Primary Years Programme
Primary Years Programme
The International School of Piraeus is an authorized IB school to offer the PYP programme. It is the first school in Piraeus offering the PYP and one of the first five in Greece. We are pleased to be pioneers in this field.
The International School of Piraeus was founded to facilitate the lives of Greek and international families in Piraeus and the south suburbs, by offering the reputable International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP).
We offer a high-quality education that stimulates lifelong learning, develops skills and globally relevant concepts, generates good learning habits and promotes positive attitudes.
Within this programme we offer a comprehensive, inquiry-based and student-centered approach to teaching and learning.
We focus on the total growth of the developing child – intellectual, physical, emotional and social, which we monitor and scaffold with rigorous and holistic assessment.
Beyond intellectual rigor and high academic standards, strong emphasis is placed on the ideas of intercultural understanding and respect, responsible communication and citizenship, and cooperation with schools and institutions both in Greece and abroad in order to create a better and more peaceful world.
Our aim is to develop the individual talents of our students and to teach them to relate their school experiences to the realities of the outside world.
The International Baccalaureate Organization introduced its Primary Years Programme in 1997 and from its inception, the IBO has visited international schools to officially assess and authorize the provision of its programmes.
Early Years students (aged 3-5) and students from Grade 1 to 6 are part of the IBO Primary Years Programme (PYP).
The programme focuses on the total growth of the developing child, affecting hearts as well as minds in addressing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic welfare. The PYP combines the best research and practice from a range of national education systems, together with a wealth of knowledge and experience derived from international schools – resulting in a highly relevant and engaging educational programme.
The Primary Years Programme is a transdisciplinary programme of international education designed to foster the development of the whole child, and offers a comprehensive, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning.
Children have to find answers to their own inquiries. The three basic questions that students have to deal with daily are:
- What do we want to learn?
- How best will we learn?
- How will we know what we have learned?
ISP is an accredited IB school since 2013 and every 5 years it undergoes an external assessment by the International Baccalaureate.
THE PYP CURRICULUM
Concepts: Key concepts are expressed as questions – What is it like? How does it work? How is it connected to other things? – that encourages a transdisciplinary perspective and propels the processes of inquiry, which lie at the heart of the curriculum model.
Transdisciplinary and disciplinary skills: Sets of cross-curricular skills (thinking, communication, social, research, self-management) are acquired in the process of structured and free inquiry.
Attitudes: The programme promotes and fosters a set of attitudes that include tolerance, respect,
integrity, independence, enthusiasm, empathy, curiosity, creativity, cooperation, confidence, commitment and appreciation, and which complement our own emphasis on international-mindedness.
Actions: Students are encouraged to reflect, make informed choices and to take action that helps their peers, school staff and local or global community.
Agency: Students are encouraged to express their opinions (voice), to make their own choices (choice) and to guide the educational process (ownership).
Knowledge: The programme identifies a body of significant knowledge for all students in all cultures, in six principal domains: languages; social studies; science and technology; mathematics; arts; personal, social and physical education.
Subject knowledge is integrated using the six transdisciplinary themes of the curriculum model, which are:
- Who we are
- Where we are in place and time
- How we express ourselves
- How the world works
- How we organize ourselves
- Sharing the planet
THE PYP EXHIBITION
Learner ProfilesThe student is showing that he/she is: | |
| Inquirer | Asks relevant questions, is naturally curious, uses skills to conduct research persistently, works independently and uses findings in her/his life. |
| Communicator | Expresses feelings and thoughts in words across the curriculum, communicates in different languages and symbol systems, communicates verbally and non- verbally. |
| Thinker | Uses what she/he already knows, builds on own ideas critically and creatively and responds to the ideas of others in the same way. |
| Risk-taker | Willing to make mistakes, prepared to try something new and to explore new ideas with courage and confidence. |
| Knowledgeable | Has reached objectives of the programme and acquired relevant knowledge for his/her level by exploring themes which have global relevance and importance. |
| Principled | Is capable of moral reasoning by communicating integrity, honesty, fairness and justice. |
| Caring | Is sensitive towards the needs and feelings of others. Shows empathy and thoughtfulness. Has a sense of personal commitment in helping others. |
| Open-minded | Listens, respects and considers other people’s thoughts, ideas, and cultures. Accepts that we are different and have different points of view. |
| Well-balanced | Cares about personal well-being and is emotionally and physically balanced. Is well organized. |
| Reflective | Considers own behavior, actions, communications and learning and is able to analyze own personal strengths and weaknesses in a constructive manner. |
The International School of Piraeus is an authorized IB school to offer the PYP programme. It is the first school in Piraeus offering the PYP and one of the first five in Greece. We are pleased to be pioneers in this field.
The International School of Piraeus was founded to facilitate the lives of Greek and international families in Piraeus and the south suburbs, by offering the reputable International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP).
We offer a high-quality education that stimulates lifelong learning, develops skills and globally relevant concepts, generates good learning habits and promotes positive attitudes.
