About the IEYC, IPC and IMYC

About the IEYC, IPC and IMYC

The International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC), International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) are designed to introduce students to a world of opportunity. Your child will learn subject knowledge, master skills, and develop understanding within thematic learning relevant to their lives and the world around them.

The globally researched International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC), International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) are contemporary and designed to guide learners to be active and reflective thinkers who lead their own learning now and in the future. Students will be informed, globally competent, future-ready, socially conscious, and motivated to positively contribute within a local and/or global context.

These strong and adaptable curricula are driven by Personal, International and Subject Learning Goals. As well as languages, arts, sports, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) subjects, your child will be expected to demonstrate dispositions to help them thrive as a learner. They will also develop international mindedness and global competence.

Personal Learning Goals

Through combining subject teaching with a focus on values, the ICA (International Curriculum Association) cultivates eight specific Personal Learning goals or qualities to help children overcome and embrace challenges. These are taught explicitly and implicitly while studying these 3 prestigious curricula.

The Personal Goals develop learners who are:

• Adaptable – approaching learning flexibly, exploring various roles, ideas, and strategies.
• Collaborators – learning about the different roles in groups and developing leadership skills.
• Communicators – learning to communicate effectively and with integrity using a range of tools and languages.
• Empathetic – demonstrating kindness, recognising the feelings and experiences of others.
• Ethical – learning about rules and moral codes and to make positive, ethical choices.
• Resilient – learning to persevere and knowing when to seek help.
• Respectful – learning how to treat all living things and to respect and care for the environment.
• Thinkers – using a range of thinking and problem-solving skills within and beyond the classroom.

On this page, we will detail each curriculum and explore how gaining an IEYC, IPC and IMYC education with Nord Anglia Education will help your child secure a place at a world-leading university.

Quote: The curriculum covered by the school is modern and teaches thinking and problem-solving. Serena, parent at the British School Warsaw

International Early Years Curriculum (Ages 2-5)

The award-winning International Early Years Curriculum was built on and uses international best practices, holistic and play-based approaches to cover all curriculum areas including personal, social, and emotional development. Informed by progressive research and feedback from schools around the world, the IEYC was developed to meet the needs of our youngest learners at this key stage of their development. 

IEYC Learning Outcomes

The Learning Outcomes within the Academic and International Dimensions identify the Knowledge, Skills and increasing Understanding that children will make progress towards. IEYC recognises the fluid and dynamic nature of young children’s learning and acknowledges that children will not reach developmental milestones at the same time and will demonstrate various aspects of learning within different contexts. The Learning Outcomes within each strand support teachers to monitor each child’s development as they move through the IEYC Units.

IEYC benefits

The IEYC consists of:

• IEYC process of learning, underpinning philosophy, and pedagogy.
• Three dimensions of Learning and Development – Academic, International and Personal.
• Learning Strands within each dimension to describe what students will experience.
• Learning Outcomes to describe the knowledge, skills and increasing understanding children will have as they progress.
• Themed Units of Learning that guide teachers’ planning and provide lesson ideas.
• The online Curriculum Portal to support planning, sharing, webinars, and resources. 
• A Self-Review process that provides guidance on the effective use of IEYC.
• An Accreditation Process (optional) that validates the use of IEYC.
• Full professional learning programme for IEYC with courses for class-based teachers and leadership. (F2F, online and blended).

What we offer

The IEYC aims to improve learning by supporting teachers and leaders through providing contemporary, internationally researched curriculum materials and engaging developmentally appropriate units of learning. Central to the IEYC is the belief in, and commitment to, the holistic development of each child through enjoyable and playful personal, international, and academic learning experiences that prepare them for opportunities and challenges now and in the future. Through the international curriculum, learners are encouraged to be informed, globally competent, socially conscious, and motivated to positively contribute within a local and / or global context.

International Primary Curriculum (Ages 5-11)

The award-winning IPC takes a comprehensive approach to learning, through a structured curriculum focused on Subject, Personal and International learning goals. Individuals develop Knowledge, Skills and Understanding through relevant, diverse, and inclusive thematic units of learning.

IPC Learning Outcomes

IPC Learning Goals are organized into three levels that detail Knowledge, Skills and Understanding  to be learned throughout the primary education years.

