Profiles

The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship; of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.

Inquirers: They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable: They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers: They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communications: They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled: They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Open-minded: They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring: They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment

Risk-takers: They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced: They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective:They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development

A. The written curriculum – The school has a well designed transdisciplinary programme of inquiry based on six themes that are cognitively and developmentally appropriate for young learners as they have enduring significance and students can identify with them.

These globally and socially driven themes provide a starting point from which students can examine issues and opportunities as they are being experienced in the real world. The themes are explored through open ended central ideas which are engaging, relevant, challenging and significant.

The inquiry based approach allows the students to be actively involved in their learning by developing demonstrating skills and attributes of the learner profile. Carefully considered resources such as technology, the library, books, design material, manipulatives, arts and science supplies and more contribute to the depth of the inquiry. Successful inquiries lead to responsible student actions in a variety of situations encountered through the curriculum.

B. The Approaches to teaching – In IB PYP the teaching is:-

  Based on inquiry: A strong emphasis is placed on students finding their own information and constructing their own understandings.

  Focused on conceptual understanding: Concepts are explored in order to both deepen disciplinary understandings and to help students make connections and transfer learning to new contexts.

  Developed in local and global contexts: Teaching uses real-life contexts and examples, and students are encouraged to process new information by connecting it to their own experiences and to the world around them.

  Focused on effective teamwork and collaboration: This includes promoting teamwork and collaboration between students, but it also refers to the collaborative relationship between teachers and students.

  Designed to remove barriers to learning: Teaching is inclusive and values diversity. It affirms students’ identities and aims to create learning opportunities that enable every student to develop and pursue appropriate personal goals.

  Informed by assessment: Assessment plays a crucial role in supporting, as well as measuring, learning. This approach also recognizes the crucial role of providing students with effective feedback.

C. The Approaches to learning –
Our focus on approaches to learning is grounded in the belief that learning how to learn is fundamental to a student’s education.

The five categories of interrelated skills aim to empower IB students off all ages to become self-regulated learners. These skills also help to support a student's sense of agency, encouraging them to see their learning as an active and dynamic process.

The five categories are:

  Thinking skills : including areas such as critical thinking, creative thinking and ethical thinking

  Research skills : including skills such as comparing, contrasting, validating and prioritizing information.

  Communication skills : including skills such as written and oral communication, effective listening, and formulating arguments

  Social skills : including areas such as forming and maintaining positive relationships, listening skills, and conflict resolution

  Self-management skills : including both organizational skills, such as managing time and tasks, and affective skills, such as managing state of mind and motivation.

The development of these skills plays a crucial role in supporting the IB’s mission to develop active, compassionate and lifelong learners.

D. Assessment –
The main purpose of assessment at firststeps is to promote student learning, to provide information about student learning and to contribute to the efficacy of the programme in order to evaluate and improve the overall curriculum and curriculum delivery.

We assess our students on the following:

  Assessment of prior knowledge : At the beginning of a new academic year to assess the literacy and numeracy skills which provides feedback of the students. At the beginning of every inquiry to assess before embarking on new learning experiences.

  Assessment for learning :Formative assessment. It is continuous and diagnostic and provides continuous feedback to teachers and students enabling them to achieve their potential. It aims at identifying the learning needs of the students and allows the facilitators to plan for differential learning.

  Assessment as learning : The students are encouraged to actively design, manage and measure their own learning , they develop the skills to use assessments to self assess, to reflect on and to make adjustments in future learning .

  Assessment of learning : Summative Assessment The process of collecting and interpreting information to judge the student’s achievement against predetermined criteria for the purpose of grading and reporting. This is conducted at the completion of each unit of inquiry to assess how much knowledge has been perceived and what connections are students able to make between new and old learning.

Acknowledgement:

What is an IB education?

Primary years programme

The learner

Learning and teaching

The Learning Community

International Baccalaureate Organization (UK) Ltd.

Peterson House, Malthouse Avenue, Cardiff Gate

Carfiff, Wales CF23 8GL

United Kingdom

Cambridge Curriculum

The Secondary Section of FSS is an authorized school for Cambridge Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary Qualifications of Cambridge curriculum offering Cambridge pathway from 11-16 years. The school is authorized to take private candidature for Cambridge Upper Secondary Assessments (IGCSE) and Cambridge Advanced Assessments (AS & A Level). Cambridge International Examinations prepares school students for life, helping them develop and informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning. Cambridge Programmes and qualifications have a proven reputation for being an excellent preparation for university, employment and life.

Five elements of Cambridge education are: international curriculum, teaching and learning, assessment, international recognition and global community.

International curriculum

The main purpose of assessment at firststeps is to promote student learning, to provide information about student learning and to contribute to the efficacy of the programme in order to evaluate and improve the overall curriculum and curriculum delivery.

Teaching and learning

FirstSteps provide professional development for teachers, to help them improve their performance and practice throughout their careers. We encourage teaching practices that develop the ability of students to reflect on their learning.

