Some of the best schools in Gurgaon today implement the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) curriculum for their students in Grades 6 to 10. As a part of the Cambridge University Press & Assessment, CAIE sets global standards that are rooted in academic rigour and reflect the latest research. The board also gives schools the flexibility to shape the curriculum in myriad ways they prefer for teaching the students.
More than 10,000 schools in over 160 countries offer Cambridge programmes which makes the CAIE world’s largest provider of global education for 5 to 19 year olds.
In the middle school years the best Cambridge schools in Delhi NCR offer Cambridge Lower Secondary (Grades 6, 7 and 8) and Cambridge Upper Secondary (Grades 9 and 10) programmes. While the latter is further subdivided into the categories of Cambridge IGCSE and O-Level groups for examination purpose, majority of international schools in Gurgaon select the IGCSE.
Cambridge Lower Secondary
Cambridge Lower Secondary offers a natural progression from primary education even if the child completed her / his education from a different board. Some of the IB schools in Gurgaon and NCR offer the IBPYP to students up to Grade 5 and then open the door to Cambridge Lower Secondary education for them.
Teachers can monitor a child’s development using several progress checks that are built into the Cambridge Lower Secondary programme. They also conduct short progression tests to evaluate a child’s strengths and find the areas where she / he needs more work. These tests may be taken online or offline. And their ultimate focus is on showing where children are on their learning journey.
Cambridge Upper Secondary
At the Upper Secondary level, the Cambridge IGCSE - with its 70 subjects – develops deeper learner knowledge and skills in subject content, applying learning to new and familiar situations, intellectual enquiries, flexibility for change, English communication skills, influencing results and developing cultural awareness.
Cambridge schools Delhi NCR offer programmes that are global in outlook but can retain their relevance to the local environment. The CAIE board and the schools affiliated to it consider cross-cultural perspectives important part of academic learning. They also encourage their students to make connections between subjects, skills and other domains to build more coherence in learning, improve motivation and optimise engagement.
The journey after middle school
After completing their Cambridge Lower and Upper Secondary programmes, some students join the AS and A Level programmes in Grades 11 and 12. However, the top international schools in Gurgaon provide IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) education in these standards to give their students the solid advantage of gaining a qualification from another popular international board.
Having built a base with their Cambridge learning in middle school, students can easily adapt to IBDP after which they have opportunities to join top universities in the US, UK and other European countries for further education.
The blend of Cambridge and IB education in Indian schools has helped thousands of students improve their knowledge and its practical application. And the parents who are still pondering upon whether they should apply for their child’s admission in an international school must understand that children who are in school today will ultimately build careers that we are not even aware of yet.
In such a scenario, the skills they will require for employability and starting new businesses will be problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, leadership, agility and flexibility – these are the areas that Cambridge and IB programmes focus on.
Author bio - The Gurgaon based campus of Amity Global School enrolled its first batch of students in 2008 and has been helping young scholars imbibe the virtues of education year after year. A tailored approach to academics, sports and extra-curricular activities is the hallmark of the institution.
