Key Stage 1

General lnformation About the Key Stage 1

Campuses

In the Primary School, we are located across three different sites:

Zekeriyakoy:Key Stage 1 and 2 (Year 1 to Year 6, ages 5 to 11 years old)
Etiler: Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and 2, ages 5 to 7 years old)
Etiler: Key Stage 2 (Year 3 – Year 6, ages 7 to 11 years old)

School Opening Hours:

Zekeriyakoy: 09:00 – 15:30
Etiler: 9:00 – 15:30

Safe and Sound

All campuses are guarded 24 hours a day. Parents will be given an ID card with their photograph on it. If you are not wearing your ID picture card, you will be asked to give ID in exchange for a pass when coming into the campuses. Notification will be required if there are any changes to the usual routine when picking up your child or using the bus services. The school will not be able to allow students to use alternative arrangements unless written permission is provided and in the event of forgotten notes, the secretary will contact you. Please ensure that your mobile telephone number is up to date with our secretaries.

Health and Safety

Health and safety plays an important part in ensuring that our Primary Department provide a safe environment for all. Each campus has a Nurse available to answer any queries you have about your child’s health.

School Lunches

We believe that children should eat a balanced diet and our lunches reflect this. All lunches include a variety of salad options. As well, all lunches have vegetarian options.

*If your child has special dietary needs, please consult with your classroom teacher, Mr Richard/Miss Amanda.

Click here to see this month's menu; https://bis.k12.tr/lunch-menu

Primary School Guiding Statements

Snack times

Primary students are provided seasonal fresh fruit in the morning break and at the end of the day. If your child has an after-school club, they may bring in an extra, healthy snack.

Drinks/Water Bottles

Water is available for all Primary students throughout the day and in support of the environment, water bottles are required to be brought in by students. Plastic, disposable cups are not available at school.

Curriculum Outline

Across the Primary School, our curriculum follows the British National Curriculum (2014). As an international school and with the global nature of the world nowadays, we have adapted our curriculum to meet the needs of our students and foster world citizens. This allows us to ensure we cover the core skills outlined in the National Curriculum while providing an international, and real, context.

Our curriculum is broken down into core and foundation subjects:

Core Subjects: Literacy, Mathematics, Science

Foundation Subjects: Art, Computing, Design Technology (DT), Geography, History

Foundation Subjects Taught by Specialist Teachers: French (KS2 only), Turkish, Music, Physical Education (PE)

*Personal, Health, Social, Citizenship, and Emotional Learning (PHSCE) follows a modified SEAL-GD (social, emotional aspects of learning with global dimensions) curriculum, and is embedded within all lessons. Teachers ensure they explicitly teach this area within all units of learning.

For more information regarding the British National Curriculum, please see: https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum/overview

For information on topics covered in each year group, please see key stage pages.

ESL and Mother Tongue

We provide ESL services to all our Primary students who are in need of English learning support. ESL lessons are pull-out lessons, and students work in very small groups with our qualified and experienced ESL teachers.

Understanding the importance of mother tongue languages, parents are able to work with the school to provide mother tongue lessons within the school day when possible. Please note that we cannot provide instructors but will do our best to work with parents to accomodate these lessons.

Special Needs

Our Special Needs and Inclusion Department works with classroom teachers and parents to support children with special needs’ development. If your child has special needs, this process will begin immediately upon enrollment, including Individual Education Plans and meetings.

As children progress through the Primary School, special needs may begin to become more apparent. In these cases, classroom teachers will liase with parents regarding their concerns, and then with the SEN department.

Services available to students with special needs are: withdrawal SEN lessons, push-in lessons, and formal monitoring services, individual education plans (IEPs). Modifications to end of year SATs require specification on educational assessments/evaluations conducted by qualified educational psychologists.

Supporting students with gaps or with skill development

Sometimes, students may have missed key skills or find areas more challenging. To help students catch up, Class Teachers may work with the SEN department to set up booster lessons. This typically involves a small group of students being withdrawn at appropriate times.

Supporting gifted and able students

Amongst all curriculum subjects, lessons are differentiated to include provisions for gifted and able students. Class Teachers may also, working with parents, set up special tasks, projects, and/or curriculum tracks for gifted students.

If a child is formally identified as gifted (identified with formal educational assessments by a certified educational psychologist), they are eligible for SEN withdrawal lessons.

Homework

All Primary classes recieve regular homework. Please see our Homework Guide for more information.

