Developing students who are inquirers, risk-takers and open-minded

SUIS Qingpu Primary School students master core academic skills by connecting classroom questions to real world problems. Our inquiry and project-based learning environment helps to nurture confident learners who exemplify integrity, honesty, and respect. Primary School students become inquirers, beginning their journey of life-long learning. They become risk-takers, developing confidence in and out of the classroom, and they become open-minded, learning how to think about, discuss and offer opinions about global perspectives.

Our Primary School is full of life and offers a wealth of meaningful learning opportunities that help provide a truly holistic and rich experience for students in Grades 1 to 5. Throughout their Grade 5 academic year, students experience a range of preparation activities that help to build a strong and smooth transition to our Middle School.

Our Curriculum

Our Primary School teaches our children about a range of different subjects, including both English and Chinese languages, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Music, Art, STEAM, Information and Communication Technology, and more. Students in Primary also have the opportunity to participate in our robust Co-curricular Activity (CCA) Programme to further develop their skills in a wide-range of areas.

An innovative, enriching bilingual experience

Our Primary School education offers an academic curriculum in line with Shanghai government education requirements. This ensures that students enrolled at SUIS Qingpu are given the necessary grounding in the important core subjects of Chinese, English, Mathematics, Science, and Moral Education & Law. In addition to these core subjects, we offer a unique portfolio of subjects, of which some are co-taught and bilingually delivered, all tested through years of experience at Xiehe and, together with the core subjects, provide a broad, engaging international curriculum:

  • English Language Arts
  • English Reading (co-taught)
  • English Mathematics (co-taught)
  • Global Perspectives (co-taught)
  • Art (some lessons co-taught)
  • Music (some lessons co-taught)
  • PE (some lessons co-taught)
  • STEAM
  • Philosophy for Children (P4C)

After the final lesson each day, students can participate in ‘School Teams’ activities and/or Co-curricular Activities (CCAs). Some CCAs are offered by external providers.

The Learning Support Centre (LSC) provides support for those students with academic difficulties or extends students who demonstrate outstanding academic performance.

Cambridge Classes

In addition to our bilingual programme, SUIS Qingpu offers families Cambridge Classes. Students in these classes will be immersed in an internationally-minded environment, where a majority of lessons are taught in English or co-taught in Chinese and English, to meet the educational needs of students from diverse learning and cultural backgrounds.

The Cambridge Primary Curriculum is an innovative education programme offered through Cambridge Assessment International Education. It aims to provide a broad and balanced study for children, nurturing their development across various key learning areas:

  • English: This subject includes reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. It also fosters creativity, curiosity, and a love for the English language.
  • Mathematics: The curriculum is focused on boosting the essential mathematical skills and problem-solving abilities of students. It is designed with a progressive approach, starting from fundamentals and leading to advanced concepts.
  • Science: Fascinating young minds, the science curriculum encourages learners to explore scientific concepts through hands-on experiments. It enhances critical and analytical thinking by promoting curiosity and inquisitiveness.
  • Global Perspectives: A unique interdisciplinary subject, Global Perspectives aims to develop skills of research, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Students explore significant global issues from different perspectives.

The Cambridge Primary Curriculum also includes provisions for continuous assessment to track student progress, identify learning gaps, and provide meaningful feedback. This includes optional Cambridge Primary Progression Tests and a Cambridge Primary Checkpoint assessment at the end of the primary programme.

Overall, the Cambridge Primary Curriculum is focused on creating confident, responsible, reflective, innovative, and engaged learners.

At SUIS Qingpu, our aim is to provide a clear pathway to further studies in our Middle and High School divisions, where students engage with IGCSE, A-Level and IBDP curricula. Students in our Cambridge Primary Classes will undergo preparation for learning within these international programmes.

The primary curriculum also aims to equip students with the necessary life skills needed to survive in today’s fast-changing world. We recognize that it is no longer sufficient to merely acquire content, but more importantly, we believe that students must learn how to learn, develop their self-directed learning skills and be able to apply skills and knowledge acquired. We also believe in student-centered and active-learning teaching approaches, and all curriculum materials are designed to meet the learners’ needs and abilities.

A unique co-teaching approach

Many of our Primary School subject lessons are co-taught by two fully-qualified Co-Teachers, one native English-speaking teacher and one native Chinese-speaking teacher, who work together to create a bilingual learning environment for which SUIS schools are well-known for.

The Co-Teachers share equal authority in the classroom, and together they plan and implement lessons that are engaging, interactive, and that promote students’ critical thinking. They draw on the children’s interests to create units of study that follow the standards of the National Curriculum in England.

With two Co-Teachers in each classroom, every child benefits from personalised attention, and teachers are able to ensure that each child is treated with the utmost care and respect and that the children enjoy their learning.

Outdoor and Labour Education

Throughout the school year, our students take trips and excursions as an extension of their learning. From large Shanghai parks to museums, from Chinese cultural sites to farms, these field trips are integrated into the broader SUIS Qingpu curriculum. Students are encouraged to reflect with their Co-Teachers once they return to their classrooms.

Art, Music, PE and STEM

SUIS Qingpu’s Primary School curriculum also allows for students to develop their creativity and presentation skills. Lessons focus on building fundamental art and music skills through a range of materials and instruments in large and bright art and music studios. Our experienced specialist teachers also teach children about different artists and musicians, as well as the purpose and history of art and music in different time periods and cultures.

Our Physical Education (PE) Programme develops children’s fitness, co-ordination in movement, and co-operative skills with teammates through team sports. Students learn ball handling and equipment skills that are applicable to many different sports. Primary School students are also encouraged to get involved in the large range of Co-Curricular sports activities available at our campus.

Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) Programme

After the final lesson of the school day, students are actively engaged in the wide range of Co-Curricular Activities we offer at our campus. There is something for everyone, and students are encouraged to try their hand at the different options to develop their skills and interests.

Moral Education and Student Wellbeing Programme

Our Moral Education and Wellbeing Programme provides children with a focus on positive values and helps them develop the skills to become global citizens. The programme aims to support students in understanding themselves as individuals, developing healthy relationships with others, and the responsibilities of citizenship. There is also an important focus on personal safety and body awareness. Through meaningful lessons, this programme equips students with the skills to make informed decisions and choices and provides a focus on the development of moral character, the importance of helping others, and the desire to make a difference in the world around them. 

Intercontinental Carnival

The annual Intercontinental Carnival is a month-long interdisciplinary learning experience that enables students learn more deeply about a selected region of the globe through a variety of lenses (e.g., geography, history, art, music, dance, drama, mathematics, science, and technology).

Philosophy for Children (P4C)

SUIS Qingpu Primary School students also engage in Philosophy for Children (P4C) lessons. P4C is a structured pedagogical method that invites and enables children to search for rational and justified answers to important questions that have no simple answers.

P4C is not about the lives or thoughts of the great philosophers, but about the practical business of enhancing critical and creative thinking. P4C capitalizes on children’s natural curiosity to engage them in a philosophical dialogue, i.e., in a deep discussion of questions that have no clear answer and where different points of view can be developed, explained and justified. By engaging in discussion of conflicting points of view, children develop clearer reasons and justifications for their opinions, while they also understand how an argument is constructed. P4C is in use in over 60 countries in the world.