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

13 Jan 2026

Designing Meaningful Professional Learning In Through Schools

By The British College of Brazil How can cross-phase professional learning facilitate collaboration and meaningful professional development in an International Primary & Secondary school, aligning Diverse Practice

5 Jan 2026

Greencoast International School’s road to Recognition

By Holly Doobraz-Cheekhooree, Greencoast International School, Mauritius As a quite recent school, only six years of operation and implementation of the International Primary Curriculum, Greencoast

12 Dec 2025

ICA extends collaboration with Faria Education Group for streamlined curriculum integration on ManageBac+

We are delighted to announce an extension of our partnership with Faria Education Group to build greater integration of our International Curriculum into its EdTech

4 Dec 2025

Announcing the theme for our 2026 Global.Learn.Connect Conferences

As 2025 draws to a close, we’re delighted to announce the theme of next year’s Global.Learn.Connect Conferences! School leaders and educators from all over the

14 Nov 2025

Join our next Information Session!

We are delighted to announce the date of our next Information Session – a powerful opportunity for school leaders and educators to explore how the

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

Designing Meaningful Professional Learning In Through Schools

Greencoast International School’s road to Recognition

ICA extends collaboration with Faria Education Group for streamlined curriculum integration on ManageBac+

Announcing the theme for our 2026 Global.Learn.Connect Conferences

Join our next Information Session!

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