THE I.B. PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME (P.Y.P.)
The P.Y.P. (Primary Years Programme) prepares students to be lively, supportive and to adopt a spirit of learning throughout their lives so that they show respect for themselves and others as well as being able to take full part in the world around them. It focuses on the holistic development of the infant and their ability to explore and discover, both inside and outside the classroom. Infants aged 3 to 12 learn while motivated by constant discovery and by taking responsibility for their own learning.
The programme consists of six inter-disciplinary themes which originate from six disciplines:
The cross-curricular themes are the distinguishing feature of the I.B. programmes. These allow the student to overcome the traditional limitations imposed on learning by subjects; discovering who we are, where we are in space and time, how we express ourselves, how the world works, how we organise ourselves and how we share our planet.
Children in Early Years stage are immersed in the language in order to learn it naturally as if they were with an English family or in a British classroom. Students use English as the vehicle to communicate, without being aware that they are learning a language, interacting with classmates and teachers as if they were using their mother tongue.
A significant example is that they learn English vocabulary that they don’t necessarily know in Catalan and Spanish yet and they use it spontaneously even at home with their families.
You only discover once. For this reason these discoveries are so important, seeing as they are unique and forever. This is how infants aged 3 to 5 learn the most important issues. This is hence one of the most powerful tools for learning.
Our job is to provide the infants with the necessary tools to be able to explore and discover. That is to say, a positive environment with an atmosphere which motivates them and the right material to investigate, enjoy themselves, get on well together and resolve problems through critical thought.
At Princess Margaret International School we believe that during the infant education stage we have to strive to make infants feel comfortable in an atmosphere which allows themselves to develop emotionally and learn observing, experiencing, all while playing. Learning to want to learn.