IB Middle Years' Programme

Queen Margaret College is a MYP Candidate School and is implementing this programme in the Middle School (Years 7-10). The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is designed for students aged 11 to 16.

MYP aims to help students develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to participate responsibly in a changing and increasingly inter-related world. This means teaching them to become independent learners who can recognise relationships between school subjects and the world outside, and learn to combine relevant knowledge, experience and critical thinking to solve complex problems.

As illustrated in the MYP Curriculum Octagon below, the Learner Profile puts students at the heart of the programme. In all subjects and extra curricular activities, teachers strive to nuture the Learner Profile qualities in all students. The learner profile is not assessed but is visible through the Assessment Criterion of the MYP programme.

Barbara Mavor is the Middle Years' Programme (MYP) Co-ordinator, please feel free to contact her for further information; Barbara.Mavor@qmc.school.nz or go to the International Baccalaureate website.

The MYP is guided by three fundamental concepts:

  • Holistic learning
  • Intercultural awareness
  • Communication

These three fundamental concepts are promoted and fostered through curriculum planning and delivery, extra curricular activities, House competitions, community and service, exchanges, and leadership.

The curriculum contains eight subject groups together with a core made up of five areas of interaction. As shown in the diagram, MYP demands students complete course work in the eight key learning areas:

  1. Language A or English
  2. Language B -a second language(s)
  3. Physical Education
  4. Sciences
  5. Arts
  6. Mathematics
  7. Technology
  8. Humanities

This is similar to the New Zealand Curriculum. However, in MYP the learning is extended as each key area is viewed through the five areas of interaction: approaches to learning, community and service, human ingenuity, environment, and health and social education.

The following video provides a useful insight into the programme and show how it encourages students across the world to become active, compassionate, lifelong learners and prepare them for the future ahead; giving us our greatest hope for a better world.