The International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) is a ground-breaking programme designed specifically for learners aged 11-14 years. Utilising research around the needs of the teenage brain, the IMYC connects and improves learning and supports the challenging transition from primary to secondary school. It provides a dynamic and challenging curriculum that fosters intellectual, personal, and social growth.

Through its progressive, culturally responsive pedagogy, it encourages teenagers to be informed, globally competent, and future-ready learners.

Learn more about IMYC products and services.

Personalised learning

As the final stage of the International Curriculum, the IMYC incorporates the latest educational research and evidence to ensure it remains at the forefront of learning design for international education.

The IMYC enables teachers to personalise the curriculum to adolescents’ needs while developing their Knowledge, Skills and Understanding across multiple subject areas.

This personalisation is delivered through the Subject, Personal and International Learning Goals which are core elements of the IMYC. These goals encourage students to engage meaningfully with their academic disciplines, develop personal growth and cultivate an interest in diverse cultures, places, and issues, helping them become globally competent citizens who positively impact society.

See how the IMYC could benefit your school.

The benefits

01 Interdisciplinary learning

The IMYC is structured around a Process to Facilitate Learning, which is designed to promote engaging learning for adolescent students in the middle years. Each unit of learning in the IMYC has the Process to Facilitate Learning embedded throughout the Big Idea and specific subject learning tasks and activities. Teachers can create rigorous and enjoyable learning opportunities that enable students to connect and make meaning with their subjects.

The use of Big Ideas and essential questions to frame learning experiences encourage students to make connections across different subjects. This approach helps students develop a deeper understanding of concepts and their applications in real life.

The IMYC emphasises inquiry and research skills, encouraging students to investigate topics, ask critical questions, and seek our answers. This method fosters independent learning, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, collaboration, and a love of learning.

The structure of the IMYC units of learning enables students to make connections across different subject disciplines leading to a more holistic approach to learning through transformative literacies.

02 A flexible curriculum

The IMYC can be used alone or in partnership with other curricula. It has been mapped to the English National Curriculum and the American Common Core Standards, demonstrating its flexibility and rigour with international benchmarks in education.

The unit structure of the IMYC, its focus on metacognitive and reflective learning and its unique IMPARTS model (meeting the needs of the teenage brain) ensure that the curriculum remains relevant and effective in any school context.

03 Support with implementation

Schools and educators receive a comprehensive set of detailed materials and documentation to support implementation, outlining each stage of planning and delivery. This includes an interactive planning tool with pre-populated routes specifically designed for schools beginning their IMYC journey.

Book a meeting

Testimonials

What do our schools think of the International Middle Years Curriculum?

“

The Six Key Needs of the Adolescent Brain have made such a difference in our school. Not only do they highlight what our learners need in order to be successful and confident, but the IMPART acronym has provided us with a framework for teaching that has helped us be consistent within and across departments. Our practices are driven by a shared understanding of what teenagers need, and the results are evident in our learners' ability to explain how their key needs are in focus in each class.

Through using the IMYC for almost a decade, I have continued to see how the structures, lessons and goals of the curriculum enable daily strong engagement for learners. This authentic engagement captures the learners' interests and encourages them to go deeper than the surface of each subject area. It creates a classroom culture of curiosity where students naturally dig deeper into topics and have the opportunity to synthesize their research in creative ways.

We have seen tangible progress in how our students engage with their own learning since starting with the IMYC. Teachers love it for the freedom it gives them to be innovators and collaborators. Our students love it for its interactivity and depths of understanding it gets them to explore. We choose the IMYC because it perfectly aligns with our ideas of globalized citizens and life-long learners, and we couldn't be happier with our decision.

Case Studies

Futuraskolan International School, Sweden

Implementation Partner

Partnering your school with an ICA guide to help you through the critical first phase of curriculum adoption. We work alongside your team to establish strong foundations, create practical frameworks, and build confidence in your new curriculum journey.

