International Programs

Our programmes encourage both personal development and academic achievement challenging students to think critically, to ask the right questions and think across disciplines. An IB education also fosters diversity, curiosity and a healthy appetite for learning. Schools must be authorized to teach our IB programmes.

IB PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME

PYP

At BLIS, we’re proud to offer the globally acclaimed International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), a transformative educational framework designed to ignite curiosity, foster inquiry, and nurture holistic development in our students.

The PYP at BLIS is more than just a curriculum; it’s a philosophy that shapes every aspect of our teaching and learning environment. Grounded in inquiry-based learning, our PYP curriculum encourages students to explore, question, and discover the world around them. Through engaging, hands-on activities and meaningful experiences, we empower our students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and lifelong learners.

The key pillars of our PYP programme include:

  • Transdisciplinary Learning: We break down traditional subject boundaries, allowing students to explore themes and concepts that span across various disciplines. This approach fosters connections between different areas of knowledge and promotes a deeper understanding of the world.
  • Inquiry-Based Education: We believe that learning is most effective when driven by curiosity. Our students learn to ask questions, conduct research, and seek answers, cultivating their natural sense of wonder and fostering a love for learning.
  • Developing Global Citizens: The PYP at BLIS instils in students a sense of global awareness and responsibility. Through diverse perspectives, service-learning initiatives, and intercultural understanding, we empower our students to become compassionate, principled, and socially conscious individuals.
  • Assessment for Learning: Assessment is not merely a measure of knowledge acquisition; it’s a tool for growth. We employ varied assessment strategies that focus on student progress, understanding, and reflection, ensuring that learning is a continuous, personalised journey.

IB Learner Profile

The IB learner profile is a set of attributes that express the values inherent of IB learners and international education.   The learner profile is a set of ideals that inspires, motivates and focuses students and teachers, uniting them in a common purpose.

IB learners strive to be:

  • Inquirers We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.
  • Knowledgeable We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
  • Thinkers We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
  • Communicators We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.
  • Principled We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
  • Open-minded We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.
  • Caring We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us
  • Risk-takers We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
  • Balanced We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.
  • Reflective We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

PYP Transdisciplinary Themes:

The six PYP transdisciplinary themes are overarching themes that allow students to explore and make connections across various subject areas. At BLIS, these themes form the backbone of our curriculum:

  • Who We Are: Exploring the nature of ourselves, our beliefs, and values.
  • Where We Are in Place and Time: Investigating our personal histories and the discoveries and explorations of humankind.
  • How We Express Ourselves: Exploring ways we express ideas, feelings, beliefs, and cultures.
  • How the World Works: Investigating the natural world and its laws; the interaction between people and the environment.
  • How We Organise Ourselves: Exploring societal structures and systems.
  • Sharing the Planet: Investigating rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources.

Key Concepts:

Key concepts are essential ideas that transcend individual disciplines and stimulate critical thinking. At BLIS, we emphasise these concepts throughout our teaching:

  • Form: What is it like? (The structure and nature of things)
  • Function: How does it work? (The purpose and usefulness of things)
  • Causation: Why is it like it is? (The relationship between cause and effect)
  • Change: How is it changing? (The transformation and evolution of things)
  • Connection: How is it connected to other things? (The relationships and interdependence)
  • Perspective: What are the points of view? (The different ways of seeing things)
  • Responsibility: What is our responsibility? (The ethical considerations and impact of our actions)

ATL Skills (Approaches to Learning):

Approaches to Learning are the skills that help students become self-regulated learners. At BLIS, we foster these ATL skills:

  • Thinking Skills: Critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem-solving.
  • Social Skills: Collaboration, communication, and conflict resolution.
  • Self-Management Skills: Organisation, time management, and perseverance.
  • Research Skills: Information literacy, data analysis, and inquiry skills.
  • Communication Skills: Listening, speaking, reading, writing, and media literacy.

At BLIS, integrating these components into our PYP curriculum nurtures well-rounded, globally minded students who embrace diversity, think critically, and approach learning with enthusiasm and confidence.







IB MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME

BLIS Middle School is a fully authorized IB MYP School.  The MYP programme is integrated into our full middle school curriculum, with Grade 5 as our transition-year for MYP and students officially entering the programme in Grade 6.  With a focus on international-mindedness and student-centered learning, the IB MYP programme resonates with the BLIS Mission and Vision. 

What is the MYP?

“The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) is designed for students aged 11 to 16. It provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world. It fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement—essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders.”

