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the IB Primary Years Programme

The International Baccalaureate Organization's Primary Years Programme is a transdisciplinary programme of education which fosters the development of the whole child within an international context. Designed for students aged 3 to 12, it addresses social, physical, emotional and cultural growth as well as academic development.

In order to encourage the breadth of content necessary in an international school, without sacrificing common standards, the PYP is built on five Essential Elements. These five elements are:

• concepts- fundamental ideas which have relevance within and across the disciplines and are continuously re-explored,
• knowledge- significant subject matter for students to explore and which provides our students with a shared base of information,
• skills- abilities the students attain in order to succeed in making sense of their world,
• attitudes- values, beliefs and feelings students have regarding learning, their environment, and other people,
•action- demonstration of deeper learning through service and positive action.

Learning takes place within the context of transdisciplinary themes (who we are, where we are in place and time, how we express ourselves, how the world works, how we organize ourselves, and sharing the planet). These themes address the fields of knowledge that form the traditional disciplines, but present them in a way that transcends those disciplines, facilitating learning that has significance for all students in all cultures. Students and teachers investigate these themes through a student-centered questioning approach called inquiry.

Interested parents are also advised to visit the IBO's own website.

PYP image (c) International Baccalaureate Organization