Long description: Marborough College in Iskandar, Malaysia is one of top boarding schools in Malaysia. Marlborough CollegeMalaysia's curriculum broadly follows and extends the English National Curriculum to allow for a proper combination of breadth and specialisation. It has been designed to stimulate, challenge and supp rt all pupils. Top IB boarding school.
The curriculum is supported by a wide range of academic extension and enrichment activities through societies, lectures, theatre trips, museum and gallery visits, debates, poetry readings, conference and concerts creating a full co-curriculum which recognises that qualifications alone do not produce a well-balanced educated person.
Time is allowed in the curriculum for co-curricular activities, and on occasions the timetable is suspended or modified to allow activities to occur, such as subject-specific day trips and events and sports fixtures.
The Marlborough College Malaysia curriculum is designed to ensure that every individual maximises their potential. There is a clear focus placed upon success in public examinations, but the College also takes seriously its responsibility in preparing pupils to succeed beyond the College, at University, and in their subsequent career wherever that might be in the world.
Subjects are taught in departmental areas to give all pupils the advantage of specialist facilities such as laboratories, art studios, computer suites, design technology workshops and modern language spaces. The Library is located in the heart of the College and holds a stock of fiction from which pupils may borrow. The curricular provision is regularly reviewed to ensure that it best serves the interests of all pupils, and departments are responsible for the development of their particular subject area.
Schemes of work are reviewed annually and designed to ensure that lessons are correctly focused and that all pupils, regardless of their particular needs, are able to make progress through the school.
Preparatory School
In the Preparatory School the curriculum is based on the English National Curriculum, however, Marlborough College Malaysia recognises that the Curriculum will reflect the international nature of the school. Pupils will be taught Mandarin Chinese from Reception and Spanish and Malay will be options. It reflects also the aim of the school to provide a broad ‘all round’ education. The Preparatory School provides a rich experience where pupils will not only receive an excellent education but will also be prepared for entry to the Senior School. Pupils are expected to achieve academically, in a stimulating and happy environment.
In addition to providing a first rate academic education the Preparatory School also provides its pupils with ample opportunity in Sport, Drama and Music. There is a full programme of co-curricular activities during the school week.
Pupils have specialist teaching from Reception (age 4/5), and as they move through the school have more access to Senior School facilities. The Preparatory School is also equipped in its own right, with a dedicated Library, Swimming Pool, Art/DT/Science rooms, a Dining Hall and a Performance Hall.
The school day follows the general timings of the Senior School as this allows the deployment of Senior Specialists in the Preparatory School. However, careful consideration is given to the detail of lesson allocations due to pupil age and Key Stage.
From August 2013 the Preparatory School will be structured into three sections:
Pre-Prep, which consists of Reception to Year 2 (ages 4/5 to 6/7)
Lower Prep, which consists of Years 3 and 4 (ages 7/8 and 8/9)
Upper Prep, which consists of Years 5, 6 and 7 (ages 9/10, 10/11 and 11/12)
The pupils have their reading and spelling ages tested at the beginning and end of each year. SATs will also be a feature of the Preparatory School.
There is a House system in place at the Preparatory School. This is in place to provide internal competition in a range of activities and linked to the Pastoral side of the school with House points awarded for good behavior and work.
There are whole Preparatory School and class assemblies each week.
Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years are a critical stage of development for every child. During this time children develop rapidly physically, socially, intellectually and emotionally. The Early Years Foundation Stage is about building on what children already know and learning key skills such as listening, speaking, concentration, persistence and learning to work together and cooperate with other children. It is also about developing early communication, literacy and numeracy skills that prepare our pupils for Key Stage 1.
At Marlborough College Malaysia our Early Years Foundation Stage consists of one Reception class (age 4/5), led by a qualified Early Years teacher and supported by a Teaching Assistant. The Early Years Foundation Stage is made up of six areas of learning and development:
Personal, Social and Emotional development (PSED)
Communication, Language and Literacy (CLL)
Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy (PSRN)
Knowledge and Understanding of the World (KUW)
Physical development (PD)
Creative development (CD)
For further information on this Curriculum please visit the Early Years Foundation Stage Website.
Key Stage 1
The curriculum in Year One (age 5/6) is being designed to progress smoothly from the Foundation Stage. It extends the pupils academically whilst ensuring breadth and balance in the activities on offer. They are encouraged to make their own decisions and to work independently. The children will study a range of topics, which are linked to the National Curriculum, but will also take into consideration the nature of an international school in Malaysia.
