as counters, beads, cards, pictures, whiteboards, videos etc. to design our lessons activities.
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Through guided inquiry and collaborative projects, students develop a deeper understanding of concepts while building essential skills such as problem-solving, communication, and resilience. This dynamic and personalised learning environment nurtures a lifelong love of learning and supports each child’s unique strengths and interests.
​At Astor International School we teach using the following curriculum
Singapore Maths
British English
International Primary Curriculum (IPC)
Singapore maths is designed to allow students to acquire important basic numeracy as well as develop logical reasoning and problem-solving skills in the following areas:
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Whole number
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Fractions
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Decimals
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Percentages
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Ratio
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Rate and Speed
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Money
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Measurement
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Geometry
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Statistics
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At Astor we link our Math topics to our English and IPC lessons when possible. For example, in a Science IPC like ‘Green Fingers’ or ‘Lets Plant It’ where the theme is plants based, we grown plants and track their growth over time in our measurement and statistics lessons.
Our English lessons cover speech, reading and writing skills to develop knowledge, in the following areas:​​
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Listening and viewing
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Reading and Viewing
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Speaking and Representing
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Writing and Representing
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Grammar
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Vocabulary
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At Astor School over the term and year, we cover all the areas above. We take a writing genre like: recounts, narratives, procedure, or expositions and use these genres to link all our writing to reading, listening, speaking and viewing. For example, if we are coving narratives we would be reading and listening to narratives, acting out narratives etc.
International Primary Curriculum (IPC) is a comprehensive, thematic, creative curriculum with a clear process of learning and with specific learning goals for every subject, for international-mindedness and for personal learning.
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IPC is set up in units with themes that cover learning areas:
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Science
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History
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Geography
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Music
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Drama
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Physical Education etc.
The recommended length of the unit and the length of the term will determine how many units are completed in each term. We ensure we cover History, Geography and Science equally over an academic year.
How is International Primary Curriculum structured?
International Primary Curriculum (IPC) includes over 130 thematic units and is taught in over 90 countries. It is broken down into 3 Mileposts:​
Milepost 1
5 - 7 y.o.
Milepost 2
7 - 9 y.o.
Milepost 3
9 - 12 y.o.
Each unit is designed around one core purpose: improving children’s learning. The units have been designed to nurture children’s personal qualities and develop international mindedness, and at the heart of these units are the IPC Learning Goals.
IPC Learning Goals
The IPC extends knowledge, skills and understanding, develops personal attributes and supports an international perspective in a way that responds to revised ideas about learning. The IPC Subject Learning Goals are the foundation on which the IPC was built. The learning goals cover the knowledge, skills and understanding that children will develop.
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Knowledge is what children will know.
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Skills is what children will be able to do.
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Understanding is what children will understand.
The units are organized around a theme, which helps children to see how subjects are both independent and interdependent enabling them to see the big picture of their learning, make connections through and across different subjects and talk about a theme from multiple perspectives.
An IPC unit could cover the following learning areas: Art, Geography, History, Language Arts, Science, Physical Education, Technology, Music, Society and International.
At Astor we also try to link our IPC topic to our English and math learning objectives, activities and lessons.
Every IPC unit has a distinct learning process, providing a structured approach to make sure that children’s learning experiences are as stimulating and rigorous as possible.
IPC Learning Process
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The Entry Point – is the WOW factor, the hook. It is desired to inspire learning through passion for the theme.
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The Knowledge Harvest – is to determine what the children already know and help them to make connections with their previous learning and their real life.
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Explain the Theme – this gives the children the ‘big picture’ of their learning
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Researching and Recording – each IPC unit has a research activity and a recording activity. Research activities always precede the recording activities. During research activities, children use a variety of methods and work in different group sizes to find out a range of information. During the recording activities, children interpret the learning they have researched and have the opportunity to demonstrate, share and explain their learning in different ways.​
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Exit Point – the exit point has 2 main purposes:
1. To help children pull together their learning from the unit, and
2. To celebrate the learning that has taken place.
How do we measure improvements in learning?
It is not enough to assume that children are learning. We need some way of measuring improvements in learning. Astor supports teachers in assessing student progress with key skills from the International Primary Curriculum, Singapore Math and British English learning objectives. Astor teachers assess using these terms ‘beginning’, ‘developing’, ‘achieving’, ‘mastering’ and ‘exceeding’.
Beginning
Developing
Achieving
Mastering
Exceeding
From a teacher’s assessment perspective
Beginning
The student requires support or assistance to understand the knowledge or skill, at times finding it difficult to achieve grade-level expectations.
Developing
The student requires some support or assistance to understand the knowledge or skill at grade level expectation.
Achieving
The student consistently works independently, occasionally requiring support to demonstrate the knowledge or skill at grade level expectations.
Mastering
The student works independently to demonstrate the knowledge or skill at grade level expectations.
Exceeding
The student works independently to demonstrate the knowledge or skill exceeding grade level expectation.
Astor’s Personal Goals
The IPC Personal Goals underpin each unit – they represent the attributes that we believe children will find essential in the 21st Century. They help children to develop those qualities that will enable them to be at ease with the continually changing context of their lives.
to have Fun we aim to be CREATIVE and CURIOUS
to develop Harmony we aim to be COLLABORATIVE and COMMUNICATIVE
to become Internationally Minded we aim to be RESPONSIBLE and RESPECTFUL
to be Caring we aim to be EMPATHETIC and REFLECTIVE
to achieve Wellness we aim to be RESILIENT and ADAPTABLE
Internationally Minded
Astor International School values international-mindedness and nurtures global awareness, critical thinking, and a sense of responsibility as world citizens. It fosters an appreciation for cultural diversity, promotes multilingualism, and encourages students to engage with global issues. By developing these qualities, students grow into individuals who can contribute positively to an interconnected and ever-changing world. They learn to embrace and manifest respect and responsibility.
Harmony
By embracing harmony, students learn the importance of teamwork, empathy, and respect for different cultures and ideas. They develop the skills to become communicative and collaborative in their study and their work. All of this creates a nurturing atmosphere where academic and personal growth flourish, helping students develop into well-rounded individuals who contribute positively to society.
Caring
We step into this learning environment intentionally valuing the people and the world around us. We aim to nurture our students to positively impact the world we live in, with meaningful and sustainable action. It is our explicit goal to help our students grow into empathetic and reflective adults with the interpersonal skills necessary to succeed in relationships, in work and in society as a whole.
Wellness
At Astor International School, we promote physical, emotional and psychological well-being. We consider these goals to be of equal importance to the academic development of our students because they are the DNA of success in life, creating the foundation for maximum potential in all spheres of life. We ensure that the school day includes exercise, vigours outdoor play and regular interaction with nature.
Fun
Our students love learning. They are curious and creative. The environment is warm and embracing and the curriculum is dynamic and engaging. Our classrooms reflect the passions and personalities of their students and teachers and the outdoor spaces foster a love for play, adventure, and exploration.