IB PYP explained: what the Primary Years Programme involves

Last reviewed: November 2026 by David from ISA. Fee ranges are indicative; always confirm with the school.

The IB PYP is the first stage of the International Baccalaureate continuum: a way of teaching primary school that replaces subject-by-subject lessons with long inquiries that pull maths, language, science and the arts into one question. It has no external exams and no fixed syllabus, which is exactly why parents find it hard to picture.

Below: what the PYP curriculum involves, how it compares with the English National Curriculum and Spanish primary under the LOMLOE, and how Barcelona PYP schools combine it with the Spanish and Catalan curriculum.

What does IB PYP mean, and what ages does it cover?

PYP stands for Primary Years Programme. The IBO describes it as a framework for "the 3-12 age range", built on three pillars: the learner, learning and teaching, and the learning community, with student agency running through all three. It is transdisciplinary, meaning learning moves across, between and beyond subjects rather than inside them.

The key word is framework. The PYP tells a school how to teach and what to aim for, but the content comes from the school's own programme of inquiry, which in Spain must also deliver the official curriculum. The IBO says the framework is "flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national or local curriculums".

Schools also decide where it ends. The range is 3 to 12, but St Peter's School Barcelona runs the PYP from Foundation 3 to Year 5 and starts the Middle Years Programme in Year 6. Ask any school which year groups its PYP actually covers.

The six transdisciplinary themes and units of inquiry

Every PYP school builds its year around the same six themes, which the IBO lists as:

• Who we are: identity, beliefs, health, relationships.
• Where we are in place and time: history, geography, journeys and migration.
• How we express ourselves: ideas, culture, creativity and the arts.
• How the world works: the natural world, science and technology.
• How we organize ourselves: human systems, communities and economics.
• Sharing the planet: rights, resources and the environment.

Each theme becomes a unit of inquiry that usually lasts several weeks. Children aged 5 to 12 work through all six themes every year, while those aged 3 to 5 cover four, according to the IBO.

The learner profile and the PYP Exhibition

The IB learner profile is a list of ten attributes shared by all IB programmes: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.

The Exhibition is the PYP's culminating project in its final year, a collaborative inquiry into an issue that matters to the pupils, which they research, document and present. At St Peter's, Year 5 pupils spent six weeks on their 2026 Exhibition and presented eight inquiries to families on 18 June 2026, according to the school.

How is the PYP assessed if there are no IB exams?

Assessment is done by teachers in school, not by IB examiners. The IBO brochure describes "holistic on-going assessment", in which teachers collect evidence of what each child understands and pupils act on feedback. The Exhibition is the culminating piece of work.

That does not mean a PYP child in Spain is never tested. Royal Decree 157/2022 requires every school to run a diagnostic evaluation of competences in the fourth year of primary, a census-style assessment for information and guidance rather than pass or fail. In England, the national curriculum sets a phonics check in Year 1, a times tables check in Year 4 and national tests at the end of Year 6, according to GOV.UK, though private schools do not have to follow it.

PYP vs the English National Curriculum and Spanish primary

Sources: IBO PYP pages and brochure; GOV.UK, The national curriculum; Royal Decree 157/2022 (BOE); St Peter's School Barcelona on cut-off dates (2026-27).

How does the PYP fit with the Spanish and Catalan curriculum in Barcelona?

In most Barcelona PYP schools it runs on top of the official curriculum rather than replacing it. Royal Decree 157/2022 fixes the areas every Spanish primary school teaches, including Spanish language, the co-official language and a foreign language, and Catalonia sets its own curriculum for compulsory schooling in Decree 175/2022. A PYP school maps those requirements onto its units of inquiry, so the same project on water, say, covers Catalan science outcomes and an IB theme.

That is why the language mix matters. Agora Princess Margaret teaches primary 50% in English and the rest split equally between Catalan and Spanish, and SEK-Catalunya describes itself as trilingual, with its IB programmes integrated into the national curriculum.

