Primary Years Programme

  • The IB Primary Years Programme

    The Primary Years Programme: preparing students to be active participants in a lifelong journey of learning.

     

    What is the Primary Years Programme?

    The PYP is designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is a framework guided by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subjects areas, as well as transdisciplinary skills, with a powerful emphasis on inquiry.

    The PYP is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national or local curriculums and provides the best preparation for students to engage in the IB Middle Years Programme.

     

    The IB Primary Years Programme

    • addresses students’ academic, social and emotional well-being
    • encourages students to develop independence and to take responsibility for their own learning
    • supports students’ efforts to gain an understanding of the world and to function comfortably within it
    • helps students establish personal values as a foundation upon which international-mindedness will develop and flourish.
       

    The six subject areas identified within the IB Primary Years Programme

    • language
    • mathematics
    • science
    • social studies
    • arts
    • personal, social and physical education

  • The written curriculum

    The most significant and distinctive feature of the IB Primary Years Programme is the six transdisciplinary themes.

    These themes provide IB World Schools with the opportunity to incorporate local and global issues into the curriculum and effectively allow students to “step up” beyond the confines of learning within subject areas.

    • Who we are
    • Where we are in place and time
    • How we express ourselves
    • How the world works
    • How we organize ourselves
    • Sharing the planet

     

    Read more on the Primary Years Programme curriculum

  • The Exhibition

    The Exhibition is an important part of the PYP for all students. In the final year of the programme, students undertake a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves them in identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems. As the culminating experience of the PYP, the Exhibition offers students an exciting opportunity to demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning.

  • Quality assurance and professional development

    Any school, or group of schools, wishing to offer one or more International Baccalaureate programmes as an IB World School must first be authorized.  The requirements are the same for all schools, and the procedure is designed to ensure that schools are well prepared to implement the programme successfully. All IB World Schools are required to participate in an ongoing process of review and development, using the same programme standards and practices.

    As part of its ongoing commitment to the development of a highly skilled global learning community, the IB provides a wide range of high-quality professional development opportunities to help new, experienced and expert school leaders and educators understand, support, and successfully deliver IB programmes reflecting IB standards and practices.