Primary Years Program (PYP)

Middle Years Program (MYP)

Diploma Program (DP)

The IB Primary Years Program

In May 2004 LIS underwent a highly successful PYP evaluation visit.

A team, which included the Associate Regional PYP Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, was sent to Luanda to compare our programme against the International Baccalaureate’s Programme Standards. The final visit report was very complimentary and included the statement that LIS had met all the standards, a very rare occurrence.

Commendations

Philosophy

1. The school’s clear and unequivocal commitment to the PYP, both at administration and faculty level.
2. The school’s commitment to continuous improvement.
3. The development of a climate that promotes professional inquiry and collaboration.
4. The transparency of the student profile across the school’s promotional literature and the school’s commitment to the development of the attributes of the student profile.

Organization:

1. The support of the board for the programme.
2. The administrative team’s understanding of the programme and the democratic and collaborative approach of its leadership.
3. The allocation of regular collaborative planning time, weekly, monthly and for the units of inquiry for all teachers.
4. The priority given to professional development for all the teachers, both within the school and through IBO PYP workshops.
5. The use of the PYP Standards for planning, teaching and assessing, as the basis for the teacher appraisal system.
6. The adult to student ratio that facilitates the individual needs of students being addressed and which allows for the maximization of student learning.

Written Curriculum:

1. The extensive and comprehensive documentation of the written curriculum, for classroom and single subject teachers, and its alignment with the programme of inquiry, where appropriate.
2. The sustained and collaborative efforts of the staff in developing a strong programme of inquiry and in elaborating the units within it.

Planning

1. The collegial culture among the staff, developed through their belief in the power of collaborative planning.
2. The systems that have been put in place for developing collaborative planning.
3. The teachers’ developing understanding of the planning process.

Teaching:

1. The positive learning environment and atmosphere of the school which allows students to be confident learners and risk-takers
2. The warm, supportive, respectful relationships between teachers and students.
3. The acceptance of students as individuals with differing learning needs and styles.
4. The generous sharing of teaching ideas and learning strategies across classes and teachers.
5. The value placed on displaying students’ work, which has led to a stimulating learning environment in some classrooms.

1. The development and implementation of a comprehensive assessment policy.
2. The development of student portfolios, with students involved in choosing and reflecting on what goes in and using the portfolio when reporting to parents at student led conferences.
3. The integration of assessment in planning, teaching and learning.
4. The range of assessment tools and strategies used across the school.

1. The explicit modelling of the value placed on socially responsible action by the school as an institution, the administration, the staff and the student council.

“It was easy for the team to come to the conclusion that LIS meets all of the PYP standards and to endorse the ‘Principal Strengths’ of the school’s implementation as identified in the Summary of the Main Conclusions. The visiting team takes pleasure in corroborating the overall findings of the school’s self study.

The board’s support is strong; the administrative systems which have been put in place to support the implementation of the programme are effective; the educational leadership team has provided stability as well as support for professional development of staff; the professional culture of inquiry which the school has nurtured allows teachers to be collaborative and to have ownership of the programme.”

IB Middle Years Program

In May 2006 LIS underwent a highly successful MYP evaluation visit.

A team, which included the Regional MYP Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, was sent to Luanda to compare our programme against the International Baccalaureate’s Programme Standards. The final visit report was very complimentary and full authorization was granted.

Commendations

The visiting authorization team commends the:

1. School board and administration for their support and commitment to the MYP, allocating the funding and resourcing needed for the ongoing development of the programme and corresponding MYP training for teachers
2. School administration for their knowledge and commitment to the MYP programme and the efforts towards a smooth articulation between the three IB programmes
3. MYP coordinator for the systems and procedures in place to inform and train teachers new to the school and the programme
4. School administration for the provision of formal meeting and planning MYP time promoting meaningful collaborative work and teachers’ reflection
5. School administration and MYP coordinator for the systems in place to inform parents about the programme and its development at the school
6. MYP staff for the development of a positive learning environment
7. Administration and staff for the support systems to address individual needs of students
8. Administration, coordinator and staff for the development of a written curriculum which reflects the requirements and philosophy of the programme
9. MYP staff for the opportunities provided to students to engage and take responsibility for their own learning including meaningful reflection
10. MYP coordinator and teachers for the work done so far to implement MYP assessment principles such as:
    • Adapting published MYP assessment criteria to the lower years
    • Developing task specific rubrics
    • Engaging in transparent assessment and reporting systems
11. Administration, MYP coordinator and community and service team for the systems in place to promote students’ involvement, participation and contribution to service activities which develop links with the local community
12. School administration for developing a structure that provides opportunities for meaningful interdisciplinary planning.

IB Diploma Program

In September 2006 LIS underwent a highly successful IB Diploma evaluation visit.

A team, which included the Regional IB Diploma Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, was sent to Luanda to compare our programme against the International Baccalaureate’s Programme Standards. The final visit report was very complimentary and full authorization was granted.

Commendations

• Positive environment within the school amongst all staff and children
• Good recruitment of experienced DP teachers
• Emphasis of teaching planning and working in teams
• Attendance to summer workshops 2005 by all teachers
• Induction in Johannesburg has had a very positive effect on all teachers
• Good facilities at school
• Enthusiastic teachers and inspiring and challenging management
• Pedagogical Vision for the whole school
• A strong commitment to internationalism
• Careful recruitment skills by administration