Welcome to our beautiful Key Stage Two and High School Campus
WOODLAND HEIGHTS
Who we are
Welcome to our Cambridge High School: Woodland Heights! Home to Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6) and High School (Years 7-12/13).
Built in the 1920s, many of our Cambridge High School at Woodland Heights’ beautiful features can still be seen around the building. Some say it reminds them of Hogwarts—minus the moving staircases of course! That said, there’s definitely magic in the air…
Our Home
ISCT has called the Cambridge High School at Woodland Heights home since 2002. In 2016, following a significant growth spurt, Key Stage 1 moved to their very own home up the road to our second campus and is known as Struben House.
Campus Facilities
The terraced gardens are where you’ll find children playing during break, as well as the younger students taking part in extracurricular activities. As for the older students, they have access to off-campus facilities in the area for sports practice and matches.
Watch our video
Enquire Now
*We accept Cambridge High School applications throughout the year.
Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6)
Our Cambridge High School:
At our Cambridge High School at ISCT, we believe that through the Cambridge Curriculum we are able to provide a range of positive learning experiences. This strong academic foundation encourages children to become confident, innovative thinkers.
Interactive Classrooms and Teaching Approach:
Our classrooms are alive with discussion, exploration and collaboration. We believe that real learning goes beyond sitting at a desk; it is hands-on, active, and deeply engaging. It is our mission to equip students with the skills needed for an ever-changing world and a passion for a lifetime of learning.
Teaching Approach:
Our approach and flexibility of the Cambridge Curriculum allows us to work towards this mission by guiding children in cultivating empathy, creativity, critical thinking, resourcefulness and resilience. These are all skills and attitudes that will equip them for lifelong learning.
Three main differences between the Cambridge Curriculum and the CAPS Curriculum are:
- the different ages and stages;
- the coverage and sequencing within the curriculum,
- and the focus for assessment and reporting on a child’s learning.
These three areas are expanded on below to help clarify these key differences between a CAPS school and our Cambridge Curriculum at our Cambridge High School at ISCT:
Ages and Stages:
Key Stage 2 is our upper primary phase comprising four year groups: Year 3 to Year 6.
Cambridge Curriculum terminology is used for our age groups, calling them year groups instead of grades.
| Age | UK Year Group | CAPS Grade (age-equivalent) |
|---|---|---|
| Turning 8 | Year 3 | Grade 2 |
| Turning 9 | Year 4 | Grade 3 |
| Turning 10 | Year 5 | Grade 4 |
| Turning 11 | Year 6 | Grade 5 |
We welcome children from both local and international systems. We are mindful of the different age cut-offs and schooling backgrounds. This allows us a degree of flexibility when placing students. We take into account the specific needs of each cohort as well as the maturity and academic readiness of the individual child.
Age and Year Division:
In general, children who are turning eight or who have recently turned eight in the second half of the previous year will enter Key Stage 2. Most children will move on to our high school in the year they turn twelve or shortly after their twelfth birthday.
Curriculum Coverage:
Cambridge Curriculum vs. CAPS
When comparing any education systems there will be differences in the focus and priorities. The CAPS curriculum introduces some skills and strategies at different stages vs. the Cambridge curriculum.
The Cambridge Curriculum benefits:
Students who stay within the Cambridge curriculum throughout primary benefit from following a single curriculum as there are no gaps in exposure to knowledge and content which can occur when children cross over to the Cambridge Curriculum from another system such as CAPS. Some of the key differences between subject areas in the two curricula are outlined below.
English
In the English subject area, children are expected to write longer texts with paragraphs and specific style features earlier than in CAPS. The Cambridge curriculum system places a higher priority on grammar lessons with the expectation that children recognise and use formal terminology and concepts at a younger age.
Mathematics
In Mathematics, the Cambridge curriculum introduces division and fractions earlier on, as well as telling the time and calculating time-related word problems. Students who stay with us through all of Key Stage 2 benefit from following this scope and sequence, whereas children joining us sometimes require additional support from home or private tutoring to fill these gaps.
Science
Science is introduced as a subject area much earlier in the UK system than CAPS, with a focus on investigative skills and understanding the concept of a ‘fair test’.