Accreditation

Working with you to:

champion quality
improve learning and,
unlock potential.

Professional Development

The 25th Birthday of IPC

Celebrating the International Primary Curriculum’s 25th anniversary – join the global celebration!

The International Primary Curriculum (IPC) turns 25 on 14 September! Over the past quarter of a century, the IPC has empowered schools cross the globe to nurture curious, creative and connected learners.

Nine challenges. Four months. One global celebration

This year, we’re marking the milestone with a series of exciting IPC themed challenges, which have been designed to spark imagination, celebrate diversity, and showcase the global IPC community in the classroom.

Each challenge has been curated to be simple, fun and flexible so schools can choose how to get involved.

Join us as we reflect on the past, celebrate the present and imagine the next 25 years of the IPC together.

History of the IPC

The beginnings of the IPC

In the 1990s, Peter le Noble, Martin Skelton and David Playfoot began to brainstorm on a more effective and truly relevant international curriculum for the Shell schools. It took them more than four years to develop the dream of providing a cross-curricular and thematic programme for children of all abilities, with more than 70 units of work, spread over three mileposts and based around themes of real interest to the children.

Shell's contribution

The acronym ‘IPC’ first appeared in Shell’s vocabulary in the 1930s, when Shell had a 23.75% stake in The Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC). Seventy years later, Shell invested in a completely different IPC, which was initially called The Shell International Primary Curriculum. The IPC was designed to meet the demands of 21st-century learning and to be suitable for the diverse cohorts of international children enrolled in Shell schools worldwide.

Starting out

Martin Skelton shares, “I vividly remember, on a visit to the Shell school in Bintulu (Malaysia) during the IPC trial period, how the children and parents enjoyed the Olympics, one of the first units of work we developed and trialled in the Shell Schools”.

"I look forward to the IPC community participating in the celebrations and completing the challenges!"

Jaqueline Harmer - Head of the IPC

We asked IPC learners 'What would make the IPC better?' This is what they said -

“

Nothing, the IPC system is perfect, how it works, how we use it, overall, the IPC is fantastic.

I think nothing would make IPC better because it is already awesome to learn.

I think that IPC is a perfect way of learning so I wouldn't make the IPC different.

News

7 Nov 2026

Taking action: the courage to begin

In this article, Maura Murphy, the International Primary Curriculum Leader for Learning at Rumukoroshe School in Nigeria, shares how her school builds confidence in students,

5 Nov 2026

Celebrating the winners of the ICA Teacher Awards 2026

We are delighted to announce the nine winners of the ICA Teacher Awards 2026, revealed on 5 November 2026 at a special ceremony during the

27 Oct 2026

Curriculum Connections: IEYC – IPC

In this article, our Head of Curriculum, Jacqueline Harmer, explores how the four facets of curriculum support connected and coherent learning across the early years

24 Oct 2026

IEYC in Action: Start Small and Start Early

How the Seoul British Foreign School uses the IEYC to build the foundations for learning, promote community engagement, and student awareness and appreciation for the

23 Oct 2026

Meet the ICA Teacher Awards 2026 finalists

The shortlist is in! Following an incredibly competitive judging process, we are delighted to introduce the finalists for this year’s ICA Teacher Awards 2026. We

International Primary Curriculum

The International Primary Curriculum (IPC) is an innovative and comprehensive programme for learners aged 5-11 years. It supports the holistic development of learners with enjoyable, relevant, and rigorous learning, that prepares them to be globally competent, socially conscious, and motivated individuals that positively contribute to the world they live in.

Designed to be engaging for primary-aged learners, the IPC embraces the transformative nature of learning with the goal of improving learning for all.

Inspiring young minds, cultivating changemakers, building global citizens

Read our brochure to learn more about IPC products and services

A global learning focus

The IPC encompasses Academic and Personal Learning, which supports students to flourish both inside and outside of the classroom, while its interconnected, global learning focus helps students build an understanding of people from other parts of the world.

