UNIQUELY
BILINGUAL
EDUCATION
Classic Stream and Anglais+
SOLID
ACADEMIC
FOUNDATIONS
Tested methods of teaching, high
academic standards, structured
CULTURALLY,
LINGUISTICALLY
DIVERSE CLASSROOMS
80 nationalities, 40% international
students.
ÉLÉMENTAIRE (GRADE 1 TO 5)
CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2 (AGES 6 TO 10)
Building the fundamentals. Providing a solid groundwork for knowledge, inquiry and academic success
The IFS Élémentaire, (grade 1 to 5) provides students with a solid grounding not only in academic skills of reading, writing, counting, calculating, problem-solving, speaking languages (French, English and Mandarin) but also social skills. Respecting your peers so we can all study and live together as a multilingual international community of learners.
Subjects covered in Cycle 2, (grade 1 to 3) and Cycle 3, (grades 4 and 5) include French, English, Mandarin, Art, Music, Physical and sports education, Civic and moral education, History, Geography, Science, Technology and Mathematics.
Taught by our highly dedicated and passionate team of international teachers, (average of 14 years of teaching experience) the focus of the IFS Élémentaire is to give all our students a solid foundation in written language, (reading and writing) and mathematics (counting, calculating, problem-solving), adapted to each child’s pace of learning. We aim to stimulate every IFS student’s love for learning, gradually acquiring the knowledge, approaches and academic language they need to explore the world.
Students in the Élémentaire have access to world-class facilities including sports facilities, art and craft spaces, music rooms, state-of-the-art auditorium and a packed, fully equipped library managed by our experienced teacher-librarians. Technology is also fundamental for learning at IFS and is utilised to support and extend learning across subject areas providing resources to innovate, create, problem solve and engage with the subject matter.
Learning is not just confined to the classroom. IFS students engage in local and global issues in a wide variety of outdoor learning activities, including field trips and excursions within Singapore and regionally.
TEACHING & LEARNING IN IFS ÉLÉMENTAIRE
IFS Élémentaire combines practical skills (observation, manipulation, experimentation, real-life activities) with abstract skills, gradually leading to more complex knowledge acquisition.
In Élémentaire we introduce more academic topics and their specific knowledge, language, approaches and methods, especially history and geography, science and technology.
Learning to read and write is crucial. Continuing students development of their oral expression, vocabulary and focused on students’ reading abilities, writing and listening skills. This proficiency is achieved through daily writing practice and regular reading and oral activities, complemented by grammar, spelling and vocabulary activities.
Language proficiency is essential for learning other subjects such as Mathematics, Artistic and Physical expression, or Science. Indeed, during Élémentaire IFS students explored the natural world by observing, questioning and carrying out basic experiments.
In “Science and Technology”, they begin to explore the world around them by tackling genuine scientific concepts. They also acquire skills and knowledge linked to the world of technology. Students are introduced to scientific approaches by formulating questions, exploring research areas, then offering explanatory hypotheses, testing them through experiments, observations or simulations, and communicating their results and conclusions.
By the end of Élémentaire IFS students have explored and acquired through subjects like mathematics, languages and science critical life skills including discovery, modelling, representing, reasoning, calculating and communicating.
FOSTERING ACADEMIC SUCCESS THROUGH A MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION
Childhood cognitive research has shown that bilingual children are better able to manage multiple tasks, solving problems across verbal and nonverbal domains as they capitalize on what they know in one area to address another. As such the IFS Élémentaire focuses strongly on multilingual language acquisition and development, offering a unique multilingual opportunity for all students to take advantage of.
For those students new to the French language, IFS offers additional support and attention. The FLSco – Français Langue de Scolarisation (French Language Schooling) programme is designed to gradually integrate students into the French curriculum. These French language acquisition lessons are conducted either individually or in small groups, depending on each student’s needs, with a qualified teacher available throughout Élémentaire.
For students new to the English language, IFS Élémentaire has among its ranks a dedicated teacher to conduct extra lessons supporting English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Similar to FLSco these lessons are conducted with students in small groups to ensure maximum teacher-student interaction and support.
The Classic Stream of Élémentaire caters to students already comfortable learning within a French context. For these students, English is taught as a second language, 6 hours and 30 minutes a week. 3 hours of English, 1h 30 minutes of EMILE -Enseignement de matières par l’intégration d’une Langue Étrangère (literally, teaching subjects through the integration of a foreign language) and 2 hours of sport, taught in English.
In CP to CM2 (grade 1 to 5) students develop the behavioural essentials for learning a foreign language – curiosity, listening, paying attention, memory and self-confidence. IFS students are encouraged to speak in English without reticence or fear of making mistakes. They learn to communicate in English, understand and express themselves orally and in writing, and have conversations with others. English then becomes a mechanism to discover other cultures.
As in IFS Maternelle, and as an educational continuum, IFS Élémentaire also offers to students, already well on the way to becoming fluent in both French and English, the Anglais+ stream. This stream is taught both in French and in English on a parity basis. The curriculum is shared between two teachers with topics taught in both languages. One day in French and the following day in English. The syllabus is thus taught equally in French and English.
Learning languages is a great way to promote an awareness of differences, developing curiosity and the desire to communicate. At IFS, Mandarin is also included in the curriculum: 1 hour for students in Anglais + stream and Classic Stream. In this way, lifestyles, festivals and traditions, historical and cultural personalities in the region and in Singapore are explored and studied in context. Thanks to the possibilities offered by classroom teaching, activities and events taking place during the school year.
WE CHOSE IFS BECAUSE THE RESULTS ARE EXCELLENT. IF WE LEAVE SINGAPORE, WE WANT TO ENROL OUR CHILD IN A FRENCH SCHOOL IN THE AEFE NETWORK.
PARENT
ÉLÉMENTAIRE – CP