Assessment

Cambridge designs the assessments to be fair, valid, reliable and practicable. It assesses what is known to be of value: deep subject knowledge, conceptual understanding, and higher level thinking skills. Their flexible assessment structure maximizes time for teaching and learning. At FirstSteps, we are inclined completely to the pattern of Cambridge pattern in its true spirit . Assessments routines are followed throughout the courses systematically and robustly in both Lower Secondary and Upper secondary Sections ensuring the preparation to its fullest for their Cambridge Checkpoints and IGCSE Assesments.

International recognition

Cambridge qualifications are widely recognized by universities and employers. Cambridge students can be confident that their qualifications will be understood and valued throughout their education and career, in their home country and internationally.

Global community

Cambridge schools belong to a worldwide education community. Cambridge supports professional learning communities which connect teachers around the world so that can they share views, information and resources, and learn from one another.

Cambridge Learner Attributes

  CONFIDENT in working with information and ideas- their own and those of others.

  RESPONSIBLE for themselves, responsive to and respectful of others.

  REFLECTIVE as learners, developing their ability to learn.

  INNOVATIVE and equipped for new and future challenges

  ENGAGGED intellectually and socially and ready to make a difference in the world

Cambridge Lower Secondary Curriculum (Grades VI, VII, VIII)

Cambridge Secondary is typically for learners aged 11 to 14 years.
Curriculum:

  provides a natural progression from primary education.

  sets clear learning objectives for the first three years of secondary education in English, Mathematics and Science.

  is compatible with other curricula, internationally relevant and sensitive to different needs and culture.

  is appropriate for learners whose first language is English.

  gives you optional routes to use sections that suit your situation best.

  focuses own learners development with international benchmarks.

There are two testing options at Cambridge Lower Secondary Stage:

Cambridge Lower Secondary Progression Tests and Cambridge Checkpoints

  Provides detailed information about the performance of each learner from Grade VI to VIII.

  Enable teacher to give structured feedback to learners and parents.

  Enable teacher to compare the strengths and weaknesses of individuals and groups.

  Are marked by teachers in school.

  Comes with clear guidance, standards and mark schemes.

  Can be used at any time during the year.

  A test to assess learning at the end of Cambridge lower Secondary and provide evidence of readiness for the next stage.

  Test skills, knowledge and understanding of the curriculum for English, Mathematics and Science.

  Feedback reports show how a learner has performed in relation to the curriculum, their learning group, the whole school and against all learners who have taken test in that series around the world.

 Tests are marked in Cambridge to provide an international benchmark of learner’s performance.

  Learners receive a statement of achievement and a diagnostic feedback report.

  Can be used at any time during the year.

Cambridge Upper Secondary Curriculum-IGCSE (Grades IX & X)

Curriculum

Cambridge IGCSE more than 30 years ago. Today, it’s the world’s most popular international qualification for 14 to 16 year olds. Not only is it truly international - it gives students more options than any other international qualification. That means more subjects to choose from, more ways to learn and more ways to succeed.

Cambridge IGCSE provides broad and balanced study across a wide range of subjects, using learner-centered and enquiry-based approaches to learning. The International General Certificate of Secondary Education - IGCSE (IX and X), is a stimulating, challenging and creative educational programme. This consists of two-year syllabi, culminating in a public exam at the end of grade 10. These syllabi provides an excellent platform for students who are considering applying to Universities Colleges abroad for higher education. The IGCSE (IX and X) programme is tailor-made for the academically inclined creative students. This programme teaches and encourages independence of thought, analysis of a wide range of both generic and complex issues and the knowledge of the communicative skills required to succeed thus Creating a strong foundation for the A level programme.

Assessments

Cambridge IGCSE assessment takes place at the end of the course and can include written, oral, coursework and practical assessment. This broadens opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning, particularly when their first language is not English. In many subjects there is a choice between core and extended curricula, making Cambridge IGCSE suitable for a wide range of abilities.

Grades are benchmarked using eight internationally recognized grades, A* to G, which have clear guidelines to explain the standard of achievement for each grade.

Cambridge IGCSE examination sessions occurs thrice in a year, in March, June and November. Results are issued in May, August and January. At FirstSteps, we follow March Series for IGCSE Assessments keeping in view the beginning of sessions as per the National School Education System so that the transisition becomes smooth in Upper Secondary Section to other Boards (if, needbe). Students can comfortably apply for all National level Competitions after completing their AS and A Level Assessments by March Series.

The students are required to take up minimum five IGCSE subjects during assessments Pass. A wide spectrum of subjects at this level gives all individuals a more robust education. Students are able to make choices keeping in mind a wide breadth of disciplines, possible career opportunities and aptitude. First Steps offers complete teaching, learning and preparation of seven subjects for IGCSE Assessments that makes all students eligible for ICE Award.

The Cambridge IGCSE subjects are grouped into five curriculum areas. The subjects offered at FirstSteps School include:

  Group I: Languages (English Language, Hindi language)

  Group II: Humanities and Social Sciences (Geography)

  Group III: Sciences(Combined Sciences, Physics)

  Group IV: Mathematics(Mathematics, Additional Mathematics)

  Group V: Creative and Professional (Global Perspectives, ICT)