1. What is the IB Primary Years Programme?
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a world-renowned curriculum framework for children aged 3 – 12. It nurtures and develops young students as caring, active participants in a lifelong journey of learning.
Through its inquiry-led, transdisciplinary framework, the PYP challenges students to think for themselves and take responsibility for their learning as they explore local and global issues and opportunities in real-life contexts.
2. What is the status of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) at Beaconhouse Newlands Islamabad?
Beaconhouse Newlands Islamabad (BNI) is an authorized school to run the Primary Years Programme. After running a period of candidacy for three years, the school gained its authorization in December 2018 following a robust assessment and authorization process by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) . The Primary Years Programme (PYP) at BNI is therefore subject to the Standards and Practices issued by the IBO.
3. What are the timings for PYP students?
| Level | Timings |
| Toddlers’ Programme (Busybodies) | 8 AM to 4 AM (Parents may wish to wish to pick their child anytime after 1 PM |
| Prenursery & Nursery | 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM |
| Kindergarten | 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM |
| Year 1 to Year 5 | 8:00 AM to 3:10 PM |
4. Does BNI PYP have any Toddlers’ Programme?
Yes, Busybodies is BNI’s toddlers’ programme, catering to students aged 3 months to 3 years, and is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. We believe in fostering the individuality and uniqueness of each child, through planned, purposeful play, and with a mix of adult and child-initiated activities based on the Reggio Emilia approach. It is a full-fledged curriculum based programme where the toddlers are assessed for their learning outcomes and reports are shared with the parents.
5. Does BNI Primary Years Programme have a stay-back opportunity?
Yes, the Primary Years Programme has a stay-facility provided for children which is operational until 4 PM from Mondays to Thursdays and until 1 PM on Fridays. This facility is usually availed by younger students from Year One and Early Years.
6. Are the extended curriculum options available for all age groups in PYP?
No, the clubs and Sports options are available for students of Grade one and above.
7. Are the PYP teachers at BNI equipped to teach the transdisciplinary curriculum to students?
As an IB authorized school for PYP, our teachers must complete all categories of IB PYP trainings by the IBO certified workshop leaders. All our PYP practitioners are trained in different categories of training on assessment, inquiry, curriculum, Approaches to Learning etc.
8. What is the student to teacher ratio like in PYP classrooms?
On average, the average student to teacher ratio is 12 to 15 students per teacher. However, Early Years classes offer two teachers (Homeroom and Co-teacher) throughout contact time.
9. Do PYP students give exams?
No, the IB PYP assessment methodology is largely formative and summative. The assessment is totally need based and customized to meet the learning needs of each child and is always ongoing. The teachers and students devise the checklists, rubrics and a range of assessment criteria to assess themselves.
10. Is IB PYP an inclusive department?
Yes, we have a full-fledged Special Education Needs Department with highly qualified staff who plan for learning engagements and interventions to meet the special needs of the students who are on the SEN roll.
11. When do the PYP students start learning a foreign language?
The foreign language options are made available to students from year One and above.
12. What is the IB PYP Exhibition and what age group is it for?
IB PYP exhibition is the hallmark school event for the graduating batch of PYP (Year Five students). It is the formal culmination of Year Five students’ journey of collaboration, research and inquiry into issues of local and global significance under the mentorship of their teachers. It is a showcase of students as learners and what they have achieved in their primary IB schooling. BNI as an IB world school holds the PYP exhibition once a year.
13. What are some of the extra-curricular activities BNI PYP students take part in?
Apart from the Annual School Play, Sports Day, Swimming Gala and PYP Concert our students get countless opportunities to hone their skills at extra-curricular activities by taking part in the morning assemblies where students are invited.
14. How actively involved are the PYP students in the democratic process and Student Council formation?
From Year one and above, all PYP students are aware of the importance of casting a vote and must vote for the different positions of the Student Council. A class representative from every level of PYP is a part of the School Student Council who run for that position and contest the elections.
15. Do PYP students have books?
PYP students do have books for Urdu and Islamiat. However, since the curriculum is transdisciplinary and teaching philosophy and methodology inquiry-based, students are to develop their conceptual understanding by using a range of online and library resources. We therefore do not have designated books for English, Social Studies, Science, Math etc. A PYP classroom and Library provides an academically immersive and stimulating environment to its students. From a very young age, students are encouraged to use as many books, online resources to deepen their understanding and not limit themselves to one book only. This also means that students can use additional resources for Urdu and Islamiat as well.
16. What is the registration process?
a) Step 1: Registration: The initial step for the admission is the registration of the student. For registration we need the following details:
i) Student name
ii) Father Name
iii) Student Age
iv) Father’s/Guardian’s phone Number
v) No Registration Fee due to the pandemic.
b) Step 2: Payment and documentation: After Registration, the parents need to submit the necessary documents to the school which includes:
i) Student Birth certificate
ii) Parents CNIC copies
iii) Student last year reports
iv) Copies of Passport in case of foreign national
v) 2 Passport size photographs of the student.
vi) Completely filled Admission Form (received at the time of registration) (Attached)
vii) Payment of admission fee(non-refundable) and security amount(refundable)
c) Step 3: Admission confirmation: After complete documentation and payment, students can join BNI.