In Nord Anglia schools, students are assessed at the end of each milepost at 7, 9 and 11-years-old. They are tested on their knowledge of several subjects including Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Art, Health & wellbeing, Geography, History, Technology, Music, and Physical Education.

The International Learning Goals develop international mindedness and global competence. Every IPC thematic unit includes International Tasks which aim to foster national, international, global, and intercultural perspectives on the world around them. Learners will feel empowered to take action and make a difference.

IPC benefits

The International Primary Curriculum has several advantages over other primary school curricula, that help children thrive in primary education:

• The IPC can be differentiated for each child’s individual learning path, based on their interests and level of understanding.
• It is flexible and can be adapted to local curricula requirements and integrated with other curricula in a creative and engaging way.
• Studying the IPC at a Nord Anglia Education school places you in an international community of schools, teachers, and learners with access to our Global Campus, an online space for sharing information.
• Assessment is aimed at improving learning including the use of Key Skills rubrics.

The IPC encourages collaboration at all levels of education, including between teachers and pupils, peers, and colleagues as well as within the worldwide ICA and Nord Anglia communities.

What we offer

Our talented teachers nurture all the qualities listed above, while providing a challenging and rewarding education for young students. Children who study the IPC go on to be successful at higher education and find their place in an increasingly globalised world. Our home, host, heritage and adopted countries strategy accommodates local cultures and customs, helping your child open the door to opportunities around the world. For our students to make a real connection to the IPC unit, they attend field trips throughout the year to build knowledge, skills and understanding of their studies in class.

International Middle Years Curriculum (Ages 11-14)

The IMYC focuses on building skills that students will need as they move toward adulthood. This curriculum enables them to make sense of what they are learning, as well as to connect and collaborate with others. The IMYC features units of learning crafted around Big Ideas to create rigorous and enjoyable learning opportunities that enable learners to connect and make meaning with their subjects.

The IMYC is based on neuroscientific research on what the adolescent brain requires by following a specific process of learning that helps your child to become a better organiser and planner. Your child will be set Subject Learning Goals that will develop Knowledge, Skills and Understanding, Personal Learning Goals that aim to develop character and attitudes, and International Learning Goals that help develop students to be globally competent, socially conscious, and motivated to positively contribute locally and globally.

IMYC learning outcomes  

The goals and focus of the IMYC are to outline the Knowledge, Skills and Understanding required across all subjects. It helps children become more globally competent, as they learn about diverse cultures and engage in a multilingual education. The IMYC can be used alone or in partnership with other curricula with its detailed and research-informed international perspective on learning during the middle years. All Subject Learning Goals in the IMYC have been developed with assistance from the global teaching community, for teachers, by teachers, and taking guidance from over 20 different national and regional curricula. This makes it easy to adapt to local national curriculum standards, which is exactly what we do at our schools.  

IMYC benefits

Below are the key advantages that come with studying at an International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) school: 

• The IMYC responds to individual learning paths and the specific requirements of 11-14-year-olds, providing the structure and support that the adolescent brain needs.  
• The IMYC uses current media platforms and active skills-based learning to promote self-reflection and gives students the opportunity to make sense of learning.  
• The IMYC is a relevant and engaging curriculum that is centred around individual and shared learning experiences.  
• The IMYC uses a Big Idea to link all subject learning around a concept—such as Adaptability, Responsibility or Entrepreneurship—which helps students connect their learning and make meaning as they move through their disciplines.
• The IMYC allows for single-subject teaching and learning while facilitating collaboration. 
• The IMYC offers a student-centred approach to learning which promotes metacognition, agency, action, and critical and creative engagement with local and global issues.

What we offer 

Our bespoke IMYC provides your child with a global education passport, equipping them to study anywhere in the world. We follow the IMYC Big Ideas throughout and use our Global Campus to connect students and teachers across our network of schools. Gaining an internationally recognised education will help your child secure their place at the world’s leading universities. Developing an understanding of diverse cultures and customs prepares your child for a bright and successful future in a globalised world where knowledge, skills, and international awareness are becoming increasingly valuable. 

Nord Anglia Education is a global family of premium private schools found in many countries around the world. At our IEYC, IPC and IMYC schools, your child will have access to some of the finest international schoolteachers and state-of-the-art facilities in the world, offering them the support they need to thrive throughout their education. Find more information about our schools on our website.