Elementary School

The development of the whole child is at the heart of what the faculty and staff do. Learning in the Elementary School (ES) is about developing personal, emotional and social skills as well as being an intellectual and academic process.

The ES faculty and staff aim to help children find their voice - their own unique, personal significance. We encourage them to think about what their contribution will be in the world - how they will try to make a difference as responsible and engaged members of the school community as well as citizens of the world.

The Elementary School is led by Elementary School Principal, Megan Brazil, Lower Elementary School Principal, Nitasha Crishna, Upper Elementary School Principal, Joshua Smith, and Primary Years Programme Kay Strenio.

The Lower Elementary School

At UNIS Hanoi we know that the formative years of a child’s life, particularly from birth to age 6 are a crucial time in their development. We understand that the investment made in every child at this age will shape their future.

We harness the extraordinary curiosity and capacity for new experience that characterises this distinct developmental phase in children.

Through the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework and our Early Childhood curriculum which covers Early Years (age 3) to Grade 1 (age 6), we foster children’s natural curiosity through the creation of rich learning environments and intentionally designed learning experiences and assessments.

We believe that young learners are capable of constructing their own learning with facilitation and guidance. Through a balanced approach to learning, our students are resilient, confident, creative and adaptive.

Learn About Our Multi Age Early Years Programme!

UNIS Hanoi's Early Years programme transforms a child’s learning experience. Grounded in sound pedagogy, it brings three and four year olds together, in one classroom, while offering a more personalised learning experience.

“There are many known benefits to multi-age classrooms, especially for three and four year olds” explains Nitasha Crishna, UNIS Hanoi’s Elementary School Deputy Principal, responsible for Lower Elementary. She continued, “One of the benefits in an Early Years classroom is for children to ‘model’ each other; the younger children look up to the older children. They watch what their older classmates are doing and model their behaviour and thinking. The older children benefit by finding their voice and their leadership skills.”

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The Upper Elementary School

In our Upper Elementary School, students in Grade 2 (age 7) to Grade 5 (age 10), build on the foundational experiences and skills. We continue to nurture your child’s natural curiosity and desire to make sense of the world around them. We do this through a variety of ways, but at the core, we believe in providing an environment and authentic learning experiences that aim to inspire and empower each student to fully engage in their own learning. 

The  International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a concept-based, inquiry-driven framework where students are involved in their learning at deep levels. Students are given opportunities to explore, analyse, question, think, problem solve, and create meaning. We deliver our curriculum in a trans-disciplinary and interconnected way, helping students to see relationships between what they are learning and the world around them.

Through the PYP, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and our United Nations Principles, we encourage students to develop interests and follow passions. We believe the more a student has choice and is engaged at deep levels in his or her learning, the more they learn and the more they enjoy the process.