NTES Curriculum & Programme Framework Library
Explore the International Primary Curriculum for ages 5–11 and the International Middle Years Curriculum for ages 11–14 as connected stages within the International Curriculum.
This NTES reference page explains learning goals, thematic and interdisciplinary curriculum design, international learning, Big Ideas, professional learning and school implementation.
IPC
Ages 5–11
IMYC
Ages 11–14
Learning
Academic · Personal · International
Provider
International Curriculum Association
Important curriculum distinction
IPC and IMYC provide curriculum goals, learning structures, pedagogy and implementation support. Schools may combine them with national curriculum requirements or later qualification systems such as IGCSE, depending on their context and progression model.
International Curriculum continuum
IPC and IMYC form connected curriculum stages while adapting their learning structures to the developmental needs of different age groups.
Ages 5–11
International Primary Curriculum
The International Primary Curriculum supports primary-aged learners through engaging, relevant and rigorous learning that combines academic development, personal growth and international understanding.
Official ICA information →Ages 5–11
Academic Learning
Personal Learning
International Learning
Thematic learning
Metacognition and reflection
Ages 11–14
International Middle Years Curriculum
The International Middle Years Curriculum supports adolescents through concept-driven, interdisciplinary learning designed around the developmental needs of learners transitioning from primary into secondary education.
Official ICA information →Ages 11–14
Subject Learning Goals
Personal Learning Goals
International Learning Goals
Big Ideas
Interdisciplinary learning
International Primary Curriculum
The IPC supports primary learners through connected academic, personal and international learning designed to improve learning and help children understand themselves, their communities and the wider world.
The IPC develops subject knowledge, skills and understanding through purposeful and connected learning experiences.
Learners develop qualities and dispositions that support independence, resilience, communication, adaptability and responsible participation.
Students develop greater awareness of people, places, cultures and perspectives beyond their own immediate environment.
Learning is organised through connected units that allow students to explore meaningful themes across multiple curriculum areas.
Students are encouraged to reflect on how they learn, what they understand and how they can improve their learning.
The curriculum aims to help learners become informed, socially conscious and able to participate positively in an interconnected world.
International Middle Years Curriculum
The IMYC supports learners aged 11–14 through interdisciplinary curriculum design that helps them connect subject learning through conceptual Big Ideas.
Subject-specific learning goals identify the knowledge, skills and understanding students should develop through disciplinary learning.
Personal learning develops qualities that support increasingly independent, collaborative and reflective adolescent learners.
International learning encourages students to understand different cultures, perspectives, places and global issues.
IMYC units are organised around conceptual Big Ideas that help learners connect understanding across different subject areas.
Teachers help students make meaningful connections between different disciplines rather than experiencing every subject in isolation.
The IMYC explicitly takes account of research into the developmental needs of learners during the transition into adolescence.
Learning architecture
Learners build increasingly secure knowledge across subjects and meaningful areas of study.
Students develop transferable academic, personal and learning skills through repeated practice in different contexts.
Learning moves beyond recall by helping students make connections, explain relationships and transfer ideas to unfamiliar situations.
Both curricula intentionally develop personal qualities alongside academic learning.
Students explore perspectives and experiences beyond their own context and develop increasing global awareness.
Learners are encouraged to think about what they have learned and how their knowledge, skills and understanding are changing.
IPC implementation
Planning should begin with clear understanding of the relevant Academic, Personal and International Learning Goals.
Teachers use curriculum units as structured starting points while adapting learning to their own learners and local context.
Schools can connect IPC learning with local curriculum requirements, language needs, culture and school priorities.
Teachers should identify meaningful connections between subjects rather than creating superficial links simply because topics occur together.
Assessment should help teachers and learners identify progress in knowledge, skills and understanding and determine appropriate next steps.
Classroom conditions, resources, routines and displays should support purposeful inquiry, reflection and learner independence.
IMYC implementation
Teachers use the unit Big Idea to create conceptual coherence and meaningful connections between different subjects.
Interdisciplinary learning should preserve the rigour and identity of individual disciplines while enabling students to make connections.
Learning experiences should respond appropriately to the cognitive, emotional and social characteristics of early adolescence.
Successful implementation benefits from teachers planning across subjects and agreeing how learning connects through the Big Idea.
Subject, Personal and International Learning Goals should remain visible in planning, teaching, reflection and assessment.
Schools should ensure IMYC learning prepares students coherently for later secondary curricula and formal qualification pathways.
School quality
Strong implementation requires shared expectations, coherent planning, professional collaboration and systematic review of learner outcomes and curriculum quality.
Leaders and teachers need a common understanding of what effective learning should look like across the school.
IPC and IMYC should connect to prior and future learning rather than operating as isolated curriculum packages.
Teachers need sufficient knowledge of curriculum philosophy, learning goals, planning structures and assessment approaches.
Collaborative planning helps ensure consistency, stronger interdisciplinary connections and shared expectations.
Schools should gather reliable evidence of learner knowledge, skills and understanding and use it to improve teaching and curriculum design.
Implementation quality should be reviewed systematically using evidence, professional reflection and school improvement processes.
Professional learning
ICA provides professional-development routes for educators beginning, implementing and embedding the IPC and IMYC.
ICA provides introductory professional learning for teachers beginning implementation of the International Primary Curriculum.
Official professional learning →Further professional learning supports teachers in developing deeper understanding of IPC philosophy, learning structures and classroom implementation.
Official professional learning →ICA offers orientation for educators beginning implementation of the International Middle Years Curriculum.
Official professional learning →Professional learning supports teachers in understanding IMYC structures, learning goals, Big Ideas and strategies for improving adolescent learning.
Official professional learning →Curriculum comparison
| Area | IPC | IMYC |
|---|---|---|
| Learner age | Approximately 5–11 | Approximately 11–14 |
| Educational phase | Primary | Middle Years / Early Secondary |
| Curriculum emphasis | Holistic primary learning connecting academic, personal and international learning | Concept-driven interdisciplinary learning designed around adolescent development |
| Learning goals | Academic, Personal and International Learning | Subject, Personal and International Learning Goals |
| Organising structure | Thematic units and connected learning | Big Ideas and interdisciplinary units |
| Progression | Supports progression through primary education and into middle years | Supports progression from primary into later secondary curricula and qualifications |
Official ICA resources
Curriculum structures, learning materials, professional-development programmes and school quality arrangements can change. Schools should verify current information directly with ICA.
Official ICA overview of the International Curriculum family and its curriculum pathways.
Explore International CurriculumOfficial ICA information about IPC philosophy, learning design, global learning and primary curriculum implementation.
Explore IPCOfficial ICA information about IMYC, interdisciplinary learning, Big Ideas and adolescent-focused curriculum design.
Explore IMYCOfficial professional-learning resources supporting teachers beginning and developing IPC implementation.
IPC Professional LearningOfficial professional-learning resources for educators implementing the International Middle Years Curriculum.
IMYC Professional LearningOfficial ICA organisation providing curriculum, professional learning, recognition and accreditation support.
Visit ICACurriculum materials, subscriber-school arrangements, professional-development routes, recognition, accreditation and implementation guidance can change. Schools should use current official ICA information before making formal curriculum decisions.
NT Education Solutions is an independent education provider. Inclusion of the International Curriculum Association, IPC or IMYC does not imply endorsement, recognition, accreditation, membership, partnership or affiliation.
From international curriculum to effective implementation
Successful IPC and IMYC implementation depends on curriculum coherence, meaningful learning goals, collaborative planning, assessment, teacher expertise and continuous school improvement.