International Primary Curriculum

From Grade 1 to Grade 6, students at APIS take a wide variety of courses to further deepen their understanding and develop into independent learners.

Our Programs
At APIS, we offer full-day and half-day programs.
Our full-day program covers both an international and local curriculum. School begins at 7:30 and ends at 4:30 with a lunch break from 11:30 to 12:30. Parents may choose for their children to spend lunch as school or home.
Our half-day program offers our international curriculum. In even-numbered months (February, April, June, August, October and December), this program is offered in the morning. During odd numbered months (January, March, May, July, September, and November) this program is offered in the afternoon.
We recommend students sign up for our full-day program in order to the get most out of their education. This program sets students up for success as both residents of Cambodia and citizens of the world, ensuring they will have the proper education for whichever path they take.
Full-day students at APIS take:
  • English
  • Khmer Language and Culture
  • Science
  • Math
  • Chinese
  • PE
  • Swimming
  • ICT/Computers & Coding
  • Library
  • Arts
  • Music
Our Primary Curriculum
At the primary level, our English, Math and Science course books are aligned with the Cambridge curriculum and endorsed for full syllabus coverage.
In addition to course books, our Primary program also includes the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). This is a comprehensive, thematic, creative curriculum, with a clear process of learning and specific learning goals for every subject. It also develops international mindedness and encourages personal learning.
Students study approximately 5 teacher-selected units throughout the year, exploring topics from emotions to the human body to ancient civilizations. Regardless of the particular topic, all units promote learning through research and recording activities, encouraging our students to be curious and independent.
The IPC is used by over 730 schools in 92 countries worldwide. To find out more, please visit the IPC website here: https://fieldworkeducation.com/curriculums/primary-years
Why us?
While in Primary, our students develop their language and academic skills in three languages – English, Khmer, and Chinese. All Primary classes are taught by native speakers of the language. To ensure safety and security among our younger students, all classes from Grade 1 – Grade 3 have a Learning Assistant who attends all classes with the students. We cap our classes at 24 students ensuring a low student to teacher ratio.
What is International Primary Curriculum?
The International Primary Curriculum (IPC) is a comprehensive, thematic, creative curriculum with a clear process of learning and with specific learning goals for every subject, for international-mindedness and for personal learning.

The IPC provides children with subject goals, personal learning goals, and uniquely, international learning goals, and these are defined for each age phase:

Ages 5 -7

Milepost 1

Ages 7 - 9

Milepost 2

Ages 9 - 11

Milepost 3

I. IPC Curriculum Framework
The IPC models a unique framework to underpin

Subject Learning Goals

The subject goals cover the knowledge, skills and understanding that children should learn in Science, History, Geography, ICT, Technology, Music, Art, PE, Society and International. These subjects are built into the different thematic units of work, where they work independently yet interdependently with each other so that children can talk about their learning through multiple perspectives.

Personal Learning Goals

The Personal goals refer to those individual qualities and dispositions we believe children will find essential in the 21st Century. There are eight IPC personal goals: enquiry, resilience, morality, communication, thoughtfulness, co-operation, respect and adaptability. Opportunities to experience and parctice thes very specific dispositions are built into the learning task within each unit of work.

International Learning Goals

The IPC is unique in defining learning goals that help young children move towards an increasingly sophisticated national, international, global and intercultural perspective. Each IPC unit has embedded learning-focused activities that help children gain an increasing sense of themselves, their community and the world around them whilst developing the capacity to take action and make a difference.

II. Three types of learning

Knowledge

a type of learning refers to factual information. Knowledge is relatively straight forward to teacher and assess (through quizzes, gest, multiple choice, etc.)

Skils

a type of learning that refers to things children are able to do. Skills have to be learned practically and need time to be practiced.

Understanding

Understanding is personal and connections have to be made actively by the learner in order to make meaning.

III. Whole learning process