Searching what the IPC stands for can bring back a scary range of results, none of which actually have anything to do with schools or education. And we’re here to clear all of that confusion up.
What is the International Primary Curriculum?
The International Primary Curriculum (IPC) is the term for a learning programme that has been adopted by schools worldwide as a globally-focused version of National Curriculums. It is used by schools throughout the world, encompassing learners from the age of three to twelve.
As well as teaching children key curricular skills that will improve their subject knowledge base, the IPC also aims to illustrate good learning practises and characteristics to children. It incorporates these within their different units of learning, so that children learn things like respect as well as things like geographical knowledge.
The IPC is used in many international schools worldwide, in over 90 different countries. Some schools in England, including state academies and independent schools, also choose to use the IPC instead of or alongside the National Curriculum. The IPC works in a way so that it can be integrated with other curriculums.
What Subjects are Included in the IPC?
As part of its remit, the IPC provides a programme of study for key curricular subjects, such as Maths, English and Science. It is incorporated with National Numeracy and Literacy Curriculum units, and can be integrated flexibly around the standard National Curriculum.
As with the National Curriculum, subject matter in the IPC is tailored to a relevant age group with different International Primary Curriculum milestones, known as mileposts. But rather than focusing on specific subjects, the IPC instead focuses on themed ‘units’ of work. Each unit will then incorporate different subjects within it. So learners may develop literacy, numeracy and geography skills, all within the same themed unit. This is in order to promote better cross-curricular links and so children see how their learning links up between subjects. This aims to give children a stronger base of learning where they develop their knowledge, skills and understanding across a range of topics.
IPC Learning Goals
The learning goals as part of the International Primary Curriculum come in three parts- subject learning goals, personal learning goals, and international learning goals. These all focus on developing children’s knowledge, skills and understanding. A unique element of the IPC is its emphasis on international learning. A big part of the IPC is teaching children to be more internationally minded with a greater understanding of other countries and cultures. Each unit has intercultural awareness built into its theme, helping children to develop a global awareness. The international learning goals are:
- To develop knowledge and understanding beyond their own nationality.
- Understanding of the independence and interdependence of people cultures and countries.
- A degree of focus on the host country.
There’s also a big focus within the IPC on the difference between developing children’s knowledge, skills and understanding.
Knowledge: Developing knowledge is learning factual information. This can be developed through a child’s own research, or given to them by their teacher. This can then be assessed through quizzes and tests. Though this seems straightforward, knowledge is also subject to change, which can present a challenge to teachers.
Skills: Developing skills is where children learn how to do things practically. This is not learnt in the same way knowledge is, but through practise. And just as the mantra goes, practise makes perfect! And skills are also transferable- what children may learn in one topic or area can then be applied to another.
Understanding: Developing understanding refers to how children grasp conceptual ideas. Understanding is always a work in progress and isn’t easily achieved. The IPC aims to provide children with different experiences and knowledge so that children’s understanding can deepen.
History of the International Primary Curriculum
The history of the International Primary Curriculum started in 1998 and was created by curriculum developers Fieldwork Education. A lot of its appeal comes from its international focus and its creative way of looking at learning. The IPC has grown and spread its roots throughout many schools in many different countries since then. It was created to reflect the changes in the modern world:
- The changes to work, with a new emphasis on the knowledge economy rather than the muscle economy.
- The changes to careers, where people no longer tended to have lifelong careers but lots of different jobs.
- The changes to the world, with an emphasis on the international.
- The changes to education and our knowledge of how children learn.
The IPC aims to reflect these changes within its curriculum:
- Introducing more intercultural awareness for a 21st century global classroom.
- Supporting teachers and schools, with flexible yet structured material to choose from.
- Engaging more children with a wide variety of teaching approaches.
- Encouraging good personal characteristics for children to practice throughout life, such as cooperation, resilience and respect.
It’s now hard to predict what jobs current primary pupils will have when they leave school because of the ever-changing world of work. This is especially true when it comes to computing, science and technology, as many of these jobs may not even exist yet. So the IPC uses a skills-based approach in order to help children become flexible and resilient, as well as globally aware. They can then bring these skills and attributes to whatever field they enter.