MYP Policies

MS Academic Integrity Policy Summary please click here.

MS Inclusion Policy Summary please click here.

MS Language Policy Summary please click here.

MS Assessment Policy Summary please click here.

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Helpful Links

IB MYP Informational Website (http://www.ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/).

IB MYP Brochure (https://ibo.org/globalassets/digital-toolkit/brochures/myp-programme-brochure-en.pdf)

IB Learner Profile (https://ibo.org/globalassets/digital-toolkit/flyers-and-artworks/learner-profile-en.pdf)

The MYP Curriculum  (https://ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/curriculum/)

CAMBRIDGE IGCSE

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education, or IGCSE as it is known, is one of the most recognized secondary-level qualifications in the world.  It is administered by the prestigious institution, the University of Cambridge in England.

Our school has offered this qualification for over 25 years, since its inception.  Designed as a two-year program, the IGCSE offers students a challenging, world-class curriculum throughout grades 9 and 10.  The courses are renowned for developing vital educational skills, including recall of knowledge, problem solving, initiative, team work and investigative skills.  It thereby provides an excellent foundation for higher level programs, such as the International Baccalaureate (IB), which our students follow in grades 11 and 12.

A wide range of IGCSE courses are currently offered at BLIS and these are grouped into five curriculum areas, namely Languages, Humanities/Social Sciences, Sciences, Mathematics and the Performing/Visual Arts.  The intent of the program is to offer students a broad educational experience.  Students are thus required to choose courses from among all of the five curriculum areas.

IGCSE Subjects-First Language English, English Literature, First Language Turkish (Turkish students only), International Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Global Perspectives (International students only), 20th Century History (International students only),  Foreign Language Spanish, German or French.

Non-IGCSE Subjects-Turkish History, Turkish Literature, Turkish Geography, Ethics (Turkish students only). Turkish Language (International students only). Physical Education.

Options-All students will also choose one subject from the following Arts Options: Computer Science, Drama (IGCSE exam required), Art & Design (IGCSE exam offered), Music.

In many respects, the IGCSE stands at an important crossroads in our school’s curriculum, as both a foundation for later courses of study and as a vital link from the learning and development that takes place in the Middle School years. At BLIS, students and their families can thus rest assured that the early stages of High School provide a very sound educational springboard into the future.

IB (International Baccalaureate)

BDP   Psychology

The IBDP psychology course examines the interaction of biological, cognitive and sociocultural influences on human behaviour.  Students undertaking the course can expect to develop an understanding of how psychological knowledge is generated, developed and applied. The interaction of these approaches to studying psychology forms the basis of a holistic and integrated approach to understanding mental processes and behaviour as a complex, dynamic phenomenon, allowing students to appreciate the diversity as well as the commonality between their own behaviour and that of others. 
 

IBDP Economics

Economics is an exciting, dynamic subject that allows students to develop an understanding of the complexities and interdependence of economic activities in a rapidly changing world. At the heart of economic theory is the problem of scarcity. While the world’s population has unlimited needs and wants, there are limited resources to satisfy these needs and wants. As a result of this scarcity, choices have to be made. The DP economics course, at both SL and HL, uses economic theories to examine the ways in which these choices are made.

 

IBDP Global Politics

Global politics draws on a variety of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. It helps students to understand abstract political concepts by grounding them in real world examples and case studies, and also invites comparison between such examples and case studies to ensure a transnational perspective. It allows students to develop an understanding of the many dimensions of political activity, as well as allowing them the opportunity to explore political issues affecting their own lives. Developing international mindedness and an awareness of multiple perspectives is at the heart of this course
 
 

IBDP Theory of Knowledge

It asks students to reflect on the nature of knowledge, and on how we know what we claim to know. TOK is part of the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) core, and is mandatory for all students. As a thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of knowing, and into different kinds of knowledge, TOK is a challenging course. The course is built around knowledge questions.  In TOK students gain a greater awareness of their personal and ideological assumptions, as well as developing an appreciation of the diversity and richness of cultural perspectives.

IGCSE Global Perspectives 

Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives encourages learners to think about and explore solutions to significant global issues.The syllabus develops learners’ ability to consider significant global issues from different perspectives. It also encourages learners to work collaboratively and individually and to apply their knowledge in different contexts, all while developing transferable skills to complement learning in other curricular areas.


BLIS 

This is the International Baccalaureate (IB). IB programmes aim to provide an education that enables students to make sense of the complexities of the world around them, as well as equipping them with the skills and dispositions needed for taking responsible action for the future.