Additional Languages
In Key Stage 2, Additional Languages are taught at a ‘foreign language’ level rather than ‘first additional’ or ‘second additional’ languages. In Year 3 and 4, children must do one South African language (Afrikaans or Xhosa) and one European language (French or Spanish). From Year 5 up they must choose between French, Spanish and Afrikaans to do into high school. This choice of languages is based on trends and demands abroad as well as languages that can be continued up to A-Levels through the Cambridge Curriculum.
Assessment & Reports:
The Cambridge Curriculum places a strong emphasis on children applying their knowledge in meaningful ways to show true understanding, rather than simply recalling information.
Practical Assessments:
To support this, in Key Stage 2 we use a range of teacher-designed and Cambridge-aligned assessments. These include the Cambridge baseline tests at the start of the year to help guide our teaching and the Cambridge progression tests to track each child’s development within the curriculum framework.
Assessment Strategies:
Formal testing, however, is only one part of the picture. Teachers use a variety of assessment strategies throughout the year to build a more complete understanding of each child’s learning journey. Test results are used thoughtfully to inform teaching and meet the needs of both the class and individual students.
Formal Assessments:
In Years 5 and 6, we also begin to introduce more formal assessments to help children develop test stamina and study skills in preparation for high school, while continuing to prioritise a balanced and supportive approach to learning.
High School (Years 7-12/13)
Core Focus:
Our core purpose in KS3 is to offer a curriculum that is international, diverse, exciting and challenging. Different from the basic South African curriculum, we endeavour to connect to and build on the knowledge, understanding and most importantly the skills developed during KS1 and KS2. This connection across the key stages allows us to prepare our students for the exciting and ever-changing world of work in the 21st century.
Mr. Phillip James, Head of Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 (KS3) consists of Year 7, 8 and 9 – the first three years of high school. This is a significant difference to most South African schools where students start high school in Year 8. This extra year allows students additional time to settle into the structure and expectations of the Key Stage.
See the comparison below:
| Age | Year (UK/ISCT) | South Africa (Grade) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Nursery | |
| 5 | Reception | |
| 6 | Year 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Year 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Year 3 | 3 |
| 9 | Year 4 | 4 |
| 10 | Year 5 | 5 |
| 11 | Year 6 | 6 |
| 12 | Year 7 | 7 |
| 13 | Year 8 | 8 |
| 14 | Year 9 | 9 |
We offer a broad range of subjects at KS3, including the below. Our core subjects are English, Mathematics and Science.
| Subject in Year 7 – 9 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art | ||||
| Design and Technology | ||||
| Drama | ||||
| English | ||||
| Geography | ||||
| History | ||||
| ISCT (Computing) | ||||
| Mathematics | ||||
| Modern Foreign Language (French or Spanish) or Afrikaans (Second Language) | ||||
| Music | ||||
| Physical Education (PE) | ||||
| PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) – referred to as Life Skills in the South African curriculum | ||||
| Science | ||||
| Biology (offered in Year 9) |
EMS (Economic and Management Sciences) is not included in our programs as is the case with the South African curriculum due to the nature and scope of our curriculum. However, we have incorporated aspects of Entrepreneurship in our teaching and learning.
Project-Based Learning
In addition to the core and foundation subjects, our students are involved in several project-based learning opportunities including the:
- Year 7 Integrated Lunch where they learn about the history, culture and customs of diverse communities and countries.
- Year 8 & 9 Science Expo where they learn to do scientific research.
- Year 8 Market Day with the focus of developing entrepreneurial skills.
- Year 9 Movie Project where our students learn and explore a range of skills and interests.
Subject Choices:
At the end of Year 9, students will select the subjects that they will take at IGCSE (Year 10, 11) with the guidance of the Director of Studies and the Learning Support Team. At IGCSE they can begin to specialise in the subjects they enjoy, whilst still experiencing a broad and balanced curriculum.
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ADMISSION ENQUIRIES
For all admission enquiries please contact:
Thirusha Abrahams admissions@isct.co.za 021-763 5300
ENQUIRE NOW
A SAFE SPACE IN SUPPORT OF YOUR CHILD’S HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT
*We accept applications throughout the year.
TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR
We have created an amazing virtual tour of the International School of Cape Town…
You will be able to get a view of Struben House. So, no matter where in the world you are – you can now get a real-life feeling of what we have to offer.
