At BIS, every classroom tells a different story — from the gentle beginnings of our Pre-Nursery, where the smallest steps mean the most, to the confident voices of Primary learners connecting knowledge with life, and the A-Level students preparing for their next chapter with skill and purpose. Across all ages, our students are learning, growing, and discovering joy in every moment.

Pre-Nursery: Where the Smallest Things Mean the Most

Written by Ms. Minnie, Oct. 2025

Teaching in  pre-nursery class is a world unto itself. It exists in a space before formal education begins, in the realm of pure being. It is less about imparting knowledge and more about tending to the very first seeds of personhood.

It is the feeling of profound responsibility. You are often the first “stranger” a child learns to trust outside their family. You are the keeper of their routines, the mender of their minor hurts, the witness to their first friendships. You are teaching them that the world can be a safe, kind place. When a trembling child finally reaches for your hand instead of their parent’s, or when a tearful face breaks into a smile the moment you enter the room, the trust you feel is so fragile and so immense it takes your breath away.

It is the feeling of witnessing miracles daily. The first time a child successfully puts on their own coat, the moment they recognize their name in print, the astonishing complexity of a two-year-old’s negotiation over a toy truck—these are not small things. They are the monumental leaps of human development, and you have a front-row seat. You see the cogs turning, the connections being made behind wide, curious eyes. It is humbling.

In the end, teaching pre-nursery is not a job you leave at the classroom door. You carry it home in the form of glitter on your clothes, a song stuck in your head, and the memory of a dozen small hands and hearts that, for a few hours each day, you are privileged to hold. It is messy, it is loud, it is relentlessly demanding. And it is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful things a person can do. It is to live in a world where the smallest things—a bubble, a sticker, a hug—are the very biggest things of all.

Our Bodies, Our Stories: Connecting Learning to Life

Written by Mr. Dilip, Oct. 2025

In Year 3 Lions, our students have been engaged in a unit of inquiry titled ‘Our Bodies’. The topic commenced with students identifying various body parts and composing sentences to describe their functions. A primary objective of this unit is to cultivate foundational writing skills, a key area of development as students transition into Year 3.

This academic year presents several new milestones, notably the introduction of official Cambridge test papers, which necessitates the strengthening of core literacy skills in both reading and writing. To apply their learning, students recently completed a project in which they illustrated family portraits and composed descriptive passages about their family members’ physical appearance and personal qualities. This approach provides a meaningful context for students to utilize newly acquired language while exploring a subject of personal significance.

The project culminated in a gallery walk, where students presented their portraits to peers. This activity fostered opportunities for dialogue about their families, thereby strengthening the classroom community and building rapport among students.

As we include samples of this work in the bi-weekly portfolios sent home, parents will be able to observe their children demonstrating English language proficiency through a topic that is deeply personal. We believe that connecting the curriculum to students’ own backgrounds and interests is a fundamental strategy for enhancing motivation and active participation in their learning.

A-Level Business Class: HR & Job Application Role-Play 

Written by Mr. Felix, Oct. 2025

A recent activity with my year 12/13 students was the ‘Human resource management’ and ‘Job application’ role play.

After some hard work and cramming with my A level students, it was time to review our first section on the Business course. This was all of the materials from the first section of our course, we’ve now completed section 1 of 5 from our year’s work (a lot of reading!)

Firstly, we played a version of ‘hot seat’ which we’d developed from the official Cambridge training at the start of the year. Students are given a ‘key term’ to explain… without using the official term, they must provide a definition to the ‘hot seat’ student. This is a great way to warm up a lesson, first thing in the morning.

Secondly, since we have been learning about employment, recruitment and job interviews for our HR section of the course. Our class have created job application scenarios for a job in the local police station. You can see the job interview taking place, with one job applicant and three interviewers are asking the questions:

‘Where can you see yourself in 5 years?’

‘What skills can you bring to our company?’

‘How can you make an impact on the local community?’ 

Whether getting ready for university or for work life after school, this lesson aims to prepare our talented students for the next steps in life.

BIS Primary Chinese Classes | Where Play Meets Learning

Written by Ms. Jane, Oct. 2025

Sunlight dances across the laughter-filled BIS primary Chinese classrooms. Here, language learning is no longer an abstract set of symbols but an imaginative journey full of discovery.

Year 1: Moving to the Rhythm, Playing with Pinyin

“One tone flat, two tone rising, three tone turning, four tone falling!” With this crisp rhyme, the children become “tone cars,” racing across the classroom. From the “flat road” to the “downhill slope,” ā, á, ǎ, à come alive through movement. The game “Charades” keeps the laughter going as the children use their bodies to form pinyin shapes, mastering the sounds effortlessly through play.

Year 3: Nursery Rhymes in Motion, Learning About Trees

“Poplar tall, banyan strong…” Accompanied by a steady beat, each group competes in a hand-clapping recitation contest. Children enact the shapes of the trees—standing on tiptoe to mimic the poplar’s uprightness, stretching their arms to show the banyan’s strength. Through collaboration, they not only develop a sense of rhythm in language but also imprint the characteristics of eleven types of trees firmly in their minds.

Year 2: Word Interaction, Learning Gratitude with Fun

“We’re the fastest!” Cheers erupt as the children race to identify new words in the “Word Pop” game. The lesson reaches its climax with “group role play,” where a “villager” interacts with a “well-digger.” Through lively dialogue, the meaning of the proverb “When drinking water, remember the well-digger” is naturally conveyed and understood.

In this joyful learning environment, play serves as the wings of growth, and inquiry forms the foundation of learning. We believe that only genuine enjoyment can ignite the most lasting passion for learning!