Middle Years Programme

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) at Southbank - inspiring minds and shaping future leaders

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) welcomes all students, even if they have not previously attended an IB school and the programme is embraced by all learners, regardless of what curriculum they have previously studied.

The MYP programme offers a broad range of subjects and teaches students a breadth of skills that nurtures them into becoming well-rounded global citizens prepared to tackle any challenge. Our creative, critical and reflective thinkers are prepared for life beyond school.

Through Service As Action, our students connect their studies to real world issues and make a positive difference to the lives of others and the environment, embracing a life of purpose and meaning.

Our students benefit from exposure to a variety of speakers and the rich resources available in London.

Click below to know more about London as their classroom.

London as our classroom

Jump down to:

MYP Curriculum
Subject Areas
The 6 global contexts
MYP Personal Project
Service as Action

The Middle Years Programme in the Lower Seniors

Students study the first four years of the MYP while in the Lower Seniors, preparing them for the final year of the MYP when they move to the Upper Seniors and engage in more specialised activities in preparation for the Diploma Programme.

We strongly believe our International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) provides the education students aged between 11 and 16 need at this stage of their life.

Through the rigorous study of eight traditional subject areas and six global contexts, as well as participation in extra-curricular activities and community service activities, it helps students to:

Ask challenging questions
Learn how to learn
Establish a strong sense of their own identity and culture
Develop their ability to communicate with and understand people from other countries and cultures

Importantly, the MYP also builds upon the knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired through our Primary Years Programme; and it prepares students for the academic challenges of our Diploma Programme.

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One of the things that makes our curriculum unique is that it is rooted in real-world contexts. The MYP emphasises teaching students how to learn: equipping them with skills and habits that will help them develop into successful lifelong learners.

– Angela Johnson, Middle Years Programme Co-ordinator

Subject Areas

Eight core subjects

The academic programme is overseen by the dedicated MYP Coordinator who, with the Heads of Faculty, regularly review what is taught and how it is assessed, encouraging students to contribute their interests and ideas.

Students are encouraged to make interdisciplinary links between these subjects during regular lessons and special Interdisciplinary Units (IDUs). They are involved every year in community service activities, culminating in the Community Project.

Find out more in our Lower Seniors Prospectus

The 8 core subject areas studied:

Language and Literature (English or another mother tongue)
Language Acquisition (French or Spanish)
Individuals and Societies / Humanities
Sciences
Mathematics
Arts
Physical and Health Education
Design

Find out more in our Lower Seniors Prospectus

The 6 Global Contexts

Expanding knowledge

As part of the MYP, our teachers deliver the curriculum through six global contexts. These help students approach subjects holistically and encourage them to see the links and crossover between different subjects.

Find out more in our Lower Seniors Prospectus

The 6 Global Contexts are:

Identities and relationships
Orientation in space and time
Personal and cultural expression
Scientific and personal innovation
Globalisation and sustainability
Fairness and development

Find out more in our Lower Seniors Prospectus

MYP Personal Project

In the final year of the MYP, all our MYP students undertake personal projects to explore, in depth, a topic of interest. They establish their learning goals; they devise ways in which they will pursue them that draw not only on the MYP curriculum, but on their initiative as independent learners; and they determine how to demonstrate what they've learned through a significant piece of independent work.

In the past, Personal Projects have included students making a short film, writing a book of poetry, starting up a small business, building a computer, organising a charity fundraiser, and hosting a football tournament to improve community relations.

Service as Action

Service as Action is a fundamental element of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP).

It aims to support young people into becoming committed to making a positive difference to the lives of others and their environment.

Service as Action requires students to actively participate within their local community through community or personal projects.

Through Service as Action experiences, students not only learn the value of community participation but also develop a deeper understanding of the issues facing their local community.

Click below to learn more about Service as Action

Service as Action

Learn more about the Middle Years Programme

Learn more about the MYP model

Read our Middle Years Programme Curriculum Guide

View the IB Learner Profile

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