Szeged IPS uses the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). IPC is an internationally recognized educational programme for children aged 5-11 developed by Fieldwork Education. It is used by over 2000 schools in over 90 countries.

What you should know about IPC:

• The aim of the IPC program is to develop each student’s intellectual potential to its fullest, by teaching through topics (units) rather than subjects. 
• It looks at a vast range of topics by integrating Geography, Science, History, Music, Art, Design & Technology and Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Linking subjects means that children make a lot of connections within their learning. Educators now know that the more connections that the brain can make, the better a child can learn.
• IPC teaches children how to think, rather than what to think.
• IPC uses innovative methodology with a lot of ‘hands on’ activities, where teachers are leading from alongside the children rather than the traditional methods of teaching and dictating from the front of the classroom. 
• IPC develops highly transferable skills such as critical and innovative thinking, including a focus on group work.
• The learning units have been carefully designed to cover a range of high-interest topics, all of which enthuse both students and teachers.
• Each unit lasts from 4 to 8 weeks. A class usually covers around 6-8 units per school year. 
• There are three mileposts which ensure that the content and subject matter are relevant to the student’s age.

How a unit is taught:

• Parents are sent a letter at the beginning of each IPC unit that outlines what learning will be covered, and how parents can help support that learning at home if they choose to.
• Each unit starts with an ‘Entry Point’, an introduction to the topic. This is a fun and engaging activity designed to capture the child’s interest and enthuse them about the new topic. 
• Followed by the Entry Point is the ‘Knowledge Harvest’, which is an activity designed to show the teacher how much the class already knows about the given topic. It also highlights areas the children do not know much about enabling the teacher to tailor the unit to suit the class’ needs.
• Following the Knowledge Harvest, the class is ready to start the bulk of the unit, which is the tasks (lessons) themselves. Each task consists of two parts; a research activity followed by a recording activity. These tasks could take anywhere between 1-4 lessons each to complete.  
• Once all of the tasks are completed there is a quiz or test of the knowledge gained and assessments are done based on the clearly specified learning objectives; which are the skills, knowledge and understanding learned throughout the tasks. Learning objectives differ in each Milepost.
• Children are assessed on these learning objectives and are graded in three categories: beginning, developing or mastering levels. From Milepost 3 (Grades 4 & 5) the students receive a percentage for their performance as well.  
• The end of the unit is closed with a conclusion called 'Exit Point’. This usually involves a class trip to somewhere related to the topic and/or a summarising event or task which attempts to capture the essence of what has been learnt. Children often showcase their work to other classes or the parents themselves.

What extras IPC offers:

• Other than the learning objectives, two other learning outcomes highlighted in IPC are personal goals and international mindedness. The personal goals consist of skills such as communication, adaptability, collaboration, empathy, ethics, resilience, and respect. These soft skills are accentuated throughout the school on a daily basis: not only within lessons but within the school’s scheduled events. International mindedness is practiced through daily discussions and conversations, learning about worldwide celebrations and acknowledging historic and current global, social challenges, changes and events. 
• IPC focuses on a combination of knowledge, skills and understanding. No one can properly predict the nature of work and life opportunities that will be available for today’s primary age children by the time they are adults. Many of the jobs they will have don’t yet exist, especially in the fields of ICT, technology and science. With this in mind, IPC focuses on a skills-based approach, developing adaptable and resilient globally-minded learners, prepared for the fast-changing world that they’ll be living and working in.