SECONDARY SCHOOL
Vale Verde International School offers a wide and balanced curriculum based on the English (British) Curriculum for Key Stage 3, leading to the internationally recognised qualification of IGCSE (International Certificate of Secondary Education) and the ICE (International Certificate of Education), administered by the Cambridge University International Exams.
Pupils in Years 7 and 8 follow a common curriculum of English, Maths, General Science, French, Portuguese, Geography, History, Information Computer Technology, Food Technology, Music, Drama, Art and Design, PSHE and Physical Education. In Year 9 individual Sciences - Biology, Physics and Chemistry - are introduced and Business Studies is also added to the time table.
All year ten and eleven students study towards obtaining the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) which receives worldwide recognition.
All pupils following the IGCSE courses will take the following key subjects to examination level:
- English First Language
- Mathematics
- Biology and/or
- Physics or Chemistry
- History or Geography
- Portuguese Foreign Language
Plus at least one subject from:
- I.C.T. (Information Computer Technology)
- Business Studies
- Art and Design
Further optional examination subjects are:
- English Literature
- French Foreign Language
Physical Education is a compulsory and timetabled non-examination subject for all pupils.
In Years 10 and 11 an option system is put into operation allowing pupils to "play to their strengths" while ensuring that they continue with priority subjects. Students study a selection of subjects throughout these two years and normally take a total of seven to eight subjects at examination level.
The Secondary School ranges from Year 7 to Year 11 (ages 11 to 16). Intake is limited to eighteen students per class. This low pupil ratio per teacher provides ample opportunity for students to receive individual attention, which has proved very successful and is evident in the high pass rate of students at VVIS.
Increasingly throughout the school I.C.T. is assuming the role of a means to learn and exercise other subjects as well as an independent discipline in its own right.
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