Dubai International Academy, Al Barsha is an authorised school for the Primary Years Programme. We are now a full continuum school, authorised to offer the PYP, MYP and Diploma Programme. We also celebrate being the 50th IB World School in the UAE. IB World Schools share a common philosophy- a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education- that we believe is important for our students.
The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Primary Years Programme is a curriculum framework designed for students aged 3 to 11.
The PYP transdisciplinary framework focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both at school and beyond.
By choosing to implement the PYP at DIA Al Barsha, we will develop students’ academic, social and emotional wellbeing, focusing on international-mindedness and strong personal values. The PYP nurtures independent learning skills, encouraging every student to take responsibility for their learning.
The PYP leads directly into the Middle Years Programme (MYP). It can also prepare learners for other inquiry based middle years programmes as most of the knowledge, skills and understanding that students acquire during PYP are readily transferable.
The PYP is a way of teaching and learning is usually taught in conjunction with a curriculum which details more specific content. At DIA Al Barsha we have taken the best from national curricula around the world and benchmarked this content against the UK National Curriculum. We have integrated the National Agenda expectations such as Moral Education and UAE Social Studies into our programme. Where authentic links can't be made, we share the outcomes in stand alone lessons. As part of the new Enhanced PYP, we have also added Science as a separate subject. An advantage we have as an IB school, is that the IB Learner Profiles are embedded in all we do.
The PYP views the development of the following skills as essential for the success of the student. Throughout their learning students acquire and apply these Approaches to Learning:
| Social Skills | Research Skills |
| Thinking Skills | Communication Skills |
| Self-Management Skills | |
The school focuses on developing a series of attributes in the students that make up the PYP Student Profile:
| Inquirers | Thinkers |
| Communicators | Risk-Takers |
| Knowledgeable | Principled |
| Caring | Open-Minded |
| Reflective | Balanced |
The aim of Primary Years Programme is to develop internationally minded people who, recognising their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet help to create a better and more peaceful world.