Bringing a global perspective to the primary classroom

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme

For the vast majority of teachers in primary schools, the primary curriculum equals the national curriculum, dominated as it is by the twin pillars of literacy and numeracy and assessment via SATs.  A small number of schools in England however, including several state primary schools, have chosen to explore an alternative route and are following the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). 

Younger sibling of the better known IB Diploma and the IB Middle Years Programme, the IB PYP is designed for children between the ages of three and twelve. As with all IB programmes it aims to develop the whole person, set up attitudes which will lead to lifelong learning and encourage international respect and responsibility.

The international ethos of the programme makes it a natural choice for schools with a wide range of pupil nationalities.  So, for example, with over 270 children in the lower school representing more than thirty different nations, ACS Egham International School has chosen the IB PYP as the curriculum best suited to its international student body and global outlook.

The IB PYP focuses on getting children interested in their own learning; helping them to investigate subjects that they are curious about. It encourages children to make connections between different pieces ofinformation and in doing so increase their understanding of how the world works.

This inquiry-based approach to learning enables children to build on their individual knowledge through an emphasis on learning how to learn, and how to find out.  The curriculum is designed to ensure that children receive a sound grounding in the traditional basics of literacy and numeracy, but places emphasis too on broad communication skills, problem solving skills, teamwork, and the ability to apply learning to new situations. 

The programme is taught through six trans-disciplinary units of inquiry:

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

The themes encourage investigation and application of six more familiar subject areas:

• Language
• Social studies
• Mathematics
• Arts
• Science
• Personal, social and physical education

In addition, the IB PYP actively seeks to develop the following attitudes in its pupils: tolerance, respect, integrity, independence, enthusiasm, empathy, curiosity, creativity, cooperation, confidence, commitment and appreciation.

The main tool for teachers is a PYP unit planner, which must be filled in for every unit of inquiry and is a way of making sure that each unit nurtures these attitudes and inquires into the global concepts which underpin the trans-disciplinary themes.

Whilst assessment is an integral part of the IB PYP, there are no formal external tests such at SATs.  Continuous assessment of pupil learning is vital.  It allows teachers to track and monitor student learning and to structure meaningful lessons rather than to assign grades. Importantly, the programme believes that assessment should consider not just a child’s knowledge, but the processes the child uses to attain that knowledge.  The teacher is expected to record the detail of the inquiry initiated by children in order to look for an increase in the substance and depth of the inquiry.  This approach ensures a personalised education which meets the individual needs of the child, a central tenet of the IB programme.

Only IB World Schools (schools authorised by the International Baccalaureate Organization) and candidate schools can offer the Primary Years Programme and the school’s delivery of the programme is evaluated by the organization three yeas after authorisation and thereafter every five years.

ACS Egham International School has been offering the IB PYP programme for eight years and believes that it imbues its youngest students with a sense of real passion and excitement for learning that gives them a strong foundation in their academic future, their careers and their lives.

Angela Riggs is Assistant Lower School Principal and Primary Years Programme Coordinator at ACS Egham International School.  For more information about the IB PYP see:

www.acs-england.co.uk/schools/egham/curriculum/lower_school.htm

www.ibo.org/pyp