The pupils in Year Two (age 6/7) will follow a curriculum, which extends beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum to provide an exciting and interesting year. They will be encouraged to do personal research for topics, using both books and computer resources.
During Year Two the children will be encouraged to become much more independent in both work and individual personal responsibility. There will be a wide range of activities provided by fully qualified staff in a well-structured day that will enable each child to reach his or her own potential. There will also be a full range of after school clubs on offer.
In both EYFS and Key Stage 1 specialist teachers will be deployed to enrich the curriculum for the pupils, examples of this are: Mandarin, Music, Drama and PE.
Key Stage 2
This Key Stage consists of Year 3 (age 7/8), Year 4 (age 8/9), Year 5 (age 9/10) and Year 6 (age 10/11). The curriculum will be based on the English National Curriculum but the emphasis will be on nurturing a growing educational independence for each pupil. The curriculum will also reflect the international nature of the school with Mandarin being taught to all. The History and Geography curriculum will also include local study projects.
However, in the Lower Prep (Years 3 and 4) the Class Teacher will still be central to the everyday education of pupils, there will be more specialist teacher input and more physical movement around the Preparatory School for lessons.
Pupils in the Lower Prep will begin to compete in school sports matches against other schools and in inter house competitions. Academic setting will begin to become more formal in Lower Prep. Lessons will be taught on a more separate subject basis.
In Upper Prep, the pupils will be set academically in Mathematics, English and Science. They will have the opportunity to take lessons in the Senior School, for example, using the Laboratories for Science lessons. Emphasis will be placed on preparation for entry to the Senior School.
Subjects:
English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities (History and Geography), Art, Drama, Music, Physical Education (PE), Information Technology (IT), Mandarin, Bahasa Malay, Spanish and Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE).
Key Stage 3 (Year 7, age 11/12)
Using the framework of the National Curriculum for England and Wales, we adapt and enrich our pupils’ studies according to the context of their education in an international school in Malaysia. For example, Mandarin Chinese is the major foreign language and the humanities and English include relevant local subject material.
Subjects:
English Language and Literature, Maths, combined Science, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish or Bahasa Malay, Humanities (combined Geography, History and Comparative Religious Studies), Art, Music, Drama, Design Technology, ICT, PE.
Senior School
In the Senior School subject specialists teach all lessons and pupils move to their classes through the day. All students require an Apple MacBook laptop. There are six academic lessons per day, each lasting 55 minutes. The timetable is a ‘two-week timetable’ meaning we plan for 60 academic lessons over two weeks, including one assembly and one tutor period per week.
Key Stage 3 (Year 8 and Shell, Year 9, ages 12-14)
Using the framework of the National Curriculum for England and Wales, we adapt and enrich our pupils’ studies according to the context of their education in an international school in Malaysia. For example, Mandarin Chinese is the major foreign language and the humanities and English include relevant local subject material.
Subjects:
English Language and Literature, Maths, Science (combined sciences in Years 8, three separate sciences in Year 9), Mandarin Chinese, Spanish or Bahasa Malay, Humanities (combined Geography, History and Comparative Religious Studies), Art, Music, Drama, Design Technology, ICT, PE.
Key Stage 4 (Remove and Hundred, Years 10 and 11, ages 14-16)
During these years pupils study towards externally assessed examinations known as International General Certificates of Education (IGCSEs). Subject content is covered over a two year period with final exams at the end of the Hundred year (Year 11). There are Core subjects that all pupils must study and Options. The four Option choices drawn from a range must include at least one language and one humanity subject.
Subjects:
Core: English Language and Literature, Maths, Science (Double Award, combining Biology, Chemistry and Physics)
Options: Chinese, Spanish, Bahasa Malay, Economics, Geography, History, Religious Studies, Art, Music, Drama, Design Technology, PE, ICT
Key Stage 5 (Sixth Form, Years 12 and 13, ages 16-18)
In August 2014, subject to authorisation, we will offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. This is a coherent and balanced programme of study that maintains breadth but allows for specialisation. All pupils will maintain study in English Literature, a foreign language, a humanity subject, a science and Maths through a combination of three Higher Level subjects and three Standard Level subjects. Specialisation can be created through the choice of three related Higher Level subjects, for example, Maths, Physics and Chemistry or English Literature, History and Economics. In addition all students complete an introductory philosophy course known as the Theory of Knowledge, a 4000 word Extended Essay and a comprehensive Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) programme of activities.