Exploring Collaboration & Professional Dialogue in the PYP Community

The PYP Community has enjoyed another engaging and thought-provoking year, bringing together coordinators, school leaders and educators from across our network to explore key aspects of Primary Years Programme development and practice. Through a series of live Zoom sessions, members of the community have reflected on inquiry, leadership, programme implementation, social studies and the development of collaborative learning cultures within schools.

A recurring theme throughout the year has been the importance of collaboration and professional dialogue in strengthening inquiry-based learning and supporting meaningful programme development. Across all sessions, participants shared experiences, challenges and practical strategies, reinforcing the value of learning together as a professional community.

We began the academic year in September by focusing on collaborative planning conversations. During this session, participants explored what effective planning conversations “sound and feel like” and considered the coaching competencies that PYP coordinators and school leaders can bring to planning meetings. The discussion highlighted the importance of creating trusting and reflective professional spaces where teachers feel empowered to contribute ideas, ask questions and collaboratively shape units of inquiry.

This work continued in October with a deeper exploration of coaching within the PYP planning process. Participants considered the distinction between coaching and mentoring and reflected on why coaching approaches are encouraged within the PYP framework. Practical strategies, tools and language structures were shared to support inquiry-based curriculum development and collaborative reflection. Many members commented on how valuable it was to think intentionally about the role of leadership in fostering teacher agency and professional growth.

In December and January, attention turned towards preparing for PYP evaluation visits, and many of our UK schools were preparing for visits in the spring of 2026. These sessions proved especially valuable for schools and generated rich discussion around the Programme Development Plan (PDP) and Programme Standards and Practices (PSPs).

In December, participants unpacked the two PDP meetings that form part of an evaluation visit: the process meeting, which focuses on how schools have planned and implemented programme development, and the impact meeting, which explores the effect of programme development on student learning. Sample questions and small-group discussions gave participants opportunities to rehearse and reflect on how schools can best articulate their journey of growth and development.

January’s session, led by Maggie alongside Suzanne Tomlinson, focused on the four Programme Standards and Practices meetings: Purpose, Environment, Culture and Learning. Discussions centred on who should participate in these meetings and how schools can prepare stakeholders to engage confidently and authentically with visiting teams. Participants appreciated the practical guidance and the opportunity to demystify the evaluation process while recognising it as a meaningful opportunity for reflection and celebration.

One of the highlights of the year came in February with an inspiring session on Social Studies: What, Why and How? Maggie was joined by Lara Griffin, former Social Studies Curriculum Manager at the IB and current UNESCO Board member. This session explored the newly developed social studies continuum and the updated transdisciplinary theme descriptors published in 2025.

Participants reflected on the significant conceptual shift within social studies from a focus on human commonalities towards greater emphasis on the interconnections between the human and natural worlds. There was considerable interest in how schools might use the new guidance documents to redesign and strengthen units of inquiry ahead of the completion of the transition period in 2027. The session sparked rich professional dialogue around sustainability, systems thinking and the importance of helping students understand the complex relationships between people, place and the environment.

Inquiry itself became the focus of our April session, Exploring Inquiry, where participants considered the continuum from direct instruction through structured and guided inquiry to open inquiry. Joined by Vanessa Keenan, Head of a PYP school in Abu Dhabi, the community reflected on what authentic inquiry looks like in practice and how teachers can intentionally scaffold students towards increasing independence and agency.

This session generated particularly thoughtful discussion around balancing explicit teaching with opportunities for student voice, curiosity and conceptual exploration. Participants shared classroom examples and reflected on how inquiry evolves across different age groups and learning contexts.

We concluded the year in June with a session led by experienced IB educator Anne van Dam on Developing Your Learning Community. This session brought together many of the themes explored throughout the year, focusing on leadership, collaboration, shared pedagogy and learning environments.

Anne encouraged participants to think deeply about how leaders can support teams to collaborate and reflect in meaningful ways, creating a shared understanding of inquiry-based pedagogy. Discussions also explored how schools can make thoughtful use of time, resources and learning spaces to unlock richer and more meaningful learning experiences for both students and teachers. Participants particularly valued the focus on learner agency, the role of the environment in shaping inquiry, and the importance of viewing children as capable and competent meaning-makers.

The PYP Community has continued to provide a supportive and reflective professional space where educators can connect, share ideas and learn from one another. Thank you to all those who contributed to this year’s sessions, including our guest speakers and the many participants who shared their experiences and insights so generously.

We look forward to continuing these conversations in the coming academic year and further exploring the evolving landscape of PYP teaching and learning together.

Maggie Hos-McGrane

PYP Community Lead

IBSCA