Introduction

The International Primary Curriculum is a curriculum that is being used in over 1,000 schools in 65 countries around the world. It was launched in 2000 having taken three years to create by a group of leading experts in children’s learning from around the world.

The goal of the IPC is for children to focus on a combination of academic, personal and international learning. We want children to enjoy their learning; develop enquiring minds, develop the personal qualities they need to be good citizens of the world, and develop a sense of their own nationality and culture, at the same time developing a profound respect for the nationalities and cultures of others. Most of all, we want children to develop all the skills they will need in order to confidently face the world of tomorrow.

The IPC is a skill-based curriculum.  This means that the children are given the opportunity to develop skills in different subject areas whilst building their knowledge and developing understanding.  Assessment for Learning ensures that all children are given the opportunity to develop their skills further, whatever their ability.

The curriculum is designed to:

• Prepare children for the changing world. 

• Shift from a national focus to an international one

• Take into account the change from physical work to knowledge based work.

• Prepare children for a Portfolio style of career.

• Take into account the recent research about how children learn best.

• Cater for each individual and be relevant to all nationalities.

The IPC has 2 elements; the Goals and the Units of Work

Goals

There are Learning Goals which state clearly what children should be able to do & understand

The learning goals are for:

Subjects (Art, Science, Music, Geography, History, Society, PE, Technology and ICT)

Personal development (adaptable, communicator, cooperative, investigative, resilient, moral, thoughtful, respectful)

In addition, and unique to the IPC, are the goals for

International Understanding

Units of Work

This is the part of the curriculum which provides practical help for teachers and children in the classroom. The units are arranged around themes that appeal to children, such as 'Chocolate', 'Volcanoes' and  'Treasure'. Each unit is based on the Learning Goals and the practical activities provide the means to achieve the Personal and International Goals.

The IPC is based on brain friendly learning and the activities are designed to take into account each child's individual learning style and the different intelligences.  It should enable children to adapt easily to other education systems.