Lighthouse Primary School has carefully selected its creative curriculum to offer the best to its Grade 1 class. In Grade 1 the children start reading for the first time and develop their thirst for learning: learning basic maths and science concepts through observation and experimentation; developing a sense of their place in time and in the world (learning about their bodies, senses and history); and creating music, art and drama. All of this will be taught within themes (for example, “eyes and seeing” or “plants”) while also working on specific character traits (for example, attentiveness and patience).

In Grade 2, Lighthouse continues this methodology by working within an internationally-recognised framework:

 the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). The IPC is an innovative international curriculum for primary education originally developed for schools set up by Royal Dutch Shell Corporation, and it is now used by more than 400 schools worldwide. Some of the hallmarks of the IPC are:

• Subjects are taught in an integrated manner through thematic units which tie them together and make the learning process stimulating and thorough.
• Internationalism (a sense of one’s own culture and the development of an understanding of others) and personal development are embedded within each theme.
• Teaching methods are varied and flexible, take different learning approaches into account, and aim to be “high challenge – low stress.”

For more information on the IPC, please see www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com.

 

Within this framework, the Board and school administration select the specific learning resources which are in line with the school’s objectives and philosophy. Generally speaking, a typical day would include languages and maths taught in the morning, while geography, history, sciences, the arts, physical education, and civics (including community awareness and service) can be taught in an integrated and experiential way.

 

Along with the unit-based themes, a thematic focus on various character traits (such as attentiveness, patience and stewardship) is emphasized over the school year.

Our curriculum is not textbook-driven. Our teachers utilize a variety of resources to engage our students in meaningful work. Textbooks have their place in the classroom, but there’s so much more to life than looking at the page of a textbook. A child would rather build a rocket than look at photographs of a rocket in the textbook … wouldn’t you?

 

But then what?

From Lighthouse, students will be prepared to enter into any secondary school curriculum currently on offer in Mauritius, whether the Cambridge system operating in the public and some “private aided” schools, A-levels (part of the General Certificate of Education in England), the national French curriculum, or the International Baccalaureate.

The school is an English-medium school yet also aims for oral and written fluency in French by Grade (Standard) 6.

Interested parents can request either of the following:
- Equivalencies Comparison of the International Primary Curriculum and the British National Curriculum
- Lighthouse’s Scope and Sequence (our objectives by grade level) compared to the Mauritius National Primary Curriculum Framework