Academic Excellence

At ISHCMC true academic excellence is achieved through a holistic approach to education underpinned by a strong sense of belonging and well-being. Our commitment to nurturing well-rounded individuals means ensuring our students excel academically and be good humans through intentionally nurturing our culture of care.We ensure that every student thrives in an inclusive environment that values diversity and individuality.

At ISHCMC, we strive to provide an educational experience that aims for the highest academic achievements and places significant emphasis on holistic development. An ISHCMC education encompasses academics, co-curricular and extracurricular activities, outdoor education, personal and social development education, digital citizenship, and service. We understand that true success includes personal growth, character development, and academics, which in turn empowers each individual with the  ability to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Our Principles of Learning – Challenge | Inquiry | Belonging | Agency – ensure a well-rounded rigorous education for every child every day. This is achieved by fostering a supportive, engaging environment that builds on prior knowledge, accommodates individual abilities, and addresses personal, local, and global issues to motivate students and enhance their learning experience.

An IB education is a challenging curriculum that is based on  rigorous academic standards and engages students in a holistic approach to education where students are challenged to  excel not in their learning and in their personal growth. The IB and ISHCMC believe that we prepare students for living in a complex, highly interconnected world.

Our students’ learning goals are designed to build progressively through each grade, equipping them for the next academic challenge and life beyond school. We have a legacy of high achieving students across all domains of school life as evidenced throughout IB Diploma Results and external awards.

We uphold high standards and employ robust assessment methods to reassure parents of our commitment to academic excellence. Our annual report and curriculum guides provide detailed insights into our educational practices, assessment and student achievements. We continuously monitor and evaluate our programmes to ensure they meet the highest international standards.

In 2024, we successfully completed the five-year re-accreditation cycle with the Council of International Schools (CIS), the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB). These accreditations assure our parent community of our high-quality teaching and learning, rigorous academics, and safe school operations.

Assessment and feedback on learning are crucial for supporting students in acquiring subject-specific knowledge, understanding concepts, and developing learning approaches.  We use authentic and meaningful assessments aligned with real-world contexts, international standards and IB learning objectives. and IB standards.  At ISHCMC each child is regularly provided with individualized feedback for learning.

Assessment is undertaken ‘of’, ‘for’ and ‘as’ learning.

• Assessment of learning assists teachers in using evidence of student learning to assess achievement against outcomes and standards. Sometimes referred to as ‘summative assessment’, it usually occurs at defined key points during a unit of learning.
• Assessment for learning involves teachers using evidence about students’ knowledge, understanding, and skills to inform their teaching and the student’s needs for learning.  It is referred to as ‘formative assessment’.  Formative assessment occurs throughout the teaching and learning process to clarify student learning and understanding.
• Assessment as learning occurs when students are their own assessors. Students monitor their own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can do, and how to use assessment for new learning.

Teachers at ISHCMC conduct assessments internally and externally through standardized tests and examinations. Regular teacher meetings ensure assessments are standardized, and teaching practices are continuously improved to ensure all learners thrive.

At ISHCMC, our Culture of Care is deeply embedded in our community and curriculum. We are dedicated to creating safe, inclusive, and respectful environments that align with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ensuring every student feels a sense of belonging.

Through the Positive ISHCMC (POSISH) framework, we emphasize the development of social-emotional competencies, positive well-being, healthy relationships, and responsible digital citizenship. This framework integrates Positive Education, Comprehensive Sexual Education, and Digital Citizenship to foster a cohesive approach to social-emotional learning.

Our Positive ISHCMC framework was awarded the Cognita Holistic Education OWard 2024.