30 th September, 2015 Introduction to the IPC Science, Geography, History, Art and Design Technology in the Primary School.

Purpose of Today  Introduce the International Primary Curriculum (IPC)  Give details as to why we use it at BSJ  Explain how it is implemented in the classroom  How do we assess what the children are learning  How good is the quality of the IPC  Questions and Answers

IPC Team  Steve Labelle – Social Studies Coordinator  Maria Puzio (Santy) – Art & DT Coordinator  Lynn Fitzpatrick – Science Coordinator  George Lagartixa – IPC Coordinator

Mission Statement To Inspire, Challenge and Nurture for Excellence Our Guiding Principles: ✓ to sustain our reputation for academic excellence by providing a rigorous and balanced international curriculum. ✓ to enable our students to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. ✓ to foster leadership abilities in our students within a friendly and caring community that inspires, challenges and reflects our international ethos. ✓ to enable our students to develop a strong sense of belonging, respect and social responsibility in order to create a better more peaceful world. ✓ to be internationally recognized for our commitment to education for international understanding and partnerships.

What is the IPC? The IPC is a way of teaching through topics subjects like Science, Geography, History, Arts and Technology, (and specialist subjects when possible) in a way that creates connections between the learning. The children develop greater understanding when they can see how things are related.

Subject Learning Science Geography Art Technology Geography - Lake formation - content doesn’t connect with the other subjects Science - Friction - content doesn’t connect with the other subjects Technology - Insulation - content doesn’t connect with the other subjects Art - Pointillism - content doesn’t connect with the other subjects Topic based learning Location of rainforests Rainforest products Lives of rainforest people How and why the rainforest is being destroyed The importance of rainforests How to save the rainforest Diversity of animals and plants Where different animals and plants live in the rainforest Rocks and soils found on the forest floor Camouflage in the rainforest and how it is used by animals and plants Why plants have leaves and why they can be different About the best conditions to grow a plant Learning about rainforest body art and natural materials used Understanding the importance of Tribal Art Designing and painting our own face masks How we can use art to create a rainforest scene Look at different materials and techniques in building dioramas To plan our own Rainforest diorama with specific flora and fauna for each area To create our designs using sturdy materials and appropriate colours and textures

IPC - We teach subjects through topics Topics that interest the children - that will engage them and generate enthusiasm; makes them want to find out more and inspires them to take charge of their learning. Over 140 to choose from.

Why we do it?  Engaging Children  Intercultural awareness  International setting, not just UK specific  Greater understanding of what is learnt  Rigorous Learning - It covers the majority of the UK curriculum but has established assessment (Skills Ladders)  Developing personal skills

Can IPC guarantee subject coverage? Different topics have different emphasis on particular subjects - so how do we ensure coverage of subjects is complete? How do we know we haven’t missed anything?

Can IPC guarantee subject coverage? We use the IPC route planner which ensures that nothing gets missed out.

How do we use the IPC in class?  Knowledge Harvest  Wow Days  Cross-curricular learning.  Exit points.

Knowledge Harvest Starting with the children’s ideas:  sharing existing ideas, concepts and skills.  sharing own ideas for next steps in learning, learning questions from the children.

Wow Days or Entry Points  Used to engage the children and stimulate their thinking about the learning focus.  Also an opportunity for teachers to observe and assess children’s understanding.

Cross-curricular Learning  The learning focus or ‘topic’ is at the centre of learning in each subject area.  Teaching in Science, Geography, History and Art is linked to the learning focus.  Subject research activities and subject recording activities.

Exit Point  Consolidation of learning.  Sharing what has been learned and ‘teaching’ others.  Demonstrating understanding.  Reflecting on own learning.

How do we assess?

History Progression 1 - Chronology

History Progression 2 - Past/Present

History Progression 3 - Sources

Inspections and Accreditation How good is the quality of the learning?

Extracts from the ISI report “…the quality of the curriculum is excellent…offering pupils many opportunities to excel” 2(a) Main Findings ‘Pupils show that they benefit considerably from the strong levels of enquiry, independent learning and the ability to collaborate that are the result of their involvement in the International Primary Curriculum. 3(a) The quality of the pupils’ achievement and their learning, attitudes and skills

Extracts from the ISI report “The pupils’ attainment (...) is judged to be excellent in relation to English national age-related expectations.” 3(a) The quality of the pupils’ achievement and their learning, attitudes and skills ‘The pupils’ performance in class, samples of written work seen and their responses in interviews with inspectors confirm this judgement. Pupils of all abilities, including those with SEND, make excellent progress in relation to pupils of similar ability 3.4 The quality of the pupils’ achievement and their learning, attitudes and skills

Upcoming IPC workshops  Thursday 12th November - Science in the Primary School: Gaining essential knowledge, skills and understanding by exploring the world around us.  Thursday 19th November - Every child is an artist: Skill progression in the Primary School.  Thursday 26th November - Social Sciences in the Primary School: Developing historical and geographical understanding through topics.  Thursday 3rd December - Design & Technology in the Primary School: Planning, making and evaluating.

Thank you for attending! We hope it has given you a better understanding of what the IPC is about. A copy of this presentation is available on the website.website Leave feedback here: or use the QR code to access the feedback form.

Questions and Answers Time