ISSA Primary School
Your Future Career Life Starts Here
“If it is important to the child, it’s important to us”. In a nutshell, this, more than anything else determines the path along which our educational aim and philosophy, is based.

Why Choose Us
World Class Curriculum
International Sports
Boarding
Enrichment
Primary School Academics
Our subject offering includes Mathematics, English, Science, Global Perspectives, Afrikaans, Setswana, Physical Education and Music. At the end of Grade 6, the students write a public examination, the Primary School Checkpoint after following the rigorous Cambridge Primary Syllabus in Mathematics, English, Science and Global Perspective.
Teaching staff meet at the beginning of each term to discuss schemes of work, and fortnightly to review evaluations and forecasts to enable the recommend remediation timeously. Students not meeting the required standards and/or have challenges in some learning areas are directed to our afternoon academic programmes for assistance.
Primary School Sport
Our emphasis in sports is to nurture talent through a robust, well-structured highly organised physical education and sports programme. The end goal is to promote social development and life skills. Students are encouraged to value the skills such as sportsmanship and integrity through their communication and interaction in the various sporting codes.
The boys and girls are exposed to Athletics, Cricket, Basketball, Soccer, Swimming, Hockey, just to mention a few and competing at inter-house and various inter-schools’ level. The school offers excellent sporting facilities, coaches and equipment which often motivate several students to try provincial and national representation.
Message from the Deputy Head Primary School
- Philip Nheera
We look forward to welcoming you and your child to the Primary School of the International School of South Africa. We endeavour to give our children a learning environment where they feel safe and secure – a place of learning where children feel loved. To quote our tag line, “if it’s important to the child, it’s important to us.” Our children thrive in an environment where acceptance, freedom and creative flair is encouraged – an environment where fun, enjoyment and healthy habits are seen as vital ingredients to a happy life.
As we continue our journey in the 21st Century we look to improve our teaching methodologies and teaching practices yet hold onto the good and solid traditional practices that remain indispensable. We embrace the Cambridge International Curriculum as we are confident of its value as it prepares our children with the skills they need for success at high school, tertiary education, and life – preparing our children for meaningful contribution to the “global village”.
We are passionate about upholding our school values, namely Respect for all, Hard Work, Honesty, Responsibility, Social Awareness and Compassion. We hold each other, as stakeholders, accountable to these values so that we set the example for our children, thereby influencing them not only by our words but also by our conduct.
Primary School Divisions
Pre-Primary
We have designed a holistic programme for children aged from 4 years to 6 years. Our Grade R’s have to pass an assessment test in order to be accepted into Grade One the following year.
Pre-Primary
Our Pre-Primary School is designed to prepare children for an easy transition into formal Primary School Education.
Junior Primary
Junior Primary consists of Grade 1 to Grade 3 students. The curriculum focuses on developing a strong academic background, as well as encouraging the children’s curiosity about our world.
Junior Primary
The presented curriculum, combined with the integrated use of technology seeks to holistically develop, emotionally intelligent individuals who are confident and suitably equipped to deal with the challenges of the 21st century. We aspire to develop solid values to create future responsible global citizens, for a better tomorrow.
Focal Learning Areas
Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills are the focal learning areas within the Junior Primary phase.
Literacy
The Literacy curriculum is directed towards equipping learners to develop the skills required to express themselves articulately, confidently and to communicate effectively with others. Literary Skills that are developed and focussed on include: Phonics/Spelling, Reading, Writing, Speaking and Grammar.
Numeracy
Learners are encouraged to develop their numerical conceptual knowledge and logical-mathematical problem-solving skills through verbal, experiential and play activities. Learners apply mathematical knowledge, logical reasoning and develop their conceptual knowledge from Grade 1-3 in areas such as numbers, measurement, time, money, shapes and data handling.
Life Skills
Learners are provided with knowledge about the world and allowed to develop their understanding of the world through inquiry-based learning and investigation. A range of valuable resources is used to develop existing knowledge. Our annual Junior Primary Science Fair showcases the scientific skills and creative minds of the learners.
Senior Primary
Our Senior Primary Phase starts at Grade 4 and Grade 6 is the exit point. All school subjects prescribed by the Cambridge University Curriculum are included in our academic programme.
Senior Primary
The Senior Primary Phase in the school starts at Grade 4 level and ends with Grade 6 which is the exit point in our primary school. English is the main language of communication and learning, with Afrikaans and Setswana our 2nd & 3rd languages respectively.
Each term we have parent consultations to ensure ongoing communication between the school and parents regarding our children’s progress. We also have regular cross-grade and cross-phase alignment meetings to ensure an easy transition for our learners as they move from one year to another.
Subjects
We follow the Cambridge Curriculum in our school and this includes:
- Mathematics
- English
- Afrikaans
- Natural Sciences
- Social Sciences.
Our children also do specialist subjects such as:
- Computers
- Physical Education
- Art
- Music

International School of South Africa
Enrol With Us
Interested in becoming a student or enrolling your child to learn at our institution? We would love to hear from you! Click the button below to begin your application to ISSA.