Arts are integral to the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). They are a powerful mode of communication through which students explore and construct a sense of self and develop an understanding of the world around them. Arts provide students with a wide range of opportunities and means to respond to their experiences and engage with historical, social and cultural perspectives. The students are stimulated to think and to articulate their thoughts in new ways, and through a variety of media and technologies. The PYP recognizes that not all learning can be supported solely through language, and that arts as a medium of inquiry also provide opportunities for learning, communication and expression. Learning about and through arts is fundamental to the development of the whole child, promoting creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving skills and social interactions.

In Grade EC1 - 5, students learn music and visual arts with specialists teachers.

The need to communicate is instinctive. The development of language is fundamental to that need to communicate; it supports and enhances our thinking and understanding. Language permeates the world in which we live; it is socially constructed and dependent on the number and nature of our social interactions and relationships.  Language plays a vital role in the construction of meaning. It empowers the learner and provides an intellectual framework to support conceptual development and critical thinking.

English is the language of instruction and students learn Language in three strands:

1. Oral Language - Listening and Speaking
2. Written Language - Reading and Writing
3. Visual Language - Viewing and Representing

The objective of the mathematics programme at ISB is to develop the student as a mathematician, through fostering their curiosity and enthusiasm for mathematics. Our aim is to ensure that all students are able to apply key approaches to their mathematics irrespective of the content. This is achieved through development our students’ skills, knowledge and conceptual understanding of mathematical processes across the ISB Mathematical Continuum.

Mathematics at the Junior School is taught in four branches:

1. Data Learning: Data is concerned with posing questions, collecting, displaying, analysing, and interpreting information in order to make inferences and inform decisions. Statistics and probability modelling are used to describe trends and patterns observed in data.
2. Number Learning: The number system is a language for describing quantity and the relationships between quantities. Within the number system there are different types of numbers with different properties that can be explored. Number sense allows for estimation, computation and the concept that the value attributed to a digit depends on its place value.
3. Pattern and Function: The identification and generalisation of patterns underpins all of mathematics. By identifying patterns through numbers, shapes, and algebraic symbols, relationships can be explored and described. Generalising patterns and developing functions to describe relationships facilitates modeling of real life situations.
4. Shape and Space: Shape and Space encompasses three main dimensions of mathematics: geometry, spatial reasoning and measurement. It facilitates an appreciation of the connections between mathematical concepts of position, shape, size, pattern, number, and data. Spatial awareness allows for analysing, measuring and transforming geometric quantities in two and three dimensions.

Mathematics progression from Early Childhood 1 to Grade 5 is organised in four phases of development. This is in line with research that concludes that learning mathematics is not linear, and not tied to a specific age. As they engage in the interplay between content and conceptual understandings, learners progress through phases at different rates. 

PSPE in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) is concerned with the individual’s well-being through the promotion and development of concepts, knowledge, attitudes and skills that contribute to this wellbeing. Well-being is intrinsically linked to all aspects of a student’s experience at school and beyond. It encompasses physical, emotional, cognitive, spiritual and social health and development, and contributes to an understanding of self, to developing and maintaining relationships with others, and to participation in an active, healthy lifestyle.

Physical education at ISB is more than just student participation in sports and games. It is about developing a combination of transferable skills promoting physical, intellectual, emotional and social development; to encourage present and future choices that contribute to long-term healthy living; and to understand the cultural significance of physical activities for individuals and communities.

In the Junior School science is viewed as the exploration of the biological, chemical and physical aspects of the natural world, and the relationships between them. Our understanding of science is constantly changing and evolving. The inclusion of science within our Programme of inquiry leads learners to an appreciation and awareness of the world as it is viewed from a scientific perspective. It encourages curiosity and ingenuity and enables the student to develop an understanding of the world. Reflection on scientific knowledge also helps students to develop a sense of responsibility regarding the impact of their actions on themselves, others and their world.

The science curriculum is organized into four branches:

1. Living things
2. Earth and space
3. Materials and matter
4. Forces and energy

In line with the ISB Science continuum EC 1 - Grade 12, the focus of science teaching and learning in the Junior School is on concepts and skills. We recognize that teaching and learning science as a subject, while necessary, is not sufficient. Of equal importance is the need to learn science in context, exploring content relevant to students, and transcending the boundaries of the traditional subject area.

In the Junior School, social studies learning guides students towards a deeper understanding of themselves and others, and of their place in an increasingly global society. It provides opportunities for students to look at and think about human behaviour and activity realistically, objectively, and with sensitivity. Exposure to and experience with social studies therefore opens doors to key questions about life and learning.

The Social Studies curriculum in Junior School is organized into five strands which are inextricably linked to each other:

1. Human systems and economic activities
2. Social organization and culture
3. Continuity and change through time
4. Human and natural environments
5. Resources and the environment

The focus of social studies teaching and learning in the Junior School is on concepts and skills. As in other curriculum areas, we recognized that teaching and learning social studies as a subject, while necessary, is not sufficient. Of equal importance is the need to learn social studies in context, exploring content relevant to students, and transcending the boundaries of the traditional subject area. For this reason, Social Studies is taught in the context of our Programme of inquiry.