Our Primary School Curriculum

How do we teach primary students? 

At BIS Hanoi, our primary school students, year groups 1 to 6, study the National Curriculum for England. This curriculum has been shaped with creative and engaging materials so that we can teach it effectively to our students in Hanoi. Through a globally recognised curriculum tailored to our students’ needs, we ensure the delivery of a truly world class international education.  

The English National Curriculum  

Through the English National Curriculum, we bring our core subjects, Maths, English and Science to life. Our internationally trained teachers dedicate the largest portion of time to these subjects. Using the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) topics and themes, our teachers also deliver the National Curriculum for England in history, geography, design technology and art. Additionally our curriculum also covers personal, social and health education, music, information communication technology, and physical education.   

From developing academic fundamentals like reading, writing and calculating, to learning how to socialise with peers and communicate effectively, we place great emphasis on students studying subjects which teach them a variety of skills. This means they may practice logical and numerical thinking in one lesson for example, and creative, lateral thinking in the next.  

We teach all our students to be global citizens. The English National Curriculum offers a world of opportunity to our learners, but it is equally important to us that our students understand and engage in the community they are part of every day. We teach classes in Vietnamese Culture and offer Vietnamese language studies through our extra-curricular club.  

The International Primary Curriculum  

We also teach the International Primary Curriculum - taught in over 90 countries around the world. This curriculum combines ‘creative’ and ‘thematic’ learning units which encourage children to engage their imaginations and approach subjects exploratively, whilst also contextualising the subject through meaningful, real-world scenarios.  

The main subjects taught through the IPC are History, Geography, Art and Design Technology, and we pay close attention to linking back to our core subjects of Science, English and Mathematics too. Maintaining our focus on helping all our students to become global citizens, the thematic units in the IPC all include a focus on developing international mindedness, as well as clear learning and personal objectives throughout. For more detailed information on how we teach different age groups at primary level, explore our guides below or get in touch with our admissions team. 

English is the main language of instruction and communication in our school. Out primary students can study an additional language including Vietnamese, French, and Spanish with a specialist teacher from Year 1. 

Our STEAM curriculum 

Science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM) are taught differently at BIS Hanoi. Our students benefit from our exclusive partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which helps to shape their curriculum. MIT brings our students school challenges which encourage them to think creatively and solve real-world problems, as well as the opportunity to take part in special MIT events throughout the year, including an annual educational visit to the MIT campus. We also provide students with a dedicated STEAM facility and specialist MIT trained teacher. Visit our STEAM page to read about our exciting curriculum with MIT.