Academic

Our Lower School Curriculum

Our all-through academic curriculum maximises the opportunity for building skills. This broad and balanced curriculum for our Lower School incorporates language, mathematical, scientific, technological, physical, social, religious and moral, and expressive education. It is based upon a ‘Best of British’ model with the Curriculum for Excellence, GCSE, and SQA qualifications as the basis of flexible individual pathways.

Pupils’ progress is monitored from an early age to ensure that potential is fulfilled, and any difficulties are identified as early as possible.

This progress is regularly assessed, both formally and informally, and parents are kept up-to-date about levels of effort and attainment through the reporting system and pattern of regular parent-teacher meetings.

Academic Scholarships

Academic Scholarships are available at S1, S2 and S5 entry. Head over to our scholarships section to find out about the exceptional opportunities and benefits of our scholarships and the application process.

Academic Scholarship information

The Primary 6 curriculum provides continuity from the primary years in the Junior School.

The curriculum is taught by the Primary 6 class teacher with specialist staff teaching Music, Art and Design, Drama, ICT, Physical Education, and one foreign language, French.

Outdoor Learning is embedded in the curriculum, and pupils make use of the lovely surroundings and play areas of Lower School on Lansdowne campus.

Across the curriculum, the pupils are involved in learning activities through whole class, group, and individual tasks. Within these structures, differentiated learning can take place throughout class work, allowing each student to achieve her individual potential while constantly being challenged and supported by dedicated, professional staff.

Primary 6 Subjects

Curriculum Area	P6
Languages	English French
Mathematics	Mathematics
Topic - Science,  Social Studies,  Enterprise
Religious and  Moral Education	Religion & Phil
Expressive Arts	Art Drama Music
Technologies	ICT
Health & Well-being	PSE PE

Girls start their secondary education in Remove (P7), a year earlier than in most schools.

All the subjects in Remove (P7) and Lower 4 (S1) are taught by specialist subject teachers and students follow a broad general curriculum that takes account of balance and progression and fosters social and personal development.

Remove (P7) and Lower 4 (S1) Subjects

Curriculum Area	Remove (P7)	Lower 4 (S1)
Languages	English Spanish or French Latin Carousel*	English French, Spanish, German, Mandarin and Latin (choice of 2)
Mathematics	Mathematics	Mathematics
Sciences	Sciences	Biology Chemistry Physics
Social Studies	Geography History	Geography History
Religious & Moral Education	Religious & Moral Education	Religion & Phil
Expressive Arts	Art Drama Music	Art Drama Music
Technologies	ICT Product Design	ICT Product Design/Food Studies
Health & Well-being	PSE PE Health Education	PSE PE

Curriculum Area	Remove (P7)
Languages	English Spanish or French Latin Carousel*
Mathematics	Mathematics
Sciences	Sciences
Social Studies	Geography History
Religious & Moral Education	Religious & Moral Education
Expressive Arts	Art Drama Music
Technologies	ICT Product Design
Health & Well-being	PSE PE Health Education

Curriculum Area	Lower 4 (S1)
Languages	English French, Spanish, German, Mandarin and Latin (choice of 2)
Mathematics	Mathematics
Sciences	Biology Chemistry Physics
Social Studies	Geography History
Religious & Moral Education	Religion & Phil
Expressive Arts	Art Drama Music
Technologies	ICT Product Design/Food Studies
Health & Well-being	PSE PE

* Girls experience a taster of Mandarin Chinese, German, French/Spanish and Latin

Students gain practical experience of problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity through a range of opportunities that offer insight and understanding of STEM, an area of fundamental importance today.

Find out more about our whole school approach to STEM

Pupils engage in lessons using laptop and desktop computers, gaining important hand-eye coordination skills, and initial exposure to the Microsoft 365 apps they will rely on as they progress through the school.

As students transition into and through the Lower School, they discover more about Microsoft applications, using Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote regularly in their learning. A series of dedicated Digital Skills lessons are delivered alongside the Computing Science curriculum, and students learn more sophisticated skills and gain greater autonomy in their learning. There is a strong focus on transferrable skills, and on preparing students with the knowledge and expertise they will need to fully access and engage with the curriculum, as well as with the ever-changing face of technology in the wider world. Homework is issued digitally, and students learn to organise themselves and their time, through Teams Assignments and their Outlook calendar.

Find out more about our whole school approach to E-Learning

Being an all-through school resource, the major transitions are well-co-ordinated for students with ongoing additional support needs as they move through school.

In Lower School, a dedicated learning support classroom offers a learning environment for small groups or individuals with provision being offered through timetabled lessons or as an individual short block.

In Remove (P7), timetabled learning support lessons are offered for two periods a week, with a focus on continued development of literacy and numeracy, along with appropriate study strategies as students start secondary education. The learning support lessons replace Modern Studies and Latin in the student timetable, with the opportunity to study these subjects later in school remaining in place.

In Lower 4 (S1), learning support is offered in the timetable against a second language other than English. The lessons provide time with a specialist support for learning teacher to support students’ individual learning and skill development and with a mathematics teacher who focuses on the development of mathematical learning and numeracy skills for different areas of the curriculum.

Find out more about our whole school approach to Support for Learning

A trip to a performance, lecture, debate or exhibition, or participation in the outdoor learning programme that runs from Primary 5 upwards through to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, all offer rich opportunities to enhance the curriculum and provide new perspectives.

Find out more about our whole school approach to academic enrichment

In Lower School, we run a Digital Exchange for Remove students through Health class with partner school in India. We also run a Pen pal programme for Lower 4 students with a partner school in Toronto, Canada.

Find out more about our whole school approach to International Education

Primary 6 classes attend library lessons once a week, where they continue to learn about the library and different kinds of fiction. Remove and Lower 4 classes attend library lessons once every fortnight as part of their English timetable to develop their independent learning and reading.

All the school libraries offer several co-curricular clubs and activities, including book clubs, chess clubs, and a very popular Student Librarian scheme.

In the Library, we value student voice. All students may request new books for the collection, ask for help with their learning, make suggestions or just stop by for a chat!

Find out more about our school libraries