Primary Years Programme (PYP)

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a curriculum  framework for international primary education. Within the PYP it is believed student learning is best done when it is authentic – relevant to the “real world”; and is transdisciplinary – where learning is not confined within the boundaries of traditional subject areas but is supported and enriched by them.

PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE PROGRAMME

International Mindedness

International mindedness is central to the mission of IB schools with the driving force behind the PYP being a deeply held philosophy about the nature of international education. The one common element in PYP schools is the type of student we hope will graduate from our schools, the type of student who will lay the foundation upon which international-mindedness will develop and flourish. The attributes of such a learner are listed in a Learner Profile that is central to the PYP definition of what it means to be internationally minded and directs us to focus on learning. The Learner Profile encompasses the aims of the PYP. A PYP school strives towards developing internationally minded person, a person who demonstrates the attributes of  the IB Learner Profile.

How Children Learn

The curriculum model is based on a strong belief about how children best learn. The student is at the centre of all learning. Each student brings their own knowledge and experiences to the classroom and through engaging with new experiences students are give the opportunity to build meaning and refine understanding, principally through structured inquiry. Connections are made between the learners’ existing knowledge and their individual learning styles within the context of new experiences.

It is believed that learning takes place best when it is connected to the student’s real world outside of the classroom. The aim of the PYP is to create a transdisciplinary curriculum that is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant.

(Making the PYP Happen, 2007)