Homologation is the Spanish ministry's recognition of school studies taken in another system, covered at non-university levels by rules that include an Order of 30 April 1996, in force as amended. The question for a PYP school is which system issues your child's records. At the end of the IB route, Royal Decree 534/2024 lets IB Diploma holders enter Spanish universities without homologating the diploma.

Three IB PYP schools in and around Barcelona

St Peter's School Barcelona

At its campus on Carrer d'Eduard Toldrà, St Peter's teaches the IB continuum in English and splits the PYP into Foundation Years (F3 to F5) and Primary (Years 1 to 5). It groups children by year of birth with a 31 December cut-off. Its 2026-27 schedule lists €14,500 a year for F3 to F5 and €19,250 for Years 1 to 5, including lunch, a snack and stationery, plus a one-off standard enrolment fee of €4,500 for new pupils. Laptops are required from Year 3.

SEK International School Catalunya

SEK-Catalunya is in La Garriga, north of Barcelona, and takes children from four months to 18. The school says it is the only one in Catalonia offering all four IB programmes, with the PYP from age 3, and teaches in English, Spanish and Catalan. Ask for the PYP fee schedule in writing, with transport from Barcelona itemised.

Agora Princess Margaret International School

Part of the Globeducate group, Agora Princess Margaret sits on Passeig de la Font d'en Fargas in Horta-Guinardó and offers the PYP from age 3 and the MYP to 16. Early Years are taught in full English immersion; from primary the split is half English, a quarter Catalan and a quarter Spanish. The school says it was a pioneer in Barcelona in gaining PYP and MYP certification. Families who want the IB Diploma should check where pupils go at 16.

Questions to ask a PYP school

1. Which year groups does your PYP cover, and when does the MYP start?
2. How many units of inquiry run each year, and can we see the programme of inquiry for my child's year?
3. How do you cover the Catalan and Spanish curriculum, and which system issues my child's records?
4. What share of teaching is in English, Catalan and Spanish at each stage?
5. How do you report progress without grades, and what did the most recent Exhibition look like?

From PYP to the MYP and the Diploma

The PYP is designed to lead into the Middle Years Programme, which the IBO calls its best preparation, but it is not a prerequisite: pupils from British or Spanish primaries join the MYP or the Diploma later. The final stage is the two-year Diploma, explained in our guide to the IB Diploma Programme, its subjects, core and scores. If you are weighing IB against British and other routes in the city, our guide to choosing an international school in Barcelona sets out the options.

Compare PYP schools in Barcelona

To see which schools offer the IB alongside British, American and Spanish programmes, with fees and locations side by side, browse our list of the best international schools in Barcelona.

More guides to schools in Barcelona

• Best international schools in Barcelona
• International school fees in Barcelona
• Bilingual schools in Barcelona
• International school admissions in Barcelona
• How to choose an international school in Barcelona
• best international schools in Barcelona

Further reading: what the IB MYP involves after the PYP.

Frequently asked questions

Is the IB PYP a curriculum or a framework?

The IBO describes the PYP as a curriculum framework for ages 3 to 12, not a fixed syllabus. Schools write their own programme of inquiry around six transdisciplinary themes and, in Spain, must still cover the official areas set by Royal Decree 157/2022 and, in Catalonia, Decree 175/2022. Ask each school to show you its programme of inquiry for the year your child joins.

Do IB PYP pupils sit exams?

There are no IB exams in the PYP: teachers assess pupils continuously and the programme ends with the Exhibition, a collaborative inquiry presented in the final year. Schools in Spain still run the fourth-year diagnostic evaluation required by Royal Decree 157/2022, and many add their own reading or maths tests, so ask how results are reported to families.

Can my child move from a PYP school to a British or Spanish school?

Yes, PYP pupils move into British, Spanish and other systems regularly, but year placement can change. Spain groups children by calendar year of birth, while British schools usually use 31 August, so a child born between September and December may change year group. Ask the new school for a placement assessment and bring PYP reports and the Exhibition record.