IB Primary Years Programme

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.

Blackwood Primary School is an International Baccalaureate World School. We have successfully been authorised for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) from Reception to Year 6.  Underpinning the PYP is the IB Learner Profile, a set of attributes displayed by an internationally minded person. These attributes serve not only as a guide for the kind of student that will graduate from our school, but for all the learners in our school community, students, staff and parents.                         

 
Why the IB Primary Years Programme?
The International Baccalaureate Curriculum:

• Places the student at the centre of the curriculum, considering all aspects of learning: academic, emotional, intellectual and social development.
• Fosters global identity and intercultural awareness, within a stimulating and caring learning environment.
• Develops students who are international citizens and independent, life-long learners. 
• Encourages students to be active citizens, participating in creative and service-oriented activities.
• Smoothes the transition from kindergarten to school and Year 6 to high school.
• Requires teachers to work collaboratively, facilitating continuity and consistency of learning.
• Engages students in self-reflection at a personal and academic level. 
• Combines the best research and practice from around the world to create a relevant and engaging educational framework for all children.
• Supports the Australian National Curriculum. 
• Ensures educators provide a rigorous curriculum with opportunities to attend cluster, state, national and international training and development.

Primary Years Programme
The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed for students between the ages of 3 and 12 years. It is an international, transdisciplinary programme designed to foster the development of the whole child, touching hearts as well as minds and encompassing academic, social, physical, emotional and cultural needs. 

Six transdisciplinary themes provide the framework for students to engage in rich, meaningful inquiry. At Blackwood Primary School we have developed a Programme of Inquiry, engaging students in six units of inquiry each year for our Year 1-6 classes and four units of inquiry for our reception classes. Covering each of the 8 subject areas, students develop an understanding of important concepts, acquire essential skills and knowledge, develop particular attitudes and learn to take socially responsible action.

Students in their final year of the PYP carry out an extended, collaborative inquiry project known as the Exhibition. This represents a significant event in the life of both the school and student, synthesizing the essential elements of the programme and sharing them with the whole school community. It is an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the Learner Profile that have been developed throughout their engagement with the programme. It is a culminating experience marking the transition from the PYP to the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and to prepare students with skills, concept understanding and knowledge for High School and beyond. 
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