Our IEC (Intensive English Programme) provides an access bridge for students whose English is not yet quite up to a level where they could successfully undertake a full mainstream programme. IEC students study a one year English intensive curriculum designed to ensure a successful transition the mainstream. The classes are generally small and have a teacher and teacher assistant present to help support and scaffold students’ learning.
Students study seventeen periods of English a week focusing on the skills and knowledge that they will need to access the mainstream curriculum. Students also prepare and take a range of Cambridge Second Language exams that are recognised by most schools and universities around the world.
All students study five periods of Maths a week with main school Maths classes. Simply put, students are placed in a Maths set that best suits their ability in Maths. Students also study Thai and Modern Foreign Languages at the same time as main school students and so, where possible, dependent on class size IEC students will study with main school students.
In Science and ICT the students’ focus is to learn the necessary skills and important recurring topics that will enable them to access the main school curriculum in the future. In these subjects the English teacher accompanies the students to the class and while the Science / ICT teacher is delivering the lesson the English teacher takes on the role of Support teacher. The Teacher Assistant is also available to help support the students when necessary. The remainder of the timetable is dedicated to other subject specialist areas.
Students who are enrolled on the IEC course usually complete the course in one year and go on to the main school fully prepared to access the full curriculum.
We hope that the balance of subjects, time given to study English, opportunities for students to study with their peers, and other whole school events will allow students to develop a strong foundation for their future studies at Harrow.
As a testament to the success of our IEC programme many students who joined Harrow as IEC students have since graduated, successfully achieving grades at A-Level good enough to get them into top-ranked UK universities.
For more information please contact secondary@harrowschool.ac.th or complete the online enquiry form.
