Secondary – International Curriculum
In our Secondary years programme at Tenby International School, students navigate Key Stage 3 (Year 7 – Year 9) and Key Stage 4 (Year 10 & Year 11), working towards attaining their IGCSEs at the completion of Year 11. This is an important stage in education where students will mature towards becoming responsible young adults, and we encourage them to be resilient, ambitious individuals who take responsibility for their decisions and their future.
Academic achievement is certainly important throughout this crucial stage in education. However, Secondary education is also about developing the whole person. It is at this stage that Amazing Learning moves beyond the classroom and makes a greater impact on the character of students, and we develop a set of attributes found in the ‘Tenby Learner Profile’ that guide the development of students with the right values to succeed beyond school life.
Curriculum & Areas of Learning
We follow the National Curriculum for England (NCUK) in a variety of subjects throughout the Secondary years.
Key Stage 3
During Key Stage 3, all students will study the following:
- English Language and Literature
- Mathematics
- Science
- Chinese
- Bahasa Malaysia **
- Physical Education (PE)
- Design Technology
- Geography
- History
- Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
- Music
- Drama
- Art
- Agama (offered to all Muslim students)
Key Stage 4
During Key Stage 4, students have the opportunity to specialise in certain subject areas whey they have a strong interest. With four compulsory subjects - Mathematics, English Literature, English Language and at least one Science. Physical Education (PE) is a core subject though not examined. Students are able to choose additional preferred courses from:
- Additional Maths
- Science *
- Chinese
- Bahasa Malaysia **
- Design Technology
- Geography
- History
- Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
- Music
- Drama
- Art
- Accounting
- Business Studies
- Computer Science
- Physical Education (IGCSE)
* Students have the option to choose between Double Award Science or Triple Award Science.
** Bahasa Malaysia is compulsory for all Malaysian passport holders.
At the end of Key Stage 4, students sit for the leading internationally renowned and recognised qualification, the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations.
Moving on up to Secondary School
To get more insights about ensuring a smooth transition from Primary to Secondary, watch the videos below from the Facebook Live sharing session by our Head of International Secondary, Ms Elizabeth Cloke.
- Transition from a child’s point of view
- Making an informed decision: 5 Key Questions
Areas of Development
Teachers play a key role in Secondary education. In addition to providing a support system for independent learning, it is their responsibility to set the right targets for students, provide personalised feedback and ensure that students internalise the right reflections and good habits from their learning.
In today’s changing world, however, not all learning is knowledge-based or even specific subject-based. While academic achievement is a key goal in Secondary education, students will eventually be in competition against similarly successful candidates for university places and careers, and need to stand out from the crowd.
In order to communicate this to students and to be able to explicitly refer to these softer attributes that students should acquire, we created the ‘Tenby Ten’. It consists of the following 10 attributes that we feel our learners develop over their time here and provides an all-round profile that allows them to be successful in whatever they choose to do in life. Developing these traits early in Secondary education is key to set the foundation for further development in later years.
A Tenby Learner is…
Responsible
An Effective Communicator
Resilient
Compassionate
Interdependent
Confident
Resourceful
Internationally Minded
Reflective
Inquisitive
Our aim is to develop holistic learners who get better - academically, socially, emotionally and more - through good struggle inside and outside the classroom, and become independent, self-motivated individuals ready for the next step in their educational journey.
Outside The Classroom
For Secondary students, and Key Stage 4 students in particular, we strongly encourage being active in the broader school community in order to broaden their perspective on life.
In addition to co-curricular activities, students have many opportunities to step out of their comfort zone and take responsibility. School camps develop camaraderie and teamwork skills in peer group settings, while sports team allow leadership and organisational skills to thrive. Students also explore their potential through prefectorial roles, participating in musical or dramatic production, taking part in the Student Council and many, many more opportunities.
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