This term, CCC has been working towards applying for candidacy for the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program. Adding the Middle Years Program to the Primary Years Program (PYP) and the IB Diploma already in place means that CCC will become the first state school in Queensland to offer our community a world-class education through three IB programs.

We have been holding Parent Information Sessions to provide information about this exciting development for students and families in Junior Secondary. These sessions have been well- attended, and parents have expressed their enthusiastic support for bringing this programme into Junior Secondary.

What is the Middle Years Programme (MYP)?

The MYP is the second of the programmes offered by the International Baccalaureate (IB). “The MYP encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world, preparing them for success in further study and in life. The MYP aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning. The programme empowers students to inquire into a wide range of issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally and globally. The result is young people who are creative, critical and reflective thinkers.” (https://www.ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/what-is-the-myp/)

Who is the MYP for?

The MYP is a framework designed to meet the needs of all students in early adolescence. It can be adopted by schools in different ways to suit the needs of the school and the community. CCC will begin by offering it to students in Years 7-9. All students will undertake the MYP, just as all students in Junior School undertake their learning in the PYP. The framework is flexible, and allows us to continue to meet the needs of all students in our community. Students with disabilities, students whose first language is not English, as well students entering APEX and ADP, will all be learning in the MYP framework. MYP is for every student in Junior Secondary.

How does the MYP connect to PYP and IB Diploma?

There is continuity between the MYP and the other programmes CCC is authorised to deliver. The MYP continues to develop the Learner Profile and Approaches to Teaching and Learning which are common to the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and continues into the IB Diploma.

What do students learn in the MYP?

Students study academic subjects from 8 subject groups in the MYP, and these subjects are those we already offer in Junior Secondary. Their learning is discipline-based, and encourages them to think like experts in these subjects. They learn to be curious, active learners through inquiry which is already the approach being used in our Junior Secondary classrooms. The MYP framework is not a curriculum, but a framework designed to work with the curricula of any country. Students at Calamvale will still be studying a course based in the Australian Curriculum.

How does it prepare students for Senior Pathways?

MYP gives all students the opportunity to achieve to their potential, and prepares students for the multiplicity of pathways offered in our Senior School. The understandings, skills and dispositions developed in the MYP set students up for success in the pathway they are best suited for, whether that is the University-focused pathways of ATAR and IB Diploma, the wide range of opportunities in the Diploma of Business, or the work-focused pathways of VET and work-readiness.

As we move towards candidacy for the Middle Years Programme, more parent sessions will be held to keep our community informed of our journey. Please join us to learn more about how the MYP and an IB education benefits children of all ages at our College!