The International Baccalaureate® (IB) learner profile describes a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academic success. They imply a commitment to help all members of the school community learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them.

In the PYP, it is believed that education must extend beyond the intellectual to include not only socially responsible attitudes but also thoughtful and appropriate action. An explicit expectation of the PYP is that successful inquiry will lead to responsible action, initiated by the student as a result of the learning process. This action will extend the student’s learning, or it may have a wider social impact, and will clearly look different within each age range. PYP schools can and should meet the challenge of offering all learners the opportunity and the power to choose to act; to decide on their actions; and to reflect on these actions in order to make a difference in and to the world

The PYP promotes the use of concepts to create a concept-driven curriculum. Content is also important, but the use of concepts helps students to learn at a deeper level. Students use concepts to make connections. Concepts help in the structuring of inquiry and can be used a lense to go deeper into the learning and understanding as they allow for more open-ended questioning. They are ideal in an international programme as they are timeless, universal, abstract, can be captured in one or two words and they can share common attributes.

The PYP includes two types of concepts; the key concepts and related concepts. Key concepts are broader and more transdsciplinary in nature, while related concepts are more subject specific.

In the PYP as much teaching and learning as possible takes place within the Units of Inquiry. Most of language, as well as all of science and social studies teaching and learning are taught within the Transdisciplinary Themes / Global Contexts