Hangzhou Wesley School Binjiang Campus opened in September 2018; On December 19, 2018, the application passed the IB PYP candidate school status; The candidacy period will formally begin on 1 March 2019; On 5 August 2020, it became an IB World School authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization. In May 2024, it became a member of the China International Baccalaureate School Association. It will enter IB re-evaluation in April 2025.
At present, there are 85 IB PYP schools in China and only 4 in Hangzhou. There are only 2 kindergartens officially authorized by the official IB. The average authorization time is about four years. The Wesley school Binjiang campus took less than two years from the opening of the campus to the obtaining of IB authorization , which is a landmark for the preschool education community in Hangzhou.
What's IB (IB PYP)
IB (International Baccalaureate) is the only international programme from kindergarten to pre-university that is recognized by the global education community. It was originally designed for the children of diplomats, and its framework fits the global education model.
The IB PYP (Primary Years Programme) inquiry course emphasizes the spirit of inquiry. It encourages students to learn with natural curiosity, rely on independent drive, and constantly reflect on past learning and experience, so as to help students long-term development.
The IB Learner Profile
The curriculum at Wesley School is based on the IB Learner Profile which encourages students to become:
- Inquirers—fostering students natural curiosity and actively participating in learning
- Thinkers—students exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively solving complex problems
- Communicators—students receive and express ideas and information confidently in more than one language
- Risk-takers—students approach unfamiliar situations without anxiety and have the confidence to explore new ideas
- Knowledgeable—students explore themes that have global significance and acquire critical knowledge of the world around them
- Principled—students have a sound grasp of the principles of moral reasoning and demonstrate integrity, honesty and a sense of justice
- Caring—students show sensitivity towards the needs and feelings of others, and have a sense of personal commitment to helping others
- Open-minded—students respect the values of other individuals and cultures and seek to consider a range of points of view
- Balanced—students understand the importance of physical and mental balance and personal well-being
- Reflective—they give thoughtful consideration to their own learning by constructively analysing their personal strengths and weaknesses
The IB Approaches to Learning
Approaches to Learning (ATL) are deliberate strategies, attitudes and skills that permeate of the IB programme. At Wesley School, we believe that explicit teaching of these skills is essential for teaching students how to learn and encouraging students to become independent lifelong learners. There are five skill sets identified by the IB that are common across each programme:
Thinking skills
Communication skills
Social skills
Self-management skills
Research skills
Features of Wesley School
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Feature 1
Wesley School adopts IB PYP inquiry courses and conducts inquiry-based learning by integrating the traditional Chinese culture and the local characteristics of Hangzhou, as well as the children's interests. We advocate teaching the children by playing-based activities and inspiring children's self-motivation through inquiry-based learning.
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Feature 2
The focus of inquiry-based learning is not to find the correct answer, but to explore the problem-solving methods. Our courses not only cover the five major areas of knowledge in the "Learning and Development Guide for Children 3-6 Years Old", but also focus on improving the self-management, thinking, researching, communication and social skills of children.
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Feature 3
The children having the learning and inquiry abilities in Wesley School can continuously develop themselves in the process of inquiry, so as to promote their active inquiry, diligent thinking, and good communication. We aim to maintain children's enthusiasm for learning, the moralities of abiding by the rules, honest and trustworthy so that children can gradually form an international perspective to enhance the ability of lifelong learning to cope with a more diverse world in the future.
Wesley School K3 PYP Learning Journey
Demo Theme: Who We Are
After more than two months of exploration, in the transdisciplinary exploration unit of “who are we”, K3’s children take the central idea that people’s choices affect their health and emotions, and carry out a series of activities about health and emotions under the guidance of exploration clues. We used habits, emotions, hygiene, and our responsibilities as the starting point. Through: exploration, discovery, operating experiment, sharing, debate, poster production, going out to visit a hospital as well as other ways, we tried to inspire and guide the children with our PYP’s training objectives.
Now, let’s follow the footsteps of K3 and see what they discovered!
