What is the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)?

The PYP is designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses onthe development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in theclassroom and in the world outside. It is a framework guided bysix transdisciplinary themes of global significance, explored usingknowledge and skills derived from six subjects areas, as well astransdisplinary skills, with a powerful emphasis on inquiry.

The PYP is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of mostnational or local curriculums and provides the best preparation forstudents to engage in the IB Middle Years Programme.

The IB Primary Years Programme

addresses students’ academic, social and emotional well-beingencourages students to develop independence and to takeresponsibility for their own learning supports students’ efforts to gain understanding of the world andto function comfortably within it helps students establish personal values as a foundation uponwhich international-mindedness will develop and flourish.

The six subject areas identified within the IB PrimaryYears Programme:

● language ● social studies● mathematics

● larts● science ● personal, social and physical education

The most significant and distinctive feature of the IB PrimaryYears Programme are the six transdisplinary themes

These themes provide IB World Schools with the opportunityto incorporate local and global issues into the curriculum andeffectively allow students to “step up” beyond the confines oflearning within subject areas.

Who we are 

Inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; person,physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationshipsincluding families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights andresponsibilities; what it means to be human

Where we are in place and time

Inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories;homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations andmigrations of humankind; the relationship between and theinterconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local andglobal perspectives

How we express ourselves

Inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas,feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in whichwe reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciationof the aesthetic

How the world works

Inquiry into the natural world and its laws, the interactionbetween the natural world (physical and biological) and humansocieties; how humans use their understanding of scientificprinciples; the impact of scientific and technological advances onsociety and on the environment.

How we organize ourselves

An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.

Sharing the planet

An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.