Strong Foundation . Global Perspective . Lifelong Learning
At NISL, our Primary curriculum combines the rigour of the English National Curriculum with the rich, thematic approach of the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). This ensures academic excellence in a core subjects while fostering curiosity, creativity and global mindedness across the wider curriculum.
From Year 1 to Year 6, our curriculum is carefully sequenced to build knowledge. deepen understanding and develop independence. We maintain high exspectations while nurturing confidence, resielience and a genuine love of learning.
English
Following the English National Curriculum, our English programme develops confident readers, articulate speakers and skilled writers.
Year 1-2 (Milepost 1)
Children build strong foundations in phonics, reading fluency and comprehension. Writing focuses on sentence structure, punctuation and early creativity, with opportunities to write for different purposes. Spoken language is prioritised to develop vocabulary and confidence.
Year 3-4 (Milepost 2)
Pupils deepen reading comprehension skills through exposure to high-quality texts across genres. Writing becomes more structured and ambitious, with greater emphasis on grammar, vocabulary choice and organisation. Children begin to refine their authorial voice and write with increasing independence.
Year 5-6 (Milepost 3)
Students develop sophisticated reading analysis skills, exploring inference, author intent and themes. Writing becomes more nuanced and purposeful, with pupils mastering a range of genres, adapting tone and style for audience and purpose. By Year 6, learners are confident communicators, prepared for the next stage of their education.
Across all year groups, we foster a love of literature and encourage discussion, debate and critical thinking.
Mathematics
Our Mathematics curriculum, aligned with the English National Curriculum, develops fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Year 1-2 (Milepost 1)
Children establish secure number sense, understanding place value, addition and subtraction, and beginning multiplication concepts. Practical resources and visual models support conceptual understanding.
Year 3-4 (Milepost 2)
Pupils build confidence with multiplication and division, fractions, and increasingly complex problem-solving. Mathematical reasoning is embedded, encouraging children to explain their thinking clearly.
Year 5-6 (Milepost 3)
Students tackle more advanced concepts including decimals, percentages, ratio and algebraic thinking. Emphasis is placed on multi-step problem solving, logical reasoning and applying mathematical knowledge in real-life contexts.
Throughout Primary, mathematics teaching prioritises deep understanding over surface learning, ensuring pupils are confident, resilient and adaptable mathematicians.
While English and Mathematics provide strong academic foundations, the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) enriches learning across science, humanities, technology and the arts. (See our dedicated IPC section for further detail)
