Oxbridge School 

Curriculum Intent and Rationale                    

Intent

It is our intention that the curriculum at Oxbridge School reflects our Mission.

 ‘Oxbridge School aims to be the leading British curriculum school in Hong Kong providing a high-quality education that not only inspires a love of learning amongst all of our students but will also nurture, encourage and celebrate their individual strengths and achievements.’ Our curriculum values independent thinking and the development of character as well as academic ability. We believe our students deserve learning experiences that support and challenge whilst focusing on the whole child developing as positive, successful learners. Our bespoke British National Curriculum fully meets the multi-national needs of our students and is designed to be language rich, creative, relevant and aspirational. We want our students to develop learning skills that are appropriate for our ever-changing world and their future roles within a global society.

Rationale for Implementation

We use Dimensions ‘Learning Means the World’ Curriculum as the main vehicle for achieving our outlined intent.

This curriculum is underpinned by four highly relevant world issues, known as the four Cs:-

 

Culture

Communication

Conflict

Conservation

 

Communication

At Oxbridge School, we believe effective communication, verbal and non-verbal, is the key life skill that underpins all learning and development. This is particularly important in a multi-national environment where the main curriculum language of English is not necessarily the first language of our students.  We recognise they come from homes with cultural differences and expectations, so there may be opportunities for miscommunication. Through our curriculum which is rich in language development, our students are provided with a wide range of opportunities to communicate their thoughts and ideas with increasing confidence and clarity. We recognise the importance of different forms of communication including verbal, non-verbal and digital and have integrated these into all areas of the curriculum and school life.

Conflict

We are very proud of the exemplary behaviour of our students at Oxbridge School. However, we recognise that misunderstandings and misinterpretations can cause conflict. We understand that there are times in daily life when conflicts can be inevitable for our students. We want them to understand how these conflicts can arise and what can be done to resolve them positively. We aim to provide our students with learning opportunities and guidance to understand that they have choices and that these choices have consequences. We believe it is important for our students to understand the causes and consequences of conflict in the wider society, both now and in the past, and the impact of these on communities.

Conservation

Our location in a city of high urban development means our students’ daily lives are impacted by environmental issues including air, plastic and water pollution. At Oxbridge School we want our students to understand these threats and the actions that need to be taken. There are also many places of natural beauty including parks, mountains and beaches in Hong Kong which also provide our students with a diverse range of meaningful opportunities. Our curriculum addresses learning about our natural world and the importance of sustainability. These experiences enable our students to explore conservation on a deeper level. We want our students to realise that they are the future stewards of our Earth and any actions taken, large or small, will have an impact. 

Culture

Our school is in a world city which is rich in culture and we want our students to know about, understand and be proud of this. Through our curriculum opportunities and in collaboration with the school community, students will be able to embrace and learn from the local culture. Equally important, especially in an international community, are the opportunities for our students to be able to learn about and respect the similarities and differences in other cultures. We want our students to be able to see life from a range of perspectives and use this knowledge to formulate their own ideas and opinions.

Our curriculum narrative begins with Communication which is especially important in an international school where we want all our students to be able to access the curriculum and become successful learners. We will then follow this with Culture, beginning with our school culture, the local culture and each other’s cultures. We will focus on the similarities and differences of global cultures providing our students with a greater understanding of diversity. In the Spring Term, we shall focus on our next world issue of Conservation. We want our students to be able to explore their environment and build upon their natural curiosity. We will provide opportunities for our students to embrace their roles as stewards of the future and, in particular, develop a deeper understanding of sustainability. We shall end the year with the theme of Conflict further guiding students to understand personal conflicts and the impact of their choices. Students will also be provided with opportunities to develop a broader and deeper understanding of conflicts within society.

Oxbridge School is at the centre of Asia's world city, Hong Kong, so our students need to be internationally minded and prepared for a worldwide future where an inquiry mindset and a creative imagination are paramount. Aligned with this we also encourage our pupils to have high aspirations by teaching them about human creativity and achievement through additional Competency Units about famous figures and groups of people that focus on Creativity, Commitment, Courage and Community. This curriculum presents the scope, depth and rigour to enable them to achieve this and more and we look forward to developing the global citizens of the future in partnership with our families and Dimensions Curriculum.