Working with Parents

Believing in open communication, we have:

Open half days for new parents to meet their child’s teachers. These are usually held in the week prior to the school opening in September.
An introductory meeting in the second week of school where class teachers will run through the curriculum and class routines and expectations. This is also an excellent opportunity for parents to meet each other!
All children are given a Home School Communication Book; this is for the Parents and Class Teachers to send information between home and school such as school newsletters, trip permission forms and any other important messages regardıng the chıldren, as well as for homework to be recorded.
Termly newsletters are sent out from Class Teachers and specialists.
Parents’ Evenings are held in October and April, which gives the parent and Class Teacher the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress, needs and development.
Reports are issued twice a year, in December and June, to inform parents about their child’s progress.
We offer coffee mornings in the first week of every month. This is a time for parents to meet with the Pre & Primary School Directors to discuss any issues.
Whole school newsletters are published monthly and can be found on the school’s website at: https://www.bis.k12.tr/school-communications
Parent Noticeboards are in every campus where the newsletters, circulars, current letters and menus are displayed.
Due to the size of campus, Zekeriyakoy Primary classes have a Class Parent. These parents take a lead role in supporting communication between the class and the school and/or teacher. Every month, there is a Class Parent Meeting with the class parents and the Pre/Primary Deputy Director.
We have a very active Parents’ Association, which regularly organises events to support both the school and chosen charities. The representatives liaise with existing and new parents. If you have any time to offer, they would be very glad of the help.

Student Council

To help give students a voice on campus as well as take on responsibilities around the school, there are Student Councils located in the Etiler and Zekeriyakoy campuses, consisting of students from Key Stage Two and guided by a Class Teacher. Together, they help develop initiatives in the schools, help share voices from the student body, and plan and hold special events to raise money for our School charities.

School Houses

All Primary students are organised into three House teams: Cedar, Maple and Oak. Each week, House points are collected and celebrated in assemblies, with students working in houses towards winning the school House Trophy at the end of the year. School Houses are led by year 6 House Captains and Vice Captains.

Clubs

There are a variety of after-school clubs offered throughout the year, as well as clubs offered during lunch times, and include both private clubs (taught by outside specialist) as well as teacher-led clubs. Many of the teacher clubs change termly to allow for a variety of interest areas.

School Events

Primary students are required to take part in the following special events:
Sports Day (KS1 and KS2)
Fun Swim (KS1)
Swimming Gala (KS2)
Cross Country Run (KS2)

Primary students and families are invited to take part in the following special events:
Winter Bazaar
Winter Sing-Along
Fun Day

Primary Trips

Beyond the many exciting class trips that are available in Istanbul, we also offer:
An Annual Ski Trip (Year 4 – 6)
Space Camp (Year 5)
Cappadocia Transition Trip (Year 6)

Primary Sports Teams travel nationally and internationally for competitions.

Assemblies

Primary children have an assembly once a week. These cover a range of themes and topics such as SEAL-GD, Student Council, Mother-Tongue drama, safety, and of course small class drama assemblies. Assemblies also include celebrations of birthdays, House points, and Students of the Week and specialist certificates. Parents are invited to attend Class Assemblies.

At the end of the year, KS1 and KS2 have special Awards Ceremonies where students are awarded certificates for special accomplishments, achievement, and talents. These include performances from our choirs, Year 2 and Year 6 classes. Parents are invited.

A special Leaver’s Assembly is held in the end of June where our Year 6 students say good bye to Primary. Year 6 parents are invited to attend and should remember to bring tissue!

Certificates and Awards

Student of the Week certificates: Each week, students are selected by Class Teachers to receive the Student of the Week certificate to celebrate academic accomplishments as well as personal, social or emotional accomplishments.

Specialist certificates: Specialists may also choose to give Student of the Week certificates.

ESL Certificates: As students exit the ESL programme, special ESL Certificates are awarded. Parents are invited to attend this important event.

Director’s Award: One student in each Year 5 and Year 6 class is chosen to receive the Director’s Award. Considered in the nomination are academic achievement, exemplary behaviour, modelling of Guiding Statements, extra-curricular commitments and accomplishments.

Student Awards: Each student receives a Student Award in the end of the year for special accomplishments, achievement, and talents.

Uniform

We have a School uniform which we feel helps give the children a sense of belonging to the School. It is practical, comfortable, and easy to see when we are out on trips in the city. The uniform is an additional cost.

*Students are expected to have a Class uniform, a PE kit, and a House t-shirt.

Bus Service

For bus service we use Az-Al bus services, which can take the children from home to school. All buses are fitted with seat belts and booster seats can be requested. All buses have a hostess to help your child on and off the bus. All drivers have mobile phones. The bus is an additional cost.

Please click on the logo to visit the bus service’s web page.

Key Stage 1

Introduction to Key Stage Two

At The BIS, we feel Key Stage One plays two essential roles: helping students to transition from EYFS to Primary School, and ensuring students develop a secure understanding of the basics in literacy, mathematics, and investigatory skills. A giant mix of hands-on experiences, guided group work, and formal lessons, Key Stage One is a brilliant way to begin a child’s primary school experience.

General Key Stage Two Information

Please follow the links to learn more about our learning environments in Key Stage One.

Letters

Key Stage One Ages:

Year 1: students ages 5-6 years old

Year 2: students ages 6-7 years old

Classroom Teaching Assistants are provided one per two classes.

Specialist Lessons:

Turkish

Physical Education (PE)

Music

Breaks: