Curriculum | King’s College, Cascais

At King’s College School, Cascais, your child receives an international education that creates open-minded, creative and dynamic individuals. Students at our school are encouraged to be creative in their thinking and to give their best. This attitude, combined with the Inspired approach, ensures academic excellence and a rewarding experience for every student. We believe in creating out of the box thinkers, spirited individuals; allowing our students to learn from first-hand experience, not just textbooks.

Learn Through Play

The unique Inspired Approach to Early Years combines the learning-through-play philosophy of Reggio Emilia, with additional numeracy and literacy activities to ensure that every young learner gets a head start. From kicking a ball, building with blocks and painting, to singing in a group, our specialised teachers encourage young learners to understand their environment and develop into happy, motivated students. Sometimes it gets messy, but it will always be rewarding and will help students develop socially, mentally and physically.

Exploration and Evaluation

In Key Stage 1, we engage a more structured approach to the school day, to embed a deeper learning through reading, writing and mathematics. Students are encouraged to explore and play, but they will also be able to articulate and describe their discoveries in words and numbers.

Communicate and Articulate

As children are naturally curious, in our Primary School, students are encouraged to learn about things that interest them while consolidating their numeracy and literacy skills. Learning how to apply these basic skills to other subject areas, such as Science, Art and History along with embedded technology which is fully integrated into the curriculum.

Deeper Learning and Results

Students in Years 7 to 9 study the Cambridge International Lower Secondary Curriculum, followed by the Cambridge Upper Secondary International IGCSE programme for Years 10 and 11. IGCSE courses typically offered at both King’s College and other Inspired schools, include English as a First Language, English Literature, English as a Second Language, Geography, History, Global Perspectives, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physical Science, Computer Science, Art & Design, Drama, Music, Mathematics, and Additional Mathematics. Courses will be selected based on student preferences.

Cambridge International IGCSEs

IGCSE’s are the international equivalent of the British curriculum exams taken in the UK at the end of Year 11. The International IGCSE content is more global in its context and more suited for our international outlook through education.

A broad range of subjects is on offer at IGCSE to give a curriculum which accentuates personal enquiry and independent study, as well as appealing to the unique strengths and ambitions of each student.

All students study Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology at IGCSE. In addition though, students will then also choose from the following complementary subjects: Art, Business Studies, Computer Science, Design Technology, Drama, Economics, Environmental Management, French, Geography, Global Perspectives, History, Sports Science, Music, Portuguese, French and Spanish.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) prepares students for success going into and throughout university. The programme offers a broad, holistic approach, with a strong emphasis on developing intercultural understanding and global awareness.

The IB Diploma is recognised at the top universities across the world, including Harvard, Yale, MIT, Stanford, Princeton and Oxford.

*King's College School Cascais is a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and pursuing authorization as an IB World School.

Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate can offer any of its academic programmes. Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org

A-Levels are a well-established and internationally recognised pre-university qualification, particularly valued by universities in the UK and Europe. The programme offers academic depth and subject specialisation, enabling students to focus on areas of strength and interest while developing the independent learning skills required for success in higher education. King’s College School Cascais main offer for Year 12 and 13 is the IB Diploma Programme.

The A-Level pathway is offered to a small group of students for whom the IB is not the most suitable option. There are no plans plans to expand the A-Levels subject offer further.

Learning Languages

At King’s College School, Cascais, we consider foreign language acquisition to be of key importance for internationally-minded children and families. All students learn a language until Year 6. Starting from Year 3, students begin learning French and Spanish, and by Year 5, they have the choice of studying French, Spanish, or Portuguese alongside English. For students aiming for fluency, there is also a bilingual stream in English and Portuguese available through Year 5.

In addition to the curriculum offerings for Portuguese, French, and Spanish, children can attend extra after-school classes in various languages to accelerate their learning of these essential world languages. These additional classes are taught by fully qualified teachers as part of our co-curricular activities program.

Technology Integration

At King’s College School, Cascais, students are not only using technology daily, but have access to a variety of tools that match the task at hand and provide them the opportunity to build a deeper understanding of content.

Technology tools (embedded in the curriculum) can extend learning in powerful ways and provide students and teachers with:

Access to up-to-date, primary source material and apps
Methods of collecting and recording data
Ways to collaborate with students, teachers and experts around the world
Opportunities for expressing understanding through multimedia
Learning that is relevant and assessment that is authentic
Training for publishing and presenting their new knowledge