Why is the Cambridge curriculum the best for international education?

As the world changes rapidly, our children of the 21st Century need the skills and knowledge to navigate through the modern world with passion and curiosity. One way for them to gain things they need is an education. However, not all education is designed and evolved to cope with a shifting array of opportunities. That’s why Cambridge Curriculum, built to help children develop an informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning, has become one of the most worldwide-accredited curricula available today.

What is Cambridge Curriculum?

Cambridge International Curriculum is a curriculum provided by Cambridge Assessment International Education, part of the world-renowned University of Cambridge. Cambridge International Curriculum is designed as a “Cambridge Pathway”, a coherent curriculum structure made up from Primary to Advanced in a carefully aligned instructional system.

What makes Cambridge Curriculum different from others including

• Each subject programme builds on the previous stage, providing a coherent curriculum progression, which helps learners develop knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills and attitudes.
• Each subject programme is intended to be adapted to the local context and teachers are able to create a programme of study that includes local content and case studies. This enhances the quality of teaching and learning and ensures the curriculum reflects national culture and heritage. 
• The curriculum provides an international standard that allows students to access Cambridge AS and A-Levels or alternative university preparation courses

These differences help make students under Cambridge Curriculum have in-depth knowledge, to think critically, to form ordered and coherent arguments, to understand implications, and to present and communicate their reasoned explanations.

Is the British Curriculum equal to Cambridge Curriculum?

National Curriculum for England, known as British Curriculum, is a system of education that stresses creativity, critical thinking, and flexibility, by including a series of measurable and achievable goals, each designed to build on what went before while preparing the student for their future work. 

The main distinctiveness of the British Curriculum is the organisation of the curriculum into well-defined blocks known as “Key Stages” which provide a simple, clear overview of the progress a student has made and a learning way that guides students through a variety of subjects. The British Curriculum also aims to develop well-rounded individuals who not only understand the core principles of their subjects but also how to use this knowledge in real-world situations.

We could claim that the Cambridge Curriculum is fitted as one of the British Curriculum. However, what makes the Cambridge Curriculum different from the standard British Curriculum is a basis on the “Global Perspective” of the Curriculum, while the standard British Curriculum is designed based on the needs of British students and parents which focus on “Britishness”. However, the Cambridge Curriculum is designed to make a student “Global Citizen” while retaining their local heritage.

The difference also made the Cambridge Curriculum more suitable for Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education a.k.a Cambridge IGCSE exams, also done by Cambridge International Assessment, which is the requirement for most secondary students worldwide and accepted by universities worldwide.

How Cambridge Curriculums differs from others (such as American or Europeans)

The main difference between Cambridge Curriculum and other curricula is that we are designing our curriculum for a bilingual education from the foundation. As language plays an important role in the school curriculum, either as a subject or a medium of teaching and learning. Cambridge Curriculum is designed for being used for the English-medium strand of a bilingual program, either in English as a mother language or English as a second language (ESL) program. Cambridge Curriculum also includes language subjects for Cambridge IGCSEs in more than 30 languages available, as well as supplementary curriculum and assessment under Cambridge International Standards.  

Another key strength of the Cambridge Curriculum is acceptance of our assessment. Not only every university and college in our homeland UK but including over 650 universities in the US (including all Ivy League Colleges) and major universities around the world, ranging from Canada to Australia. 

What do I have to do if I need to switch to Cambridge Curriculum?

First of all, these are Learning Stage among Major Curriculum for International School, shown in a table below

As you have seen on the previous table, It’s a little tricky for students from another education system to transfer into Cambridge Curriculum (and also another British-based curriculum). As students under Cambridge Curriculum have to pass GCSE or Cambridge IGCSE exam in Secondary Level before they can progress into Advanced Level. Another difficulty for transferring into Cambridge Curriculum is a higher learning curve to success in A-Level exams which requires in-depth knowledge and understanding of the subject in comparison with another advanced secondary curriculum. 

However, the flexibility of the Cambridge Curriculum which can be designed into individual needs will become a great aid for students from different curricula. Therefore, we recommend that prospective students who need to switch to Cambridge Curriculum need to pass a knowledge assessment to help adapt the curriculum to students’ needs for adaptation and continue learning among Cambridge Pathway.

Cambridge Curriculum at PBISS

PBISS offers Cambridge-accredited international education ranging from Foundation Stage through Advanced Level with the help of our Cambridge alumni. Using Cambridge Pathway as a basis for our curriculum, we combined it with the STEM+ approach: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics with “the plus” or the combination of STEM approach across the curriculum through subjects such as geography, languages, music, and sports, making it our unique “Cambridge x STEM+” curriculum to help develop students’ skills and knowledge needs for their development into adulthood in the 21st Century. 

Our STEM+ methodology promotes active learning and our teachers run interactive activities that improve students’ education in unique ways through different areas of education including in-class activities, innovation projects, and ECAs. For instance, ambitious projects such as the 21st Century Smart Farm Project taking place in our STEM+ learning ground allow students to develop problem-solving, teamwork, and professional skills that are hard to gain from regular classrooms.

To help bring the most of the benefit of the “Cambridge x STEM+” Curriculum. At PBISS, we provide our students with the best facilities available in Koh Samui, including our new STEM+ Innovation Center, specifically built to be a learning centre of new innovation. Our new facility also includes boarding schools to help our children absorb the benefits of our Cambridge x STEM+ Curriculum. Also, as half of the students are Thais and another half from worldwide, Our demographics led to cultural diversity while still gaining Thai kindness and identity.

For more information on our unique Cambridge x STEM+ curriculum or any question on our  offered education. Please visit us at our campus in Samui, or contact us directly at info@pbiss.ac.th