4.2 What Makes a Strong Primary School
International families often approach primary school with a degree of casual optimism. “They’re still young,” parents say. “Children adapt quickly.” In many ways this is true. Young children are resilient, curious and flexible. But those early school years—roughly five to eleven—shape far more than parents tend to realise. They lay the foundations for literacy, numeracy, confidence, independence, and the learning habits that stay with a child for life. By the time pupils reach their teenage years, their trajectory is already heavily influenced by the groundwork laid in those first six years of structured schooling.
In a city like Jakarta, where families move frequently and where British, IB, Australian and “international” schools sit within a few kilometres of each other, the quality of primary education varies widely. Some schools have excellent teaching, coherent curriculum design, strong pastoral care and a calm learning culture. Others rely on glossy facilities to mask weak pedagogy or inconsistent leadership. For families relocating from abroad—often mid-year—the ability to recognise the markers of a genuinely strong primary school is essential.
"In primary, the class teacher is the centre of gravity... Their expertise shapes the day far more than the curriculum framework."
This article aims to offer exactly that: not marketing language, not school-tour talking points, but the real indicators that experienced teachers and school leaders watch for.
1. Teaching Quality: The Decisive Factor
If there is one truth that dominates primary education, it is this: teaching quality matters more than everything else combined. Curriculum labels, facilities and technology all have their place, but they do not compensate for weak teachers. In primary, the class teacher is the centre of gravity—responsible for literacy, numeracy, science, humanities, arts integration, social development and pastoral care. Their expertise shapes the day far more than the curriculum framework.
In strong schools, teachers have deep subject knowledge in early literacy and numeracy. Early reading, for example, is not learned simply by exposure to books. It requires explicit teaching of phonics, decoding, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension—each introduced in the right order. Likewise, early maths demands expertise in number sense, place value and reasoning. Children need teachers who understand why a child may be able to recite numbers but not grasp quantity, or why a confident speaker may struggle to write full sentences.
Equally important is classroom management—not in the old-fashioned sense of rigid discipline, but in the modern sense of calm, predictable routines. In excellent primary schools, transitions are smooth, instructions are clear, and the classroom has a relaxed but purposeful rhythm. Children know where to put their belongings, how to begin a task, when to tidy up, and how to move around the room without interruption. This is not accidental. It is the product of meticulous teacher planning and consistent expectations.
Experienced teachers deliver that consistency almost invisibly. They use economy of language. They give instructions once. They move through the room constantly, scanning and supporting. They set boundaries kindly but firmly. Over time, these habits create a secure environment in which learning feels natural rather than forced. Visitors often describe it as a “calm hum”—busy but composed.
Continuity also matters. International schools sometimes suffer from short-term staffing, leading to constant turnover and unequal quality. Strong schools retain high-quality teachers for long enough that they can master the curriculum, collaborate across year groups and provide stability for children. When a school has a strong teaching team—well trained, knowledgeable, professionally supported—everything else tends to fall into place.
2. Curriculum and Progression: The Architecture Beneath the Surface
Curriculum frameworks—British, IB, Australian or hybrid—are often what schools advertise most prominently. But parents should look beyond branding and focus instead on coherence: a well-sequenced curriculum in which knowledge and skills build logically from year to year.
In literacy, this means phonics leading into fluency, then sentence construction, paragraphing, vocabulary development and structured writing. In maths, it means careful progression from concrete manipulatives to visual models to abstract reasoning. In science and humanities, it means topics that recur and deepen rather than beginning from scratch each year.
A strong primary curriculum gives teachers a map of what to teach, when to teach it, and how it connects to the wider picture. It prevents gaps from forming. Weak curricula often rely on loosely connected “themes”, attractive projects or worksheets that look busy but lack meaningful progression. Children may enjoy the activities but accumulate silent gaps that only become evident in the upper years—when writing becomes more demanding, or when maths shifts to more abstract concepts.
