The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme

What is the IBO?

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is a non-profit educational foundation that offers a curricular framework which fosters the growth of internationally-minded people.

The mission statement of the IB is as follows:

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

What is the IB program?

The International Baccalaureate (IB) offers high quality programmes of international education to a worldwide community of schools. Three programmes for students aged 3 to 19 help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.

What is the IB Primary Years Program (PYP)?

Designed for students aged 3 to 12, the PYP is a transdisciplinary programme of international education designed to foster the development of the whole child. It prepares students to be active participants in a lifelong journey of learning. The philosophy of the PYP is to make the students into "inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk takers, knowledgeable, principled, caring, open-minded, well-balanced, and reflective.

The subject areas of the PYP are language, social studies, mathematics, science, and technolgoy, arts and personal, social and physical education.

The PYP draws on research and best practice from a range of national systems with a wealth of knowledge and experience from international schools to create a relevant, engaging, challenging and significant educational framework for all children.

The PYP is one of three programmes offered by the International Baccalaureate (IB).

What makes the IB unique?

The IB offers a continuum of high-quality education that encourages international-mindedness and a positive attitude to learning.
The IB has a reputation for high-quality education sustained for over 35 years. The curriculum represents the best from many different countries rather than the exported national system of any one. The Diploma Programme assessment is recognized by the world's leading universities.
The IB encourages international-mindedness in IB students. To do this, they believe that students must first develop an understanding of their own cultural and national identity. All IB students learn a second language and the skills to live and work with others internationally—essential for life in the 21st century.
The IB encourages a positive attitude to learning by encouraging students to ask challenging questions, to critically reflect, to develop research skills, and to learn how to learn. Community service is encourage because of the belief that there is more to learning than academic studies alone.
The IB ensure that their programmes are accessible to students in a wide variety of schools—national, international, public and private—in 134 countries. These IB World Schools form a worldwide community in which there is no such thing as a “typical” school. IB World Schools cooperate in curriculum development, student assessment and the governance of the IB, making it a unique international collaboration.