The PYP is founded on the philosophy that children are curious, creative and reflective. PYP learning is fun, relevant, challenging and connected. Above all the PYP promotes students as active investigators and discoverers, seizing the initiative and leading their own learning.

The PYP is the perfect preparation for secondary school and connects to The Abbey School’s Diploma Programme in the Sixth Form, where the School ranks in the top 10 in the world.

What does this mean in practice? The PYP is not about learning facts, though content is robust. It is about learning skills and how to apply knowledge. Learning does not fall into neat separate subject boxes of English, Maths, History etc. We teach those disciplines to the highest level – but we teach them collaboratively. Analysis is a skill that crosses subject boundaries. So is problem-solving. So is creativity. So are most of the skills our students need. That’s what the PYP enables.

We also place inquiry at the heart of lessons. We don’t make our students learn by rote. We encourage them to ask questions and find out information for themselves. We prioritise meaning, understanding, and big ideas.

Of course, this helps our students meet and exceed rigorous Outcomes and Expectations for all year levels and go on to outstanding results. Far more than that, however, they develop the qualities they will need to thrive in the world beyond school.

• Our student’s question, wonder and explore
• They conduct experiments and research, clarifying ideas, testing theories, making predictions
• They become powerful, confident, capable, articulate leaders of their own learning

At The Abbey, everything we do supports students to go on to excellent grades and wonderful outcomes, but we must do so much more. Students must learn how to cope with uncertainty, deal with challenge, innovate and create. This is at the heart of modern work and modern learning and it is at the heart of Human Intelligence.

The Abbey Junior School is an authorised school for the PYP. As an IB World School, we share a common philosophy – a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education – that we believe is important for our students.