British curricula generally excel in progression and assessment. The IB PYP, when implemented well, is excellent at conceptual understanding and student-driven inquiry—but it requires disciplined planning to ensure content coverage. The Australian curriculum is strong in clarity and developmental sequencing. Hybrid systems vary widely; the quality depends entirely on leadership and teacher expertise. The label alone tells you little.
What parents should look for is evidence of progression. In a school tour, ask to see workbooks from the beginning and end of the year. Look at writing samples across different year groups. Listen to how teachers explain their planning. Do they speak confidently about why skills are introduced in a particular order? Do they discuss how prior knowledge is built upon? Good schools have a curriculum “spine” that teachers understand intimately.
3. Support Systems: EAL, Learning Support and Pastoral Care
Even in the most academically rigorous schools, there will be children who need additional support—children new to English, those with emerging literacy challenges, those adjusting to a new country, or those with identifiable learning differences. What distinguishes strong schools is not the absence of these needs but the quality of response.
A strong primary school identifies needs accurately. Experienced teachers can tell the difference between a child who is new to English, a child who struggles with phonological awareness, and a child who may have a learning difficulty requiring specialist intervention. Misidentification is common in weaker schools: children who simply need EAL support are pushed into learning support; children with real learning needs are overlooked because they seem socially confident.
Support is best when delivered by a well-resourced team: EAL teachers, learning support specialists, school psychologists or counsellors. These specialists operate most effectively when caseloads are manageable and communication is constant. In good primary schools, class teachers and specialists speak daily. Strategies align. Targets are set, monitored and communicated clearly.
Pastoral care matters, too. Primary-aged children go through rapid emotional development. They need schools that take wellbeing seriously—not through slogans, but through attentive staff who notice when a child is withdrawn, overwhelmed or unusually quiet. A strong school does not rely on reactive pastoral care; it builds social-emotional learning into everyday practice.
4. School Culture: Atmosphere, Behaviour and the Feeling of the Place
A school’s culture is not usually found in policy documents; it is found in the corridors, playground and transitions. Parents often sense it within minutes of arriving: the tone of greetings, the way staff speak to pupils, the noise level between classes, whether children appear relaxed or restless.
The strongest primary schools cultivate a culture that is warm but purposeful. Children feel known and valued, yet they also understand boundaries. Teachers set high expectations without being severe. Behaviour systems are simple and consistently applied. Adults model calmness. The entire school feels aligned.
Behaviour culture is a far more significant indicator of quality than facilities. Calm classrooms allow teachers to teach and children to think. Without it, even strong curricula are undermined. A school where behaviour is inconsistent—where expectations vary from class to class, or where teachers raise their voices frequently—will struggle to maintain academic quality.
Independence is another sign of a strong culture. In exceptional schools, you see children carrying their own belongings, organising resources, working without constant prompting and solving minor disagreements themselves. They are trusted—and therefore grow confident. In weaker schools, adults over-manage, over-prompt and over-help, inadvertently weakening children’s self-regulation.
These cultural traits are difficult to fake. They require leadership that is attentive, consistent and deeply invested in the daily life of the school.
5. Breadth, Leadership and the Wider Life of the School
While literacy and numeracy form the spine of primary education, breadth gives children their sense of identity. Sport, music, drama, languages, clubs and excursions broaden experience and help children discover what they enjoy and where they excel.
Co-curricular life is strongest when participation is genuine. You want to see children actually performing, actually playing, actually competing—not posters of events that rarely involve the majority. Good schools encourage wide participation before selective pathways emerge in later years. They understand that confidence grows from trying many things in a supportive environment.
Facilities matter only insofar as they serve the learning. A beautiful campus tells you nothing about teaching. A small school with a strong library and well-organised classrooms can outperform a sprawling, architecturally ambitious one. Parents should look closely at the practical spaces: Are classrooms tidy and thoughtfully arranged? Is the library well stocked? Are outdoor areas shaded and usable given Jakarta’s heat? Does the school have quiet spaces where a child can read or decompress?
