Anne Hill International School recognises that students today face a world which is more interconnected than before. It is essential for young people to explore the global issues in the world they live in with a sense of hope for change. AHI meets these needs through a selection of internationally focused curriculums – such as the Cambridge International Curriculum (Primary), the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), the International Early Years Curriculum (Preschool) – as well as hosting of a number of multi-cultural events throughout the year. In doing so, AHI provides students with the opportunity to learn and respect diverse perspectives, effectively communicate across cultures and ultimately, understand and address global challenges in their world. The end goal is to inspire compassionate and well-informed problem-solvers who understand the interconnectedness of cultures and environments.
AHI Preschool teaching approach is aptly expressed in the School’s motto ‘Learn, Grow, Play’. Teaching focuses on literacy, numeracy and skills development – Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Social Skills (PIES) – through the use of fun, creative and interactive methods.
AHI Preschool offers full day and half day programmes for children of ages 18 months to 5 years old (Playgroup, Nursery and Kindergarten classes).
International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) is now our main curriculum complemented by other teaching methods such Montessori, Jolly Phonics and Numicon. During Montessori classes, children make creative choices in their learning through age-appropriate self-directed activities assigned by the teacher. Jolly Phonics is a fun and child centred approach to teaching literacy through synthetic phonics(4 letter sounds). Numicon is a multi-sensory approach to teaching mathematics and is designed to help children understand connections between numbers.
2nd Language – Mandarin and Vietnamese – and outdoor activities are also essential building blocks included in the programme.
Early years is often viewed as “the golden stage” for children development. it is important that at this stage, young learners are given the opportunity to develop their fundamental knowledge, social skills and physical and emotional well-being in a nurturing environment.
As such, Anne Hill International School aims for a holistic preschool education through the implementation of the International Early Years (IEYC) Curriculum. IEYC is a research-based curriculum that recognises global best practices for children from 2 to 5 years old. It adopts a play-based approach and encourages young learners to learn in the variety of activities relating to personal, social, and emotional development. IEYC is based on 8 principles and 4 Strands.
A key component of the IEYC is its thematic units of learning. Learning with IEYC means that students will engage in exciting themes/topics that will help them develop themselves in the 4 strands simultaneously.
IEYC also highlights the entire learning process and learning outcomes at different stages. It allows teachers to observe and assess students throughout their learning journey and offer proper support for each child.
For more information on this international curriculum, please visit: https://fieldworkeducation.com/curriculums/early-year
Hands on Experience, Problem Solving
Child gains experience and self confidence in thinking and making decisions of their own in everyday context.
Routine Task, Guided Learning Experience, Language
Language, motor and social skills are developed through routine and repetition.
Learning Through Play
Play becomes a natural way to expose the child to sounds and words as well as motivate them to learn about themselves and their surroundings.
The AHI Primary School Curriculum emphasises on inquiry-based learning and problem-solving as well as essential skills for communication and collaboration. Students are taught to apply what they have learned in different contexts and across disciplines. Students are encouraged to be creative and reflective problem solvers and lifelong learners.
Our curriculum adheres to high international standards that prepare students for a rapidly changing world thanks to an innovative, comprehensive cross-curricular programme that delivers the subjects.
The AHI curriculum also adheres to the Vietnamese national requirements as outlined by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education, specifically for the Vietnamese language, history and culture programme.
At AHI, the learning process is very important to us for it ensures that our students develop the skills and attributes that will help them to become independent and flexible learners that are prepared for the future.
Anne Hill International School is an IPC Membership School. The International Primary Curriculum (IPC) supports our vision and provides a highly engaging, cross-curricular and internationally minded curriculum. The IPC’s thematic units of learning are designed to appeal to children’s interests and help them to learn more about the world around them. Learners engage in globally relevant thematic units of work, which will help them gain an increasingly sophisticated national, international, global and intercultural perspective and develop a sense of global-mindedness.
Learning with IPC means that AHI students focus on a combination of academic, personal and international learning that is exciting and challenging. At the heart of the IPC curriculum are thematic units that are based on current affairs (science, history, geography, humanities & arts) to foster global mindedness. Students are given opportunities to gain an increasing sense of themselves, their community and the world around them, as well as inspiring positive action and engagement with global issues.
These units are then used to convert learning goals into fun inquiry-based learning activities – connecting various subjects to provide a holistic learning experience.
For more information on this international curriculum, please visit: https://fieldworkeducation.com/curriculums/primary-years/about-the-ipc
AHI is registered as a Cambridge International School and the school uses the international checkpoint assessments to benchmark student progress. The standards for English, Mathematics and Science align with the outcomes of the English National Curriculum.
AHI believes in the importance of language and provides a programme of English as a Second Language. Mandarin and Vietnamese languages are provided as a first or second language, allowing student to become bilingual overtime.
Students also engage in a programme of Physical Education and Swimming and a programme of Health and Wellbeing is integrated across the curriculum to address student pastoral care.
Subjects include English, Mathematics, Science with the addition of other subjects such as Physical Education, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), 2nd Language, Music, Art & Design and Health & Wellbeing. Each subject follows a curriculum framework that supports various learning objectives. In addition, the IPC supports deeper learning through student enquiry that spans across various disciplinary areas.
The approach is student-centered, helping them acquire an awareness of their own potential, as well as an understanding of the world around them and their place in it.