Its learner-focused, progressive pedagogy has been developed based on current neuroscientific understandings. It enables students to make connections between the classroom, prior learning, and life experiences with a focus on metacognition, encouraging students to reflect deeply on each stage of their learning journeys.

See how the IPC could benefit your school.

The Benefits

01 Engaging Curriculum

Inspiring young minds and cultivating changemakers

The IPC’s thematic and active learning approach makes learning enjoyable and memorable, with learning opportunities that bring smiles. By using engaging themes and practical activities, the curriculum captures students’ interest and enthusiasm from the very beginning. It inspires children to look at the bigger picture, to question what can we do about that, how can we make a difference?

The IPC incorporates a wide range of thematic units based on globally relevant themes, enabling learners to make meaning of their new knowledge, show their skills and apply their understanding to the real world. The thematic units help students see connections between different subjects, such as science, history, geography, and the arts. This integrated approach fosters a deeper understanding and retention of knowledge.

The IPC encourages students to reflect on their learning experiences, helping them develop self-awareness, understand their learning processes, and set personal goals for improvement.

02 Tailored to local requirements

IPC teachers and leaders are provided with comprehensive materials to implement the curriculum, including guidance documentation, a detailed Learning Goals matrix and online route planning tool that allows them to take ownership of the curriculum.

Schools delivering the IPC have access to over 150 units of learning, which feature detailed descriptions of learning tasks, connect learning across multiple subject areas, and can be tailored to local requirements. The framework is flexible to meet the needs of any school context.

03 Global Perspective

Building global citizens

The IPC promotes international mindedness, helping students appreciate diverse cultures and viewpoints. This global focus prepares students to thrive in an interconnected world.

International learning and global competence can be enhanced through connecting with classes using the IPC in other countries; harnessing technology to research, discover broader perspectives and share insights with each other.

Book a meeting today

Testimonials

“

Implementing the IPC in our school helps us break boundaries and teach children to see beyond the walls of the school, making a stronger link between what they learn and real-life situations.

Through studying the IPC my pupils have a more accurate and realistic approach to life in another culture, enabling them to genuinely embrace diversity and build a brighter future together.

The IPC is an integral and valued part of the learning experience for our students. We aspire for the children to leave our school feeling knowledgeable about the world and empowered to make a difference, and the IPC supports us with that. The units of learning provide wonderful opportunities for our students to engage in local communities, gain a greater understanding of current issues, and deepen their curiosity about the world around them.

Learning through the IPC is always exciting, engaging and challenging, and involves the whole school community. The Personal Goals taught through the IPC are the core of our schools’ vision and mission as they inspire our learners to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world.

Testimonials

What do our schools think of the International Primary Curriculum?

“

Implementing the IPC in our school helps us break boundaries and teach children to see beyond the walls of the school, making a stronger link between what they learn and real-life situations.

Through studying the IPC my pupils have a more accurate and realistic approach to life in another culture, enabling them to genuinely embrace diversity and build a brighter future together.

Case Studies

01/04

Implementation Partner

Accreditation

Working with you to:

champion quality
improve learning and,
unlock potential.

Professional Development

Partnering with Monster Phonics

ICA and Monster Phonics

We are pleased to share that we have partnered with Monster Phonics.

Monster Phonics is an award-winning programme with a multisensory approach that dramatically enhances learning and engagement. Covering Nursery to Year 6, this is a comprehensive phonics and spelling scheme that guides children on an exciting learning journey

The Partnership

We have partnered with Monster Phonics to provide access to a comprehensive suite of literacy resources, designed to engage students and build strong reading skills.

The partnership enables international schools to access innovative phonics resources that cater to diverse learning needs and enhance English language acquisition.

We are both dedicated to delivering exceptional educational experiences to international schools, making this partnership a perfect fit.

Partnership Benefits

Elevating literacy outcomes

Monster Phonics gives your teachers the tools and support they need to deliver effective literacy instruction. Schools following our International Curriculum will benefit from Monster Phonics’ research-backed, engaging approach to phonics.

