Primary School

Nurturing Minds, Building Futures through the Primary Years Programme (PYP)

At Aitken College, our Primary School fosters more than academic excellence — we cultivate compassionate, curious, and capable learners who are prepared to thrive in a complex and changing world. Grounded in our values of compassion, honesty, kindness, excellence, and mutual respect, we create an inclusive environment where every learner feels valued, empowered, and connected. As a International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) school, we are committed to delivering a rigorous and inclusive curriculum through a transdisciplinary approach, where inquiry and explicit instruction work together to build deep, transferable understanding.

Learning Through Transdisciplinary Themes

The PYP framework is structured around six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, which shape learning across all year levels. These themes guide students in making connections between what they learn in the classroom and the world beyond it:

Who we are
Where we are in place and time
How we express ourselves
How the world works
How we organise ourselves
Sharing the planet

These themes provide rich opportunities for students to inquire into big ideas, explore real-world contexts, and take meaningful action as part of their learning journey.

Fairview (Prep – Year 2): Foundations of Inquiry

Fairview is a joyful and nurturing environment where children’s natural curiosity is the starting point for learning. In these early years, students are immersed in authentic, play-based inquiries, while also developing foundational literacy and numeracy through purposeful and explicit teaching.

Learning is intentionally scaffolded to support diverse needs, enabling students to build knowledge, ask meaningful questions, and develop confidence as thinkers and communicators. The IB Learner Profile is brought to life in everyday interactions, helping students become caring and reflective learners from the very beginning.

Cumberland (Years 3 – 6): Building Agency, Understanding and Action

In Cumberland, students engage in inquiry as a stance — a way of being in the world that encourages them to notice, wonder, investigate, and act. Learning is driven by the transdisciplinary themes, allowing students to explore concepts across subject areas and apply their thinking to real-world issues.

Through rich, student-led inquiries and explicit, responsive teaching, students develop conceptual understanding and the confidence to take meaningful action. From STEM and the Kitchen Garden Program to Languages, the Arts, and Physical Education, learning in Cumberland is both purposeful and empowering.

Living Our Values, Leading with Purpose

Guided by our Christian ethos, our learning community values cooperation, fairness, and social responsibility. Relationships among staff, students, and families are founded on mutual trust and a shared purpose. We believe every learner has the right to access high-quality learning — and we design learning that is inclusive, responsive, and driven by both student interest and intentional teaching.

A Global Framework for Learning

As an IB PYP World School, Aitken College embraces a global framework for education that nurtures the development of the whole child — academically, socially, and emotionally. The PYP supports students to become internationally minded through the development of the IB Learner Profile. We strive to nurture learners who are:

Inquirers – curious and confident in seeking knowledge independently and collaboratively
Knowledgeable – building a deep understanding across a range of disciplines and global contexts
Thinkers – using critical and creative thinking to solve problems
Communicators – expressing ideas confidently and listening to others
Principled – acting with integrity, fairness, and respect
Open-minded – appreciating their own cultures while embracing the perspectives of others
Caring – showing empathy, compassion, and a commitment to service
Risk-takers – approaching new situations with courage and resilience
Balanced – recognising the importance of wellbeing in all its forms
Reflective – learning from experience to grow and improve

These attributes are woven into the life of our school and guide students in becoming confident, compassionate and responsible citizens of the world. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org.