12.02.2026

Learn more about the PYP – Primary Years Programme

The Primary Years Programme (PYP), designed for children aged 3 to 12, offers a transdisciplinary, inquiry-based, and concept-driven approach to teaching and learning that goes beyond traditional subject boundaries. By connecting different areas of knowledge, the programme supports the construction of meaningful understandings about the world and fosters the development of critical thinking, enabling students to apply what they learn and share their knowledge with peers, teachers, and the wider community.

This approach is implemented through Units of Inquiry, in which students explore contemporary issues and challenges based on the PYP’s six transdisciplinary themes: Who we are, How we express ourselves, Where we are in place and time, How we organize ourselves, and How the world works. These themes guide the curriculum and expand learning opportunities, promoting connections across different areas of knowledge from an early age.

At the heart of the PYP curriculum is the idea that students are agents of their own learning. The relationships among students, teachers, families, and members of the school community play a fundamental role in building a collaborative learning environment, in which students are encouraged to take initiative, assume responsibility, and develop autonomy in relation to their choices and learning pathways.

By learning through inquiry and reflection, students build knowledge, develop conceptual understandings and skills, and strengthen the attributes of the IB Learner Profile. Agency is a central principle of the programme and supports three essential dimensions of school life: the student, teaching and learning, and the learning community. In this context, valuing self-confidence and a sense of individual competence helps students become more engaged, participative, and willing to act positively in their surroundings.

With a focus on the holistic development of the child as an inquirer, both inside and outside the classroom, the PYP offers a transformative educational experience for students, teachers, and the entire school community. Academic excellence in the PYP is supported by the development of the Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills and the Learner Profile attributes. While ATL skills — which include critical thinking, research, self-management, communication, and social skills — equip students with practical tools for autonomous and continuous learning (lifelong learning), the Learner Profile attributes shape their character. By encouraging children to be inquirers, caring, principled, and reflective, we ensure that they not only acquire knowledge, but also develop the ethical dispositions needed to act with purpose and responsibility in a constantly changing world.

To make this possible, we provide an engaging, challenging, and meaningful education, promoting consistent and lasting learning. Through partnerships with teachers and active participation in continuous assessment processes, students become autonomous and self-regulated learners, capable of reflecting on their performance, acting on constructive feedback, and expanding their knowledge and skills beyond traditional disciplines.

As a result of this journey, the PYP Exhibition (PYPx) represents a collective culminating experience, in which Grade 5 students put into practice everything they have experienced throughout the programme. At this stage, they engage in an inquiry process, define purposes, formulate relevant questions, and plan actions that connect with significant societal issues. The PYPx also strengthens the relationship between school and community by inviting different voices to observe, listen to, and reflect on the learning presented. Thus, the final presentation becomes not only a sharing of outcomes, but an exercise in authorship, commitment, and responsibility, demonstrating the intellectual, social, and ethical maturity developed by students throughout the PYP.

“At Beacon, we combine the rigor of the Brazilian National Curriculum (BNCC) with the global philosophy of the IB to offer an academically challenging programme that allows our students to understand and value Brazilian culture and context, while also investigating contemporary global issues and challenges. This integration goes beyond content: throughout their journey in the PYP, our students develop essential skills (ATL skills) — such as critical thinking, collaboration, and self-management — that prepare them to be autonomous lifelong learners. Along with strengthening the IB Learner Profile attributes, we shape ethical, curious, and resilient individuals. Our goal is to equip them to be critical thinkers and active agents, capable of solving problems and contributing positively to the local and global communities of which they are part.”

Maiara Terra – Coordenadora de PYP