Curriculum integration

Schools using the International Curriculum can now integrate the Monster Phonics programme. By combining curriculum expertise with cutting-edge phonics instruction, schools will build confident, capable readers.

A whole school approach to PD

This partnership will enable you to implement a whole school approach to literacy instruction and professional development, ensuring that all students and teachers have the opportunity to succeed.

Integrate Monster Phonics with the IEYC and IPC

Hear from schools already implementing Monster Phonics

“

Completely planned resources and structured lessons, which means that my teachers can deliver high-quality phonics lessons.

The training we get is superb. Our staff are all locally trained, as we believe in developing experts rather than drafting in expatriates. The team walk us through how to start with phonics, explaining the science behind it, and walking us through even how to pronounce the phonemes, which, outside of the UK, is not always easy, through to how to get the most out of every lesson

The impact that it has had in our classrooms is unbelievable.

Monster Phonics is for us, where confidence begins with our children and where it grows with our staff. I wish every child and teacher had access to this phenomenal programme.

Since introducing Monster Phonics, we’ve seen a real shift in how our youngest learners engage with reading. The programme’s bold use of colour, characters, and stories captures children’s attention from the start, making phonics not just accessible but something they genuinely enjoy. It’s become a core part of how we build confident, fluent readers from the earliest stages.

Monster Phonics aligns closely with the values of the International Curriculum Association and strengthens the foundations of our own literacy vision:

Improving Learning
Monster Phonics provides a clear, structured pathway through the early stages of reading. Children revisit and build on their knowledge in small, manageable steps, which fits well with our belief that early literacy is about laying down solid, lasting foundations. It also supports our broader goal of fostering strong oral language skills through songs, storytelling, and shared conversation.
Unlocking Potential
What sets Monster Phonics apart is its ability to engage all learners. The multi-sensory, story-led approach makes phonics memorable and meaningful. It gives children a strong start in reading and helps build their confidence as they begin to apply their phonics knowledge with increasing independence.
Championing Quality
Consistency matters. With Monster Phonics, we know every child is experiencing high-quality phonics teaching. It gives our staff the tools and confidence to deliver lessons with clarity and impact, and provides a structure that supports ongoing assessment and timely intervention.

The programme also fits naturally within our wider approach to literacy. It lays the groundwork for spelling and writing, complements our use of real books, and ensures children are equipped to access the rich, language-based curriculum we value. Most importantly, it reflects our belief that literacy should be meaningful, engaging, and built on strong foundations, setting children up not just for academic success, but for a lifelong love of reading.

This year we have a newly qualified teacher in our PreK/KG1 class and I must say the new unit plans have been great in supporting her!

News

7 Nov 2026

Taking action: the courage to begin

In this article, Maura Murphy, the International Primary Curriculum Leader for Learning at Rumukoroshe School in Nigeria, shares how her school builds confidence in students,

5 Nov 2026

Celebrating the winners of the ICA Teacher Awards 2026

We are delighted to announce the nine winners of the ICA Teacher Awards 2026, revealed on 5 November 2026 at a special ceremony during the

27 Oct 2026

Curriculum Connections: IEYC – IPC

In this article, our Head of Curriculum, Jacqueline Harmer, explores how the four facets of curriculum support connected and coherent learning across the early years

24 Oct 2026

IEYC in Action: Start Small and Start Early

How the Seoul British Foreign School uses the IEYC to build the foundations for learning, promote community engagement, and student awareness and appreciation for the

23 Oct 2026

Meet the ICA Teacher Awards 2026 finalists

The shortlist is in! Following an incredibly competitive judging process, we are delighted to introduce the finalists for this year’s ICA Teacher Awards 2026. We

International Early Years Curriculum

The International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) is a pioneering educational programme designed specifically for young learners between the ages of 2-6 years. It is comprehensive, research-informed and evidence-based on learning in early childhood. It promotes playful learning experiences that nurture key skills required for progression into primary learning and later life.

