PRIMARY
SCHOOL
Our Primary School philosophy is to build compassionate, confident, academically and globally competent lifelong learners, with a strong sense of responsibility towards the family, community, country and world. We create a safe school environment where students can make the most of learning in and out of the classroom. Recognizing each student as an individual and tackling their specific needs in order to cultivate their humanitarian and academic essentials is at the top of our priority list.
AGE REQUIREMENTS / SCHOOL HOURS
Parents wishing to enroll their child in Primary 1 must observe the age requirement. The child must be at least 6 years old prior to October.
CLASS | DAY | SCHOOL HOURS |
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P1-P3 | MON-FRI | 7.15am – 2.00pm |
P4-P6 | MON-FRI | 7.15am – 2.15pm |
Remedial classes are held Monday and Tuesday from 2.15pm to 3.15pm.
Co-curricular Activities (CCAs) are held from Wednesday to Friday from 2.15pm to 3.15pm.
CURRICULUM
Primary School, which goes from Primary 1 to Primary 6, focuses on the three main areas of the body.
– The body in general, focusing on the students’ physical well-being and their attitude.
– The mind, focusing on their cognitive abilities and multiple intelligences.
– The soul, focusing on character building and personality.
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We strive to achieve high academic standards, however, we also focus on developing students’ confidence and develop principled human beings with a strong sense of responsibility to family, country and the world. We use the Cambridge Primary Curriculum, which develops our students' social skills, responsibility, confidence, and their divergent thinking.
Merlion School highly values the HOME-SCHOOL partnership, encouraging parents to be active in their child's academic life, where parents are always aware of what is happening with their child at school. Parents are invited to join school activities and are encouraged to have an open communication with the teachers.
Our language of instruction is English, with Mandarin being used during Mandarin class, and Bahasa Indonesia being used during Bahasa Indonesia class, Civics class and Religion class. Our Mandarin immersion programme includes selected PE and Arts classes being accompanied by our Mandarin native speaking teachers.
Our core subjects include English, Mathematics, Mandarin, Science, Bahasa Indonesia and Global Perspectives. Minor subjects such as Physical Education, Arts & Craft, IT, Religion, Civics and Music are also offered.
Lower primary students boost their confidence and creativity through our Interdisciplinary Projects (IDP) held once a term. The IDP helps students develop a range of skills, where students are given a topic and need to brainstorm with the guidance of teachers how they will present that to their parents. At the end of Primary 6, our students take the Cambridge Primary Checkpoint examination and students holding an Indonesian passport take UNAS (national government exams) as well.
PROGRAMMES
ASSEMBLY
Primary School holds an assembly every morning before the start of the school day, from 7.00am to 7.30am. During the Assembly, students have a silent reading session for 15 minutes, followed by the singing of the national anthem, the school song, the reciting of our school’s vision, mission and pledge, and silent reflection. After that, Merlion School exposes the students to different activities, as seen below:
MONDAY | Value in Focus |
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TUESDAY | Word Bank (Mandarin and English) |
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WEDNESDAY | Brain Gym Exersice |
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THURSDAY | Class Performance |
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FRIDAY | Mindfulness |
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EVENTS
Merlion School holds a number of events throughout the academic year, in order to show appreciation to different commemorative dates and to encourage students to develop their social skills and confidence. It is a habit at school that during events students will prepare performances, where they stand on the stage and share their talent with the rest of the school community, including parents and guests.
Below are some of the yearly events held at Merlion School:
Children’s Day | Super Camp | Health Day | Language Week | Independence Day
Maths and Science Day | EL Spelling Bee | Sports day | Founders’ Day | Kartini Day
Maths and Science Camp | Dr Seuss’ Day | Heroes’ Day | Chinese Spelling Bee
Christmas Celebration | Holiday Camp
CCA
The co-curricular programmes offered at Merlion Primary School aim to expose students to activities that bring them joy, being that academic or non-academic. This is the time where they socialize with students of different classes and learn basic socialization skills needed as they grow as independent individuals. Below is a list of CCAs offered at the Primary level.