Within this programme we offer a comprehensive, inquiry-based and student-centered approach to teaching and learning.
We focus on the total growth of the developing child – intellectual, physical, emotional and social, which we monitor and scaffold with rigorous and holistic assessment.
Beyond intellectual rigor and high academic standards, strong emphasis is placed on the ideas of intercultural understanding and respect, responsible communication and citizenship, and cooperation with schools and institutions both in Greece and abroad in order to create a better and more peaceful world.
Our aim is to develop the individual talents of our students and to teach them to relate their school experiences to the realities of the outside world.
The International Baccalaureate Organization introduced its Primary Years Programme in 1997 and from its inception, the IBO has visited international schools to officially assess and authorize the provision of its programmes.
Early Years students (aged 3-5) and students from Grade 1 to 6 are part of the IBO Primary Years Programme (PYP).
The programme focuses on the total growth of the developing child, affecting hearts as well as minds in addressing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic welfare. The PYP combines the best research and practice from a range of national education systems, together with a wealth of knowledge and experience derived from international schools – resulting in a highly relevant and engaging educational programme.
The Primary Years Programme is a transdisciplinary programme of international education designed to foster the development of the whole child, and offers a comprehensive, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning.
Children have to find answers to their own inquiries. The three basic questions that students have to deal with daily are:
- What do we want to learn?
- How best will we learn?
- How will we know what we have learned?
ISP is an accredited IB school since 2013 and every 5 years it undergoes an external assessment by the International Baccalaureate.
THE PYP CURRICULUM
Concepts: Key concepts are expressed as questions – What is it like? How does it work? How is it connected to other things? – that encourages a transdisciplinary perspective and propels the processes of inquiry, which lie at the heart of the curriculum model.
Transdisciplinary and disciplinary skills: Sets of cross-curricular skills (thinking, communication, social, research, self-management) are acquired in the process of structured and free inquiry.
Attitudes: The programme promotes and fosters a set of attitudes that include tolerance, respect,
integrity, independence, enthusiasm, empathy, curiosity, creativity, cooperation, confidence, commitment and appreciation, and which complement our own emphasis on international-mindedness.
Actions: Students are encouraged to reflect, make informed choices and to take action that helps their peers, school staff and local or global community.
Agency: Students are encouraged to express their opinions (voice), to make their own choices (choice) and to guide the educational process (ownership).
Knowledge: The programme identifies a body of significant knowledge for all students in all cultures, in six principal domains: languages; social studies; science and technology; mathematics; arts; personal, social and physical education.
Subject knowledge is integrated using the six transdisciplinary themes of the curriculum model, which are:
- Who we are
- Where we are in place and time
- How we express ourselves
- How the world works
- How we organize ourselves
- Sharing the planet
Early Years students (3-5 years old) implement 4 Units of Inquiry (UOI) during the school year, while primary school students implement all 6 Units of Inquiry (UOI).
To ensure the successful implementation of the programme, all teaching staff, together with the PYP Coordinator, choose each year the approaches to teaching and learning they use, aiming for the all-round development and growth of all pupils, respecting their individual needs. Our main goal is for each of our students to reach the peak of their potential.
THE PYP EXHIBITION
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) exhibition is carried out by the students of the 6th grade and represents a significant event in the life of an IB-PYP school and a student, synthesizing the essential elements of the PYP through their presentation to the whole school community. The Exhibition experience is an opportunity for students to present the student profiles (IB profiles) they have developed throughout their involvement with the programme, choosing themselves the unit of inquiry they are interested in engaging with. To implement the Exhibition, students begin their preparation in November, with the guidance of the PYP Coordinator and their teachers. The final presentation is implemented in June and is the biggest educational event of the school year.
Learner ProfilesThe student is showing that he/she is: | |
| Inquirer | Asks relevant questions, is naturally curious, uses skills to conduct research persistently, works independently and uses findings in her/his life. |
| Communicator | Expresses feelings and thoughts in words across the curriculum, communicates in different languages and symbol systems, communicates verbally and non- verbally. |
| Thinker | Uses what she/he already knows, builds on own ideas critically and creatively and responds to the ideas of others in the same way. |
| Risk-taker | Willing to make mistakes, prepared to try something new and to explore new ideas with courage and confidence. |
| Knowledgeable | Has reached objectives of the programme and acquired relevant knowledge for his/her level by exploring themes which have global relevance and importance. |
| Principled | Is capable of moral reasoning by communicating integrity, honesty, fairness and justice. |
| Caring | Is sensitive towards the needs and feelings of others. Shows empathy and thoughtfulness. Has a sense of personal commitment in helping others. |
| Open-minded | Listens, respects and considers other people’s thoughts, ideas, and cultures. Accepts that we are different and have different points of view. |
| Well-balanced | Cares about personal well-being and is emotionally and physically balanced. Is well organized. |
| Reflective | Considers own behavior, actions, communications and learning and is able to analyze own personal strengths and weaknesses in a constructive manner. |
