ChrysalisSchoolBritish curriculum. Bent around the student.
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE and International A-Level. The most portable, university-recognised, examined-by-an-external-body framework we could choose. Then made flexible by the way we teach it.
What your child studies, and why.
Why British.
The Pearson Edexcel International GCSE and IAL are the most widely recognised pre-university qualifications outside the US. Universities in the UK, the GCC, Singapore, Australia, and a large chunk of Europe accept them without hesitation. US universities accept them through standardised conversion. They are also examined externally by an independent board — meaning your child's grades are not just our judgment of their work.
Why international.
The International (IGCSE/IAL) variant — rather than the domestic UK GCSE — is designed for students outside the UK. Content is globally relevant rather than UK-centric. Exam timings work across time zones. Crucially, your child can take exams in approved centres anywhere in the world.
Subject landscape.
The full Edexcel International subject menu is available to us. The subjects below are what we run as full live cohorts from September 2026 onwards. Specialist subjects are available on individual-study tracks with Chrysalis Concierge support.
- English Language
- English Literature
- Mathematics
- Further Pure Maths (Y10+)
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Combined Science track
- History
- Geography
- Global Citizenship
- Arabic (First & Foreign)
- French
- Spanish
- Art & Design
- Computer Science
- Digital Information Tech
- Business
- Economics
- Psychology
- EPQ
From Year 7 to university.
Secondary at Chrysalis runs over seven years: Lower-Secondary (Y7–9), IGCSE phase (Y10–11), and Sixth Form (Y12–13 = International A-Levels). Each phase is structured differently because each one does a different job.
Broad foundation
Eleven to thirteen subjects across all departments. The job is not yet specialisation — it's building the habits and habits of mind that make Y10+ possible. Live class load is moderate; independent study and project work fill the rest.
Externally-examined depth
Eight to ten subjects taken to formal IGCSE qualification. Live teaching is intensive, examination preparation is systematic, and the academic baseline starts being measurable against international peers.
University specialisation
Three to four subjects taken to A-Level standard. Smaller cohorts, deeper work, structured university guidance from term one. Every student has a named university coach.
How we teach.
The framework is the British curriculum. The pedagogy is something we have built ourselves over four years of working out how children actually learn online.
Live, small, interactive
Every timetabled lesson is live. Classes capped at 15. No "lecture-and-leave." Teachers can hear every student's voice each lesson.
Differentiated within the class
Stretch tasks for the student who finishes the core exercise in seven minutes. Targeted scaffolding for the one who needs longer. Same class, same teacher — different paths through it.
Mastery before pace
A topic is not done when the calendar says it is — it's done when the class actually understands it. We have the flexibility to slow down where it matters.
Project work and synthesis
Each term ends with a multi-subject project. The goal isn't the project per se — it's practising what it feels like to use everything you've learned together.
Built-in reflection time
Friday afternoons are protected for pastoral check-ins, study skills, and student-led discussion. Not optional.
Continuous formative feedback
Every piece of work gets feedback. Most of it within 48 hours. No "submit and wait three weeks for a grade."
"The framework matters. The way you teach inside the framework matters more."
— Director of Studies