The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a comprehensive approach to teaching and learning that focuses on the development of the whole child. It combines the best research and practices from a range of national systems throughout the world, each contributing a wealth of knowledge and experience. PYP believes that student learning is best done when it is authentic and relevant to the “real” world.

The curriculum framework incorporates concepts, skills, attitudes, actions, and knowledge. These elements are part of three interrelated questions: What do we want to learn? How best will we learn? How will we know that we have learned?

Academic subjects are studied in transdisciplinary themes where the learning is not confined within the boundaries of traditional subject areas, but is supported and enriched by them. Teachers and students design units for exploration and study that are guided by a series of inquiry questions.

These questions provoke ideas with local and global significance and accentuate concerns people share regardless of their backgrounds or where they live. With a global focus, the PYP programme addresses academic, social, physical, emotional, and cultural needs of students. The curriculum also addresses specific learner attitudes, concept driven instruction, and the understanding that socially responsible actions are an integral part of the learning process.