The Primary Years Programme focuses on the holistic development of the child. The PYP encourages a collaborative approach to teaching and learning, allowing educators to design activities, lessons and programs suited to meet children's individual academic, social, physical, emotional and cultural needs. These learning experiences transcend the classroom and engage students within communities of a local, national and global context.

The Australian International School is dedicated to developing a community of learners who help to create a better and more peaceful world through the creation of enduring understandings in personal cultural identity, cross-cultural studies, integration of global perspectives and inquiries into contemporary, global issues.

Ultimately, the PYP aims to develop characteristics/attributes of students who have empathy and a desire to understand the experiences of others. These attributes are manifested in the IB Learner Profile and provide students, teachers and parents with a framework for holistic education:

Inquirers	Open-minded
Knowledgeable	Caring
Thinkers	Risk-takers
Communicators	Balanced
Principled	Reflective

The IB Learner Profile
To view a detailed explanation, please pass your cursor over each icon displayed above. For more information, click here.

Our decision to embrace the PYP as the means for developing significant, engaging, challenging and relevant curricula was influenced by its international focus and pedagogical strength. The PYP emphasises a student-centred approach to learning, thus making it responsive to the needs of all students regardless of ability, nationality or educational background.

Central to the PYP is an inquiry-based approach as the premise for learning. Teachers and students develop and use key questions that are concept-based to structure their learning across all areas of the curriculum. Units of Inquiry are developed as a focal point for transdisciplinary integration to occur across traditional subject areas (Social Studies, Science and Technology, Language, Mathematics, Personal and Social Education, Drama, The Arts). Students acquire and apply transdisciplinary skills (skills that are embedded within all disciplines) as well as explicit attitudes and the expectation of socially responsible behaviour.

Presently, we continue the process of developing the depth of our Program of Inquiry in terms of transdisciplinary integration and authentic assessment for learning. We are also examining ways to provide students with increasing opportunities to take meaningful action in the world around them, now and in the future, based upon what is learned.

For more information about the PYP, click here, visit the IBO website or contact Ardene Mandziy (Primary) and Jo Pearn (Junior), PYP Coordinators of the Australian International School.