Programmes | |||
Futsal | English Club | Lego | Maths Club |
Roller Skating | Science Club | Karate | Art Club |
Musical Theatre | Chinese Calligraphy | Badminton | Theatre |
Robotics | Board Games | Stacking Cup | Reading Club Adv. |
Basketball | Floor Ball | Chess | Reading Club Beg. |
Hiphop Dance | School Band | Ninja Warrior | Chinese Club |
Mindlab | Bahasa Club | Coding | Habitat for Humanity |
Caricature | Gymnastics | Cheerleading | World Scholars’ Cup |
Swimming |
Programmes | |||
Futsal | Habitat for Humanity | ||
Roller Skating | Gymnastics | ||
Musical Theatre | Lego | ||
Robotics | Karate | ||
Basketball | Badminton | ||
Hiphop Dance | Stacking Cup | ||
Mindlab | Chess | ||
Caricature | Ninja Warrior | ||
Swimming | Coding | ||
English Club | Cheerleading | ||
Science Club | Maths Club | ||
Chinese Calligraphy | Art Club | ||
Board Games | Theatre | ||
Floor Ball | Reading Club Adv. | ||
School Band | Reading Club Beg. | ||
Bahasa Club | Chinese Club | ||
WSC |

FIELD TRIPS /
LEARNING JOURNEYS
Merlion School takes learning both in and out of the classroom seriously. With that in mind, Primary School focuses not only in developing students during lessons, but also outside with field trips and learning journeys. Every class joins a field trip within Surabaya throughout the academic year, in order to support their theoretical learning within the classroom, and one learning journey outside Surabaya with the same purpose.
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Students also learn how to become responsible citizens and socialize in a setting away from home and from the guidance of the parents, which is essential for their development. The school ensures students' safety during field trips and learning journeys, with a number of teachers joining in order to guide the students. Check out our gallery for photos of past field trips and learning journeys!
ACHIEVEMENTS
FACILITES
Primary School consists of a set of areas to facilitate students’ learning, growth, and safety. These include a computer room, a science lab, an arts room, a music room, a library, a gymnasium, a performance hall and a clinic. Although our school does not have a swimming pool and an athletics field, swimming and athletics lessons are conducted in an outside venue to ensure that students gain exposure to different activities.
LIFE SKILLS
Life skills is a programme which starts in Primary 4 and is carried out until Pre-University. This programme aims to equip children with important life skills that are no longer included in school curriculums but that are still important.
CRAFT AND STITCHES | P4A |
P4B | |
GARDENING / FARMING | P5A |
P5B | |
PUBLIC SPEAKING | P6A |
P5B |
Merlion School: A Cambridge Primary School
Learn More
Merlion School is an approved Cambridge Primary School since 2015. Cambridge Primary, typically for learners aged 5 to 11 years, gives schools a world-class curriculum to develop learner skills and understanding in English, mathematics and science. It enables teachers to assess children's learning as they progress with two optional assessments: Cambridge Primary Progression Tests and Cambridge Primary Checkpoint.
Foundation for
Secondary Education
Cambridge Primary helps identify a learner's strengths and weaknesses and can be used to support learning and development. It prepares learners for a smooth transition to Cambridge Lower Secondary and beyond.
External
Benchmark
Cambridge Primary assessments, including Cambridge Primary Checkpoint, provide teachers with an international benchmark to inform their teaching and easily measure learners' progress over time. They also enable detailed, structured reporting to parents.
International
Curriculum
Appropriate and relevant internationally, Cambridge Primary has been designed to be culturally sensitive. It includes top-quality teaching and assessment resources appropriate for teaching and learning in local and international schools.
Flexibility
Cambridge Primary complements a range of teaching methods and curricula. No part of the programme is compulsory and schools have freedom to choose the parts that best suit their situation. This means they can use Cambridge Primary while following their school or national curriculum, or offer the entire programme.
