Welcome to the International Primary Curriculum
What is the IPC?
• A philosophy (what we believe)
• A pedagogy (an approach to teaching and
learning)
• A process (which honours how children learn best
in this age group)
Our philosophy, pedagogy and process are aimed
at improving children’s learning.
Fast facts
• Includes over 130 thematic units
• Taught in over 90 countries
• International schools
• UK state schools and academies
• Dutch national schools
• Special Education schools
• Shell schools
• British Schools of America
The Programmes
• Main Programme:
Milepost 1 (5-7 years)
Milepost 2 (7-9 years)
Milepost 3 (9-12 years)
• Assessment for Learning Programme
• Specialist Skills Programmes (Art, Music, PE, ICT &
Computing)
Developing 21st Century Learners
The IPC extends knowledge, skills and
understanding, develops personal attributes and
supports an international perspective in a way that
responds to revised ideas about learning.
Types of Learning
Academic Learning
The IPC Subject Learning Goals are the foundation on which
the IPC was built. The learning goals cover the knowledge,
skills and the understandings that children will develop.
Knowledge Skills Understanding
What children will What children will What children will
know be able to do understand
Personal Learning
The IPC Personal Learning Goals underpin each unit – they
represent the attributes that we believe children will find
essential in the 21st Century. They help children to develop
those qualities that will enable them to be at ease with the
continually changing context of their lives.
Enquiry Communication
Thoughtfulness Adaptability
Cooperation Resilience
Respect Morality
International Learning
The IPC’s International Learning Goals help children begin
the move towards an increasingly sophisticated national,
international, global and intercultural perspective and develop
a sense of ‘international mindedness’.
Each unit has embedded within it, across the different
subjects, learning-focused activities that help children start
developing a global awareness and gain an increasing sense
of themselves, their community and the world around them,
as well as inspiring positive action and engagement with
global issues.
Thematic Units
• Art • Science
• Geography • PE
• History • Technology
• ICT • Music
• Language Arts • Society
• Mathematics • International
Our units are organised around a theme, which helps children to see how
subjects are both ‘independent’ and ‘interdependent’ enabling them to
see ‘the big picture’ of their learning, make connections through and
across different subjects, and talk about a theme from multiple
perspectives.
The IPC Process of Learning
There is a distinct learning process with every IPC unit, providing a
structured approach to make sure that children’s learning experiences are
as stimulating and rigorous as possible.
Entry Point
• Wow factor!
• Motivation for learning – the hook
• Inspire learning through passion for
The Magic Toymaker
the theme – Milepost 1
• Makes learning fun
Circus Unit – Milepost 1
Chocolate unit – Milepost 2 Investigators – Milepost 3
The Knowledge Harvest
• What do children already know?
• Helps to make connections with
previous learning
Explaining the Theme
• Gives children the ‘big picture’ of their learning
• Shared with parents at the start of a unit to help support the learning at
home
Researching and Recording
Each IPC unit has a research activity and a recording activity. Research activities
always precede the recording activities. During research activities, children use a
variety of methods and work in different group sizes to find out a range of
information.
During the recording activities, children interpret the learning they have researched
and have the opportunity to demonstrate, share and explain their learning in different
ways.
Exit Point – when the learner becomes
the teacher!
The exit point has two main purposes:
to help children pull together their
learning from the unit and to celebrate
the learning that has taken place.
Mission to Mars - Milepost 3
Pictures, Paintings and
Photographs - Milepost 2
16
Assessment for Learning
It isn't enough to assume that children are learning. We
need some way of measuring improvements in learning.
Our programme supports teachers in assessing, and
children in self-assessing, their progress with key skills
from the IPC Learning Goals. It provides:
• specific skills assessment for Mileposts 1, 2 and 3
• a system that provides learning advice
• a rubric (success criteria) for teachers and children
• tracking through beginning, developing and
mastering
Sample Teacher Rubric
Beginning Developing Mastering
The child can make a The child independently The child independently
simple map or plan with produces a map with produces a map with
some identifiable three or more most features in the
features in pictorial identifiable features in correct position relative
form. correct relative to one another.
positions.
The features are not in They use symbols
their correct relative Features may be shown rather than pictures to
positions. as pictures or symbols. identify features and
may include a simple
key.
Sample Children’s Rubric
Peer Assessment
Children use the rubrics
to self and peer assess,
putting them in charge
of their own learning.
How you can get involved!
• Look out for the parent information letter to find out about
the next IPC unit
• Supply resources from home and host country if available
• Join in with entry and exit points
• Talk to your children about their learning
