Overview

Braeburn Dar es Salaam offers a curriculum based on the English National Curriculum. While this is the basis for what we teach - with a significant emphasis on the development of core skills - all our students are given opportunities to learn from their context here in East Africa. Many of the learning experiences are therefore based on ‘real’, meaningful interactions from group-based investigations to outdoor learning and from whole schooled themed days (e.g. World Peace Day) to individual tasks differentiated for the needs of the child.

In the Early Years (ages 2 to 5), pupils follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The prime areas of learning are: communication and language; physical development; personal, social and emotional development. The specific areas of learning are: literacy; mathematics; understanding the world; expressive arts and design. Teaching is often done through play, where the child learns about subjects and other people through games.

In Key Stage One (ages 5 to 7, Years One and Two), pupils begin to embed key skills such as phonics (the sounds) and an understanding of number as well a rich range of other learning experiences including subjects like music, physical education and humanities.

In Key Stage Two (ages 7 to 11, Years Three to Six), pupils are given opportunities to continue developing skills while developing more independence, responsibility and a sense of right and wrong. While the building blocks of Primary Education are English, Maths (the ‘core’ subjects) and Science, a broad and balanced curriculum is provided with drama, music, art and sport playing crucial roles in developing the whole child.

In Key Stage Three (ages 11 to 14, Years Seven to Nine), pupils focus to a much greater extent on high order concepts that will enable them to engage with the more challenging curricula of IGCSE. While home learning is introduced as early as Year One (where students engage in simple tasks to reinforce key skills), the expectations and demands increase steadily as pupils move through the school. This helps develop: Confident Individuals, Responsible Citizens, Learners Enjoying Success, which is at the heart of what we want our Braeburn students to be.

Key Stage Four (ages 15 to 16 approximately, Years 10 and 11) allows students to choose and study a selection of Cambridge IGCSE courses in addition to the compulsory English Language, English Literature and Mathematics. These rigorous and demanding courses are recognised worldwide and facilitate progression to pre-university courses.

Personalised Learning: we believe that every child is an individual and as such has individual needs. When your child starts school at Braeburn, the class teachers will carry out informal assessments to understand the level at which your child is working. Targets for improvement will then be set. If your child needs additional learning support or is very able, our specialist Inclusion Department will provide support and appropriate challenge for your child. This extra provision is regularly reviewed.