The curriculum seeks to develop a strong foundation for AHI students in effective language use and communication. It aims to nurture:
The four key areas of the curriculum are namely: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Active Listening. The curriculum strives to develop phonemic awareness, grammar, reading fluency as well as encourage confidence in oral communication and presentations.
AHI Mathematics curriculum adopts to the renowned Singapore Mathematics Curriculum. The Singapore Mathematics Curriculum is anchored by the Mathematical Problem-Solving Framework which stresses on conceptual understanding, skills proficiency, mathematical processes, attitudes, metacognition and inter-relatedness of these five components.
The Mathematics curriculum aims to ensure that AHI students:
The four key areas of curriculum focus are namely: Number, Number System & Problem Solving, Geometry &Problem Solving, Measure & Problem Solving and Handling Data & Problem Solving.
The Science curriculum aims to ensure that AHI students:
Primary Science covers four content areas including Scientific Inquiry, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. It also promotes environmental awareness, historical understanding of Science, and incorporates components of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). Critical and creative thinking strategies are also incorporated into the learning of Science.
Physical Education contributes towards an all-rounded education and character building, thus constituting an integral part of the curriculum. Through Physical Education conducted by our specialist teachers and partners, AHI students get to develop different motor skills through a wide variety of age-appropriate physical activities, including sports, games, gymnastics and dance.
As our school mission is to develop our students to Global Citizens, effective communication is an integral part of the curriculum. Effective communication includes the effective use of platforms such as Information Communication Technology (ICT).
Most importantly, children will build their foundation skills embedded with school values for any use or creation of technology. AHI provides a comprehensive ICT curriculum, anchored by the school values, which enables students to become safe and responsible creators and users of technologies.
Please refer to 2nd Language & Culture section below.
At AHI, Music is taught through various forms. Students are introduced to basic theories that will help them appreciate the various genres in music and across the world. Students will also learn how to collectively sing together and play simple instruments such the percussions and the recorder. Every fortnight, there is a Singing Assembly where students will perform what they have been learning thus far. Music is not only about playing or singing the right notes, but also about emoting the feelings and cultural aspects presented through each musical piece.
The AHI Art & Design curriculum provides students with a platform to express themselves, sparking imagination, creativity and developing transferable skills. Students explore and push boundaries to become reflective, critical and decisive thinkers. They learn how to articulate personal responses to their experiences and develop creative skills that will help with many aspects of their future learning. Students will explore various art mediums (e.g. painting , drawing, crafts, print, installations and digital media) and media (e.g. watercolour, coloured pencils recyclable materials).
In addition to complimenting the Science curriculum, IPC is included in the timetable. These are periods of time where thematic units are taught. The IPC’s thematic units of learning are designed to appeal to children’s interests and help them to learn more about the world around them. Each thematic unit can cover across different subjects.
Currently, Anne Hill International School offers both Vietnamese and Mandarin as additional second language and culture courses. More language options will be added in the future. Mandarin is offered at both preschool and primary school level while Vietnamese Language & Culture (VLC) will start at primary school level. It is compulsory for Vietnamese students to learn VLC in primary.
Vietnamese Language & Culture (classes for Vietnamese and Non-Vietnamese)
Mandarin Language
Anne Hill International School is following YCT (Youth Chinese Test) standards, which is the International Benchmark for the study of Mandarin for children. Anne Hill International School’s teaching resources and teaching methodology focus on listening, speaking, reading, writing and hanyu pinyin (汉语拼音), with children of lower year grade focusing more on listening, speaking and reading.
Students are introduced to everyday spoken Chinese and the simplified forms of Chinese characters. The characters are used in pinyin to reinforce listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Lesson topics include introduction to Pinyin, greetings, numbers, proper way of inquiring a person’s age and talking about family and personal belongings. Cultural knowledge related to lesson topics is also introduced.
At Anne Hill International School (AHI), our main language of teaching is English with the exception of 2nd Language classes. As our students come from diverse backgrounds, we acknowledge that there will be differentiated levels among English learners. As such, we provide English Additional Language (EAL) Support at the school. The purpose of this programme is to provide targeted help to students to develop literacy in English. The programme will give additional attention to the following areas:
Determining Level of EAL Support
Students from age 5 and above who need the support will be identified during the assessment stage of the Admissions process. Following this, The Oxford Young Learners Placement Test is used to determine the current level of each child. This is an on-demand, computer-adaptive test of the English language for non-native speakers of English, reporting at Pre-A1, A1, A2 and B1 levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The test was developed by Oxford University Press to provide schools with a baseline score and to place English language students on the most appropriate course.For students below 5 years old, EAL is not required upon enrolment; however, the child will be assessed during Kindergarten 1. This is to determine whether EAL support is compulsory to prepare them for primary school learning.
Co-curricular Activities (CCAs) are part of the holistic education, which enable students to discover their interest and talents while developing values and competencies that will prepare them for the future.
These programmes are either incorporated in class activities or provided as fee-paying after school activities, for example:
*Kindly note that Co-Curricular Activities may rotate according to each term. For more information on fee-paying CCAs, please refer to https://annehill.school/cca-fees/.
Our CCA Partners:
The school also provides joint workshops on topics of interests for parents and students over the weekend.
At Anne Hill International School, we believe in a range of creative Vietnamese and international cultural experiences for our students. Throughout the year there are festivals and events that offer great learning opportunities. These international gatherings help our students to take a more open view of the world and stimulate an international connection. These include but are not limited to the Mid-Autumn Festival, Halloween, Deepavali, Hannukah, Christmas, Lunar New Year, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and more.