Primary School
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme
Overview
In our Primary School, we offer an inquiry-based, learner-centered, holistic education in a dynamic, friendly and inclusive learning environment. In our challenging and engaging Primary Years Programme, our learners acquire knowledge, develop skills and contribute to making the world a better place. We are committed to guiding our learners to persevere, to have the courage to make mistakes and to recognise setbacks as learning opportunities. Our talented and experienced educators encourage our learners to be curious about the world and to use their creative energies both in the classroom and beyond. We have high expectations for all of our learners and help them to achieve their personal best. By having a growth mindset, our learners seek out challenges and become champions of their own learning.
We help learners develop academically, socially and emotionally. We also encourage our learners to develop independence and take responsibility for their own learning. We help our learners gain an understanding of the world and how to function comfortably within it. Our learners develop personal values and a foundation upon which international-mindedness develops and flourishes.
Learn more about IB here
Core Curriculum Areas
Curriculum
Our curriculum is based on the premise that learners are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process. It prioritizes learners and their relationships to build a strong learning community. Our Nursery learners use their initiative to take responsibility and ownership of their learning. By learning through inquiry and reflecting on their own learning, they develop knowledge, conceptual understandings, skills and the attributes of the IB Learner profile.
We focus on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and beyond. The early years in the PYP are transformative experiences for learners and deliver excellent outcomes by providing an education that is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant. The subject areas in the PYP are:
- Language
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social studies
- Arts
- Personal, social and physical education
Transdisciplinary Themes
Guided by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, learners broaden their learning by developing their conceptual understandings, strengthening their knowledge and skills across, between, and beyond subject areas. The six transdisciplinary themes are:
- Who we are: Inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; person, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; and human relationships.
- Where we are in place and time: Inquiry into our orientation in place and time; personal histories; the discoveries and explorations of humankind; and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations.
- How we express ourselves: Inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values.
- How the world works: Inquiry into the natural world and its laws, the interaction between the natural world and human societies; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.
- How we organize ourselves: Inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; and their impact on humankind and the environment.
- Sharing the planet: Inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and other living things; access to equal opportunities; and peace and conflict resolution.
The PYP Exhibition
In Grade 5, learners conduct an extended, in-depth research project celebrating the culmination of their learning experience in the PYP. They research real-life issues and present their findings to the whole school community. This project helps learners develop critical thinking, international-mindedness and IB learner profile attributes, and also helps them prepare for the Middle Years Program (MYP).