Behind all this sits leadership. Strong school leaders set the tone for teaching quality, curriculum coherence, pastoral systems and behaviour expectations. They hire well, train well and communicate clearly. They respond to issues promptly. They do not rely on slogans or marketing; they rely on the daily reality of the school.
The best leaders make their schools feel calm and coherent. The weakest allow drift.
6. What Parents Should Look For: The Practical, Telling Details
Parents often ask what they should observe on a school visit. The most reliable indicators are simple:
Watch the transitions. How do children enter classrooms? How do lessons begin? If it takes five minutes to start, teaching time is being lost.
Watch the interactions. Do teachers speak respectfully? Do they model patience and clarity? How do they handle minor misbehaviour?
Look at the workbooks. Is there progression in writing, spelling, sentence structure, maths reasoning? Are books neat and used regularly, or filled with photocopied worksheets?
Observe the children. Do they look comfortable? Are they engaged? Are they confident speaking to adults and peers?
Listen to the school’s explanations. Do leaders speak clearly about curriculum, assessment and support structures? Or do they rely on vague talking points?
Conclusion: What Strength Really Looks Like
A strong primary school is not defined by modern buildings, international branding or advertising language. It is defined by:
• expert, stable teachers
• a well-sequenced curriculum
• strong early literacy and numeracy teaching
• calm classrooms and consistent routines
• thoughtful pastoral care
• meaningful breadth of opportunity
• and leadership that keeps the focus on quality rather than marketing
Families moving to Jakarta do not need to chase prestige or the “flashiest” campus. They need a school where their child will be taught well, known well and challenged appropriately. A place where learning feels steady, warm and purposeful. Where a child becomes more confident, more capable and more independent year by year.
Primary years are not the warm-up act. They are the foundation. Choose the school that builds that foundation with seriousness, skill and care.
About the author
Clara, BEd (Hons), QTS
Clara is a specialist in early numeracy and inquiry-based learning. Prior to relocating overseas, she worked at St Paul’s School and later at Wellington College, supporting transition programmes between primary and lower-secondary phases. Clara is known for her clarity of instruction, encouraging learners to approach mathematics with curiosity, confidence and independence.
Primary School FAQ
How can I tell if a primary school has strong teaching?
Look for calm, purposeful classrooms; clear routines; and teachers who explain learning with confidence and precision. Strong literacy and numeracy instruction is visible in workbooks that show real progression over time.
Do curriculum labels (British, IB, Australian, “International”) matter?
Only partly. These frameworks set direction, but the real quality comes from how coherently the school implements them. A well-run school with a clear curriculum spine will outperform one with a prestigious label but weak practice.
How important is early literacy and numeracy?
Crucial. These domains shape long-term academic confidence. Strong schools teach phonics systematically, build writing skills step-by-step, and treat early maths as reasoning—not rote.
My child is new to English. Will they cope?
If the school has capable EAL specialists and teachers who understand multilingual children, yes. What matters is accurate assessment, appropriate support and close coordination with class teachers.
How do I recognise good behaviour culture?
In the atmosphere: calm movement between classes, teachers giving concise instructions, children focused without appearing stressed, and a general sense of order without harshness.
Do facilities matter?
To an extent. Libraries, sports areas and shaded outdoor spaces matter more than architectural flourishes. A well-organised classroom with purposeful materials is far more important than a showpiece building.
What should I look for on a school tour?
Watch transitions, observe how teachers speak to pupils, check workbooks for genuine progression, and pay close attention to how relaxed and confident the children seem.
Is homework important in primary school?
Not in large quantities. The quality of teaching during school hours matters far more. Short, purposeful tasks that reinforce learning are healthy; heavy loads are not.
How do I know if a school is well led?
Leaders should articulate the curriculum clearly, speak with precision about teaching quality, and respond to questions without marketing language. Strong leadership is visible in the calm, coherent feel of the school.
What matters most when choosing a primary school?
Expert teachers, a coherent curriculum, calm classrooms, effective support systems and leadership that prioritises substance over appearance. Everything else is secondary.
