Introducing the IPC

The International Primary Curriculum (IPC) is used in schools all over the world. Currently this includes nearly 1,800 national and international schools in over 90 countries.

Learning with the International Primary Curriculum means that children focus on a combination of academic, personal and international learning that is exciting and challenging. The aim of the IPC is to help every child enjoy the learning of a wide range of subjects and to develop an enquiring mind, the personal attributes that will help throughout teenage and adult years, and to develop a sense of his or her own nationality and culture, at the same time developing a profound respect for the nationalities and cultures of others. Through the IPC approach to learning children develop the knowledge, skills and understanding necessary to confidently face the world of tomorrow.

The IPC was introduced in 2000 and has been successfully meeting the learning needs of children for many years. It took four years with leading educational thinkers, school leaders, highly skilled teachers and curriculum writers to create the IPC. Its continued development today ensures that children are learning a current and highly relevant curriculum based on the very latest research into the brain and the increasing understanding of how children learn.

A number of downloads relating to the IPC are available on the main Curriculum page.

10 Things Parents Should Know about the IPC

1. The International Primary Curriculum is a curriculum that is being used in over 1800 schools in 90 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.

2. 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.

3. Children learn through a series of IPC units of work. Each unit of work has a theme that today’s children find interesting and relevant. Examples of these themes include: Time Travelers, Scavengers and Settlers and The Holiday Show. Each unit of work lasts on average between four and eight weeks and children learn many of their subjects through this one common theme so that their learning has meaning to them.

4. Linking subjects means that children can make lots of connections with their learning. We now know that the more connections that the brain can make, the better a child can learn.

5. The development of skills is a very big part of the IPC and learning activities have been designed so that children can develop these skills. This development of skills even applies to the personal learning goals which emphasise adaptability, resilience, thoughtfulness, cooperation and respect and which, as a result of progressive skill development, help children to become able and inspired learners.

6. The IPC is not just topic learning. Although the learning is based around a theme, the learning that the children do within that theme has very distinct outcomes to ensure that children are learning exactly what they need to learn.

7. The IPC focuses children’s learning on a combination of knowledge, skills and understanding. No one can properly predict the nature of work and life opportunities that will be available for today’s primary age children by the time they are adults. Many of the jobs they will have don’t yet exist; especially in the fields of ICT, technology and science. So the IPC focuses on a skills-based approach, developing adaptable and resilient globally-minded learners, prepared for the fast-changing world that they’ll be living and working in.

8. The IPC has been designed for children of all abilities and all learning styles, and encourages learning in groups as well as individual learning.

9. In order that parents know what their child is learning, they are sent a letter at the beginning of each IPC unit which outlines what learning will be covered and how parents can help continue that learning at home if they choose.

10. The continued development of the IPC today ensures that children are learning a current and highly relevant curriculum based on the very latest research into the brain and children’s learning. The IPC is a part of Fieldwork Education which, since 1984, has been helping schools all around the world to develop children’s learning. For more information about the IPC visit www.greatlearning.com/ipc