We are delighted to announce that The International School of Penang (Uplands) has approved a new fee structure for its primary school students to ensure to remain competitive and continue to attract students despite the challenging circumstances that we find ourselves in due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Uplands has modified the fees in each year of the primary school, as well as reducing the entrance fee into the school by RM 5,000 per child. They are also delighted to offer existing Uplands primary school students reduced school fees in Years 7 and 8 as they transition into secondary school which is on the same campus.

In the Primary School at The International School of Penang (Uplands) they understand that learning is inseparable from its social and cultural context. Students learn best when they feel accepted when they enjoy positive relationships with their fellow students and teachers, and when they are able to be active, visible members of the learning community. Uplands’ school motto “Respect for Self. Respect for Others” drives every decision made. Uplands believes in a purpose to create self-directed learners who know what makes them unique, what they are good at, what they need to work on and what steps they need to take to get there. They use a range of assessment tools to involve students in their own learning so they can identify their own individual goals and areas of growth. Uplands is proud to offer a balanced curriculum where students are grown academically, as well as in the Arts, Physical Education, sport and Technology, under the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). They celebrate diversity and the achievements and progress of students in all areas of the curriculum.

Uplands understands that it is impossible to predict what it will be like for current learners in their futures and the knowledge that they will require, but believe that IB PYP learner vision outlines the skills, values and dispositions that are essential for learners to make a positive difference in their lives and the lives of others. Uplands’ unique school values provide a contextual framework where the IB Learner Profile is unpacked for students along with school values. The IB PYP framework incorporates local and global issues into the curriculum, asking students to look at six related, transdisciplinary themes and to consider the links between them. The themes include ‘Who we are’, ‘Where we are in place and time’ and ‘How the world works’. This provides the foundations for students to take action, where they apply their learning into new contexts aiming to make a positive difference to their community.

Students learn most effectively when they develop the ability to stand back from the information or ideas that they have engaged with and think about these objectively. Reflective learners assimilate new learning, relate it to what they already know, adapt it for their own purposes, and translate thought into action. Over time, they develop their creativity, their ability to think critically about information and ideas, and their metacognitive ability (that is, their ability to think about their own thinking). Teachers encourage such thinking when they design tasks and opportunities that require students to critically evaluate the material they use and consider the purposes for which it was originally created.

Uplands’ teachers stimulate the curiosity of their students, requiring them to search for relevant information and ideas, and challenging them to use or apply what they discover in new contexts or in new ways. They look for opportunities to involve students directly in decisions relating to their own learning and to set learning goals in each area of the curriculum. These are shared with parents continuously, enabling them to see their child’s progress at all times.

Ongoing and regular assessment will take place during the teaching and learning process using a variety of methods to inform teachers and learners about the progress of learning. Formative assessment and learning are directly linked and provide feedback to teachers and learners that is responsive to learner needs and informs teaching practice. Formative assessment engages students actively in the process of learning. Students will learn to self-assess, peer-assess, and improve their performance with the aid of each teacher’s timely, detailed and meaningful feedback. Formative assessment provides our students with opportunities to learn new skills and to achieve better results while taking risks and not being afraid to make mistakes as they are not working towards the achievement of grades.

Uplands Primary School provides specialist teachers in Art, Drama, Physical Education, Technology and Music. These lessons are delivered by highly trained, subject-specific teachers who have a passion for, and expertise in, their specialist curriculum area.

Specialist teachers work alongside classroom teachers to integrate the inquiry concepts where authentic connections can be made. They co-teach with classroom teachers to aid the inquiry process, providing support to both teachers and students during the learning journey. If you would like to arrange a time to come and have a look around Uplands primary please contact [email protected], they will be delighted to show you around their beautiful school which offers both primary and secondary education.

Visit the International School of Penang (Uplands) website at www.uplands.org for more information.