Dear Secondary School Students, Colleagues, and Parents,
It is a privilege to welcome you to the learning community that is SISD. Learning is at the heart of all we do: as a school we strive to improve every day in the pursuit of excellence.
The Secondary Years are a key time for young people. It is here that the foundations for the future are consolidated and where identity evolves. At SISD, we seek not just to accompany students on this path, but also to help them savour it. Without enjoyment, learning remains flat and lacks inspiration, the source of creativity. We hope you enjoy learning more about our IB community here.
Elise Furr
Head of Secondary School
As one of the leading secondary schools in Dubai, SISD accommodates students from Grade 6 to 12.
Congratulations to our MYP eAssessment graduates as well as our MYP coordinator Martin Keon on their wonderful achievements:
Watch this video to discover what an MYP education looks like.
The Secondary School at SISD encompasses Grade 6-12. Students in the Secondary School follow the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) from Grade 6-11, the IB Diploma Programme and the IB Careers-Related Programme from Grade 11-12.
View our Curriculum for more information on the programme structure.
MYP subjects offered at Swiss International Scientific School:
More comprehensive information on each subject can be found at on the International Baccalaureate official page .
In the MYP, subject group objectives correspond to assessment criteria. Four criteria (A,B,C & D) are each marked out of 8. The criteria are subject-specific and detailed later in this Handbook. The levels generally represent performance as follows:
| Criterion Levels (A,B,C,D) | Descriptor |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | limited |
| 3–4 | adequate |
| 5–6 | substantial |
| 7–8 | excellent |
The total marks from 32 can then be converted to an indicator of a grade for that subject:
| Subject Grade | Descriptor | Marks /32 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | work of very limited quality | 1–5 |
| 2 | work of limited quality | 6–9 |
| 3 | work of an acceptable quality | 10–14 |
| 4 | good quality work | 15–18 |
| 5 | generally high quality work | 19–23 |
| 6 | high quality, occasionally innovative work | 24–27 |
| 7 | high quality, frequently innovative work | 28–32 |
Teachers award an Effort Grade to help students, parent and colleagues understand better students’ prospects in that particular subject.
| Effort Grade | Descriptor |
|---|---|
| A | a positive effort that is likely to improve grades (or maintain a 7) |
| B | an effort that will have little impact on reported grades |
| C | an inadequate effort that may result in lower grades |
For more information on Taught Subjects and Assessment in the MYP, download our Secondary School Handbook
DP subjects offered at Swiss International Scientific School:
More comprehensive information on each subject can be found on the International Baccalaureate official page.
Assessment
(Passing grades: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3; Failing grades: 2, 1)
(Passing grades: A, B, C, D; Failing grade: E)
Conditions for the award of the IB Diploma
Maximum point scores attainable:
From six subjects: 42 points
From TOK & EE (combined): additional 3 bonus points
Possible overall maximum point score: 45 points
Conditions for the award of the bilingual IB Diploma:
in a Group 3 or 4 subject, studied in a different language.
For more information on Taught Subjects and Assessment in the DP, download our School Handbook
At SISD, qualified English as Additional Language (EAL), French as Additional Language (FAL) and German as Additional Language (GAL) teachers provide specific English, French and German support from KG1 to Grade 9 to learners who face challenges in accessing curriculum due to language barriers.
The Arabic Department offers support classes for Arabic A and Arabic B starting from Grade 1 to Grade 9:
English as an Additional Language Program (G6-9)
SISD offers a personalised EAL (English as and Additional Language) Programme for new joiners from non-English speaking learning environments in Grades 6-9. Our EAL Programme is designed to substantially improve the student’s English proficiency to fully integrate the academic content of the challenging IB curriculum.
For details on the structure of the EAL Programme at SISD please download this document.
Learners in Grade 6-10 who are not required to attend Islamic Studies can choose to use that time to develop their mother tongue, if other than French, German, English or Arabic.
An external provider offers (at extra cost) 2 sessions of 40 mn / week of Italian, Spanish and Russian mother tongue lessons. Mandarin available upon request.
To learn more, contact Headway Institute : + 971 4 362 53 13
The Beyond Borders and Boundaries programme is an opportunity for SISD staff and students to extend themselves outside of the classroom through skills development activities, team building and community and service engagement tasks. Participants develop themselves as global citizens by gaining unique cultural, personal, interpersonal and environmental experiences not accessible in a standard classroom set up. All Middle School staff and students will participate.As part of this programme, our students have participated in trips to Sri Lanka, Nepal, Turkey and Cambodia.
SISD students are accepted by some of the world’s most prestigious universities.
Click here to view University Destinations of our 2020 graduating cohort.
Ensuring that our students are equipped for future success is central to our school life. Our College Counselling Team will guide and support our students as they prepare for life beyond our school. With specialists from English, French and German speaking countries, the counselling team provides structured information and guidance across a range of further education options. In close collaboration with the Head of Secondary School, class teachers and parents, our students begin their preparation at the start of Grade 9, researching courses, universities and entry requirements. They are encouraged to define their goals for the future and challenged to think broadly about their future aspirations. Throughout this process, our counsellors are there to challenge and support decision making and are available to meet with both students and parents.
