Middle School

Holistic education

As a British School Overseas, The English School of Mongolia strives to deliver a curriculum which is “balanced and broadly based” (The National Curriculum in England, 2014). We believe in educating the whole child, taking care of their emotional and interpersonal needs alongside their academic instruction, allowing them to flourish creatively and independently as they grow into confident young adults.

Ways in which ESM delivers on this commitment to holistic education in the Middle School include:

• a strong team of form tutors, primarily responsible for pastoral care
• regular assemblies to celebrate student success and explore community and pastoral issues
• a strong extracurricular arts programme, including concerts and performances throughout the school year
• a daily extracurricular clubs programme, with a wide selection of non-academic and sporting activities on offer
• strong student representation, with class leaders and Middle School leaders who ensure that pupil voices are heard
• regular field trips and activities throughout the year

The English National Curriculum

The National Curriculum for England has the following aims:

“The national curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens. It introduces pupils to the best that has been thought and said; and helps engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.

The national curriculum is just one element in the education of every child. There is time and space in the school day and in each week, term and year to range beyond the national curriculum specifications. The national curriculum provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum.”

(The National Curriculum in England framework document, 2014)

Emphasis is placed on the core subjects (English, Mathematics and Science), delivering high levels of knowledge, skills and understanding in each area. Foundation subjects (including Arts, Languages, P.E. and Humanities, among others) complete the curriculum. There is a strong focus on spoken and written language across all subjects.

The English School of Mongolia takes its lead from this model, and is committed to developing knowledge (what pupils know), skills (what pupils can do) and understanding (how pupils connect their knowledge to other applications) every day.

You can find out more about the National Curriculum for England on the UK Government’s website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum

Cambridge Lower Secondary

“Cambridge Lower Secondary develops skills in […] subjects including English, Mathematics and Science. It is designed to help schools deliver a broad and balanced curriculum that suits their context, culture and ethos.

The curriculum sets clear learning objectives and focuses on developing knowledge and skills in all subjects, providing excellent foundations for the next stage of education.”

(www.cambridgeinternational.org/)

ESM is an international school, and children who study with us are internationally minded, confident, responsible, reflective, innovative and engaged with the world around them. By blending and supplementing the foundations of the English National Curriculum with elements of the Cambridge Lower Secondary subject curricula, we are able to offer our Middle School pupils a unique set of learning opportunities that develops these attributes and meets your expectations of an international education.

You can find out more about the Cambridge Lower Secondary curriculum on Cambridge International Education’s website: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/

ESM as an IB World School

The English School of Mongolia is proud to call itself an International Baccalaureate World School, and we offer the Primary Years Programme in our Junior School and the Diploma Programme in Grades 11 and 12.

Being an IB World School is more than offering specific curricula; it means that the values and philosophy of international education at ESM are strongly in line with the values and philosophy of the International Baccalaureate:

“IB learners strive to become inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, openminded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. These attributes represent a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond intellectual development and academic success. This is the IB’s educational philosophy.”

(www.ibo.org)

Pupils in the Middle School are encouraged to develop the above attributes and given opportunities for independence and self-management as they grow, preparing them for further academic studies and life beyond school.

You can find out more about IB education on the International Baccalaureate Organisation’s website: https://www.ibo.org/information-for-parents/