PYP FAQs

Over the next several issues of Prep Talk questions about the Primary Years Programme (PYP) will be addressed to provide general information to enable a better understanding of the Programme and how it works in our school. This issue’s focus aims to provide a general understanding about the IBO and the PYP.

What is the IBO?

The IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation) is a non-profit educational and non-governmental organisation of UNESCO. This alliance encourages the integration of its educational goals into the curriculum. The IBO was established in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland.

What programmes of education does the IBO offer?

The IBO offers 4 programmes of international education for students aged 3-19 years:

• PYP (Primary Years Programme) students Preschool to Year 6
• MYP (Middle Years Programme) students Year 7 to Year 10
• DP (Diploma Programme) students Years 11 to 12
• CP (Career-related Programme) students Years 11 to 12

What is the PYP?

The PYP is a curriculum framework for young learners aged 3–12 designed by the International Baccalaureate (IB). Founded on a philosophy that recognizes a child’s natural curiosity, creativity and ability to reflect, the PYP generates a stimulating, challenging learning environment to nurture those assets and foster a lifelong love of learning in every child. The PYP, like all IB programmes, is transdisciplinary, meaning students learn across subject areas while investigating big ideas.

The IBO’s mission talks about being Internationally-minded. How does the PYP teach students to be Internationally-minded?

We encourage International-mindedness through explicitly teaching and modelling the Learner Profile. The attributes of the Learner Profile are foundational to the PYP. Being internationally-minded applies to what we are and the way we do things. It includes how we communicate, cultural understanding, diversity, global awareness of issues around the world and reflecting on how knowledge is constructed and applied. Our students and teachers at Newington College Lindfield reflect on the attributes of the Learner Profile throughout their learning.

Does the PYP have a set of standards that they adhere to?

In the PYP, students learn about significant concepts through units of inquiry. The six transdisciplinary themes that guide units of inquiry and compose a year of study are:

• 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

The school outlines its specific knowledge content and academic curriculum through the Programme of Inquiry. This includes:

• The knowledge content which is organised under the transdisciplinary themes;
• The learning skills which aim to help students become independent, well-functioning, self-motivated learners;
• The learning attitudes which aim to develop a lifelong love of learning and nurture a child’s curiosity and confidence, and
• The action component that emphasizes the need to connect the student with his own potential and responsibility for using what was learned.

Does implementing the PYP mean that the school will not teach NSW curriculum outcomes?

The IB is committed to making sure that students in IB programmes meet and exceed our NSW curriculum outcomes. With the implementation of any IB programme, schools are required to examine their curriculum carefully to ensure that there is alignment with the outcomes.

“The whole art of teaching is only the awakening of the natural curiosity of young minds.”

(Anatole France, French poet, journalist, and novelist)

Sue Gough – PYP Co-ordinator