Grade 1 – 6

Kindergarten and Primary School

Primary Years Programme

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed for students aged 4 – 12 years (Kindergarten to Grade 6). The PYP offers an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum framework that builds conceptual understanding. It reflects the best of educational research and experience derived from IB World Schools.

Learn more about the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme here. The PYP prepares students to become active, caring, lifelong learners who demonstrate respect for themselves and others and have the capacity to participate in the world around them.

The PYP curriculum framework begins with the premise that students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process. It prioritises people and their relationships to build a strong learning community.

PYP students use their initiative to take responsibility and ownership of their learning.  By learning through inquiry and reflecting on their own learning, PYP students develop knowledge, conceptual understandings, skills and the attributes of the IB Learner profile to make a difference in their own lives, their communities, and beyond.

The framework emphasises the central principle of agency, which underpins the three pillars of school life:

  • the learner
  • learning and teaching
  • the learning community

Embedded in the framework is the recognition of the importance of fostering an individual’s self-efficacy. Students with a strong sense of self-efficacy are active in their own learning and take action in their learning community. Learn more about the PYP curriculum framework.

Interested in Learning More?

For families coming to BKA from other educational systems, the PYP may feel very unfamiliar in its approach. With its focus on student-driven inquiry and conceptual understanding, as opposed to curricula that overemphasize content and teacher-focused instruction, the framework offers children a unique opportunity to be active participants in their learning.

The IB’s PYP site provides a clear overview of the programme; details the three core elements of the learner, learning and teaching, and the learning community; and clearly articulates the benefits it provides to children. Ultimately, the PYP “recognizes that learners in this age range require approaches that honor their developmental stage, and the importance of play as the vehicle for inquiry”.

Visit the IB PYP Site