The IEYC represents the beginning of a child’s learning journey with the International Curriculum and is currently improving early learning in over 60 countries.

Capturing curiosity, where learning begins with wonder.

Learn more about IEYC products and services here.

Meaningful learning experiences

The IEYC has been developed to provide breadth and depth of learning within meaningful experiences so that children understand what effective learning is and develop their capacity to make the most of learning in school.

It has a progressive pedagogy that is playful, promotes high levels of child well-being and involvement, and helps teachers respond to child-initiated experiences through learning-focused interactions and sustained shared thinking.

The benefits

01 Knowledge-rich narratives

Teachers and leaders are provided with over 20 units of learning that provide knowledge-rich narratives for learning, which enables students to learn about a broad range of themes within their school community and beyond.

02 Flexible in design

Recognising that each learner is unique, the IEYC offers a flexible framework that can be adapted to various educational settings and cultural contexts, making it suitable for kindergartens and pre-schools worldwide. The curriculum is designed so that schools can shape their offer to meet local context and needs, and teachers can best support their children’s learning and development.

03 Parents are valued partners

The IEYC values the role of parents in the educational journey, promoting strong home-school partnerships and encouraging parental involvement in playful learning experiences. It unites teachers and parents around a common theme of learning. It incorporates parents as valued key partners, all to help their children learn better, broader, and deeper.

Learn from the Seoul British Foreign School on how they promote community engagement and involve parents in the learning journey.

Book a meeting

Testimonials

What do our schools think of the International Early Years Curriculum?

“

I just love the layout of the units!! The structure is really digestible and provides the perfect balance of a supportive scaffold that covers all the bases but with a clear openness to adapt to your own setting.

The introduction of the new IEYC units has been a high point…teams are all invested, and the units are providing a clear learning path for the teachers to use and sequence learning.

This year we have a newly qualified teacher in our PreK/KG1 class and I must say the new unit plans have been great in supporting her!

Case Studies

North Zealand International School

champion quality
improve learning and,
unlock potential.

Personalised learning

See how the IMYC could benefit your school.

The benefits

01 Interdisciplinary learning

02 A flexible curriculum

03 Support with implementation

Book a meeting

Testimonials

Case Studies

Futuraskolan International School, Sweden

Nine challenges. Four months. One global celebration

History of the IPC

The beginnings of the IPC

Shell's contribution

Starting out

"I look forward to the IPC community participating in the celebrations and completing the challenges!"

We asked IPC learners 'What would make the IPC better?' This is what they said -

News

Taking action: the courage to begin

Celebrating the winners of the ICA Teacher Awards 2026

Curriculum Connections: IEYC – IPC

IEYC in Action: Start Small and Start Early

Meet the ICA Teacher Awards 2026 finalists

A global learning focus

See how the IPC could benefit your school.

The Benefits

01 Engaging Curriculum

02 Tailored to local requirements

03 Global Perspective

Book a meeting today

Testimonials

Testimonials

Case Studies

Cheam Fields Primary Academy, UK

Futuraskolan International School, Sweden

North Zealand International School, Denmark

St Leonard’s Primary School, UK

ICA and Monster Phonics

The Partnership

Partnership Benefits

Elevating literacy outcomes

Curriculum integration

A whole school approach to PD

Integrate Monster Phonics with the IEYC and IPC

Hear from schools already implementing Monster Phonics

News

Taking action: the courage to begin

Celebrating the winners of the ICA Teacher Awards 2026

Curriculum Connections: IEYC – IPC

IEYC in Action: Start Small and Start Early

Meet the ICA Teacher Awards 2026 finalists

Meaningful learning experiences

The benefits

01 Knowledge-rich narratives

02 Flexible in design

03 Parents are valued partners

Book a meeting

Testimonials

Case Studies

North Zealand International School