The elementary curriculum at the International School of Hyderabad was originally developed from the English National Curriculum; however, being a truly international school and catering to students from such a wide variety of nationalities, teachers at ISH have developed a school-based curriculum which incorporates best practices from the American, Australian and European education systems. We have adapted our curriculum to meet student needs and to bring in the culture of the host country, India.

The comprehensive curriculum at ISH is divided into six subject areas: English, Mathematics, Science, Languages (French / Hindi), History/Geography, Technology, the Arts, and Physical Education. In order for students to be well prepared for life beyond school, a set of skills - thinking, social, research, communication, self-management - are developed in the process of structured inquiry or topic work. Structured inquiry is used as a vehicle for learning. This is usually done through ‘topic work’ where students engage in interdisciplinary inquiry learning for a considerable part of their learning time. These topics help students to acquire and apply trans-disciplinary skills while developing an understanding of these concepts.

Teachers assess student work regularly through both formative and summative assessments. The school administers a yearly benchmark test in May based on the English National Curriculum “Grade” tests. These tests are moderated internally. They give a good snapshot of the work covered during the year and the levels reached in comparison to other students. Throughout the year, and wherever possible teachers make use of rubrics as an assessment tool.