Primary School ISP | Gonzaga Campus

Primary School

Growing together in an international community

CHARACTERISTICS OF
THE PYP

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), followed by Gonzaga ISP, includes both the curriculum for Early Years (ages 3 to 4, Pre-school) and for Primary School (ages 5 to 11).
The ISP also adds the Pre-Kindergarten program (ages 2 to 3).

The PYP nurtures the academic, social, and emotional well-being of students, focusing on international-mindedness and personal values. It aims at the holistic development of each individual, encouraging students to be independent and responsible for their own learning, helping them understand the world, and fostering an openness to lifelong learning.

Curriculum

The ISP offers a challenging and meaningful curriculum, ensuring that young students are prepared for an authentic life, both in the present and in the future.

The ISP’s PYP program incorporates local, national, and global topics, inviting students to explore six transdisciplinary themes and consider the connections between them. All six transdisciplinary themes are introduced to students from the age of six; younger learners are presented with four of the following:

Transdisciplinary themes of PYP
who we are
where we are in place and time
how we express ourselves
how the world works
how we organize ourselves
sharig the planet

Key Points of the Training Offer

The PYP Exhibition: A Growth Milestone

The primary school journey culminates with the “PYP Exhibition”, a collective interdisciplinary project involving Grade 6 students. It is an opportunity to demonstrate the skills acquired, the ability to work in a group and the assimilation of the values of the Learner Profile , symbolically representing the transition to middle school.

Key Points of the Training Offer

Native teachers and specialist teachers

Each subject is taught by qualified professionals: native English teachers for the main subjects, specialist teachers for Italian, Physical Education, Music and Science. This guarantees a high educational standard, with specific attention to each area of the cognitive and creative development of the students.

Key Points of the Training Offer

A rich, bilingual and multidisciplinary curriculum

The programme combines international academic content with the skills required by the Italian system. The six Units of Inquiry integrate subjects such as Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, English Language and PSHE, while Italian is taught by specialists both as a mother tongue and as an additional language, in a progressive six-year path.

Key Points of the Training Offer

Inquiry Learning: The Heart of the PYP

The ISP Primary School adopts the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), an inquiry-based approach that places the student at the centre of the learning process. Through guiding questions, interdisciplinary explorations and meaningful challenges, students develop critical thinking, autonomy and an authentic understanding of the world around them.

The Sections

Early Primary (Grades 1–3)

In the first cycle of the Primary School, which welcomes students from about 5 to 8 years old, the focus is on building the foundations of learning and developing autonomy. Through the Programme of Inquiry approach, children are involved in exploratory activities that foster curiosity, communication and collaboration. The environment is structured to offer emotional security and cognitive stimulation, so that each student can feel welcomed, listened to and guided in the first years of their school career. The acquisition of the English language continues in a natural and integrated way, while the foundations of reading, writing and mathematics are consolidated through meaningful and interdisciplinary experiences.

Upper Primary (Grades 4–6)

In the second phase of the Primary School, which accompanies students from 8 to 11 years old, we work on the consolidation of skills, on more autonomous investigation and on the construction of connections between different disciplines. Students are encouraged to ask questions, reflect, work in groups and face increasingly complex cognitive challenges. The six annual Units of Inquiry are enriched with interdisciplinary content and teaching is led by native teachers and specialists in different areas (Italian, music, physical education, science). The path culminates with the PYP Exhibition, a collective project that represents the synthesis of the skills acquired and the entrance to the Middle Years Programme.

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International School
45 min

METHODOLOGY AND ASSESSMENT

The PYP is an inquiry-based teaching and learning method that actively involves students in the curriculum, making them responsible for their own learning.
Each student develops an understanding of the world that allows for growth at their own pace and through their own methods.
Teaching and learning are based on the Programme of Inquiry. Students learn by conducting research within Units of Inquiry.
They are stimulated through a series of questions inspired by fundamental, meaningful, and important concepts, as well as by engaging learning challenges.
Within the Units of Inquiry, students learn elements from different disciplines in a meaningful, interconnected way.
These disciplines are also taught for their technical aspects (e.g., languages, mathematics), including specific in-depth studies outside the Units of Inquiry.

PROGRAMME OF INQUIRY

Teaching and learning are based on the Programme of Inquiry, which consists of six Units of Inquiry.
Students are engaged through a series of questions inspired by fundamental, meaningful, and important concepts, as well as by exciting learning challenges.
Within the six Units of Inquiry, students learn elements from various disciplines in a meaningful, integrated way.
These disciplines, or subjects, are also taught for their technical aspects (e.g., languages, mathematics), including specific in-depth studies outside the Units of Inquiry.

The Programme of Inquiry also applies to the teaching of Italian; in particular, the Italian curriculum follows a six-year learning pathway designed to develop linguistic skills and competences, as well as to deepen the understanding of Italian culture in accordance with national educational guidelines.
For non-native speakers, Italian is taught as an “additional language.”

EXHIBITION

At the end of the PYP (Grade 6), students take part in the Exhibition, the culmination of their learning journey and a key milestone in the programme. It is a collective, interdisciplinary project developed under the guidance of teachers, where students explore a topic of personal and global relevance.

The Exhibition highlights the skills and competences students have acquired throughout the PYP, reflecting the attributes of the IB Learner Profile. It demonstrates their ability to inquire, collaborate, and take action in meaningful ways.

The event involves the entire school community, including teachers, peers, and parents, who are invited to share and celebrate this significant moment in the students’ growth and learning.

A Typical Day

Plan

Primary – Italian: 8 hours per week, Music: 1 hour per week, Physical Education: 2 hours per week

7.30–8.50 Pre-reception
8.50–9.40 Lesson
9.40–10.30 Lesson
10.30–10.50 Break
10.50–11.40 Lesson
11.40–12.30 Lesson
12.30–13.20 Lesson
1.20–2.20 pm Lunch and break
2.20pm–3.05pm Lesson
15.05–15.50 Lesson
3.50pm - 4.15pm: after school handover

Canteen Service

The canteen service is internal, managed by a catering company specialized in the school sector: Pellegrini. The menu is studied together with a nutritionist to guarantee children a varied and complete diet. The canteen presents itself as a place of sharing, but also as an opportunity to educate on proper nutrition.

School Uniforms

The Gonzaga Store is the go-to place for custom school apparel on campus. Here, students can find high-quality school uniforms designed for comfort and convenience, while respecting the identity and spirit of the educational community.

Through the Gonzaga Store, the school promotes a sense of belonging and representation, providing garments that are carefully detailed and suited to the needs of students.

School Psychology Service

Within our Campus, the school psychology service is present and active.

The psychologists, experts in the different age groups present in the school, provide 360° support and collaborate with the Institute Management, with the teachers and with the families to guarantee support and guidance for the specific needs of each individual.

Facilities

To encourage intercultural exchange and relationships among students of different ages, our school organizes classrooms equipped with appropriate learning and research tools according to each subject area.
The campus includes a multilingual library where students can study and borrow books, as well as multimedia, science, art, and music laboratories.
For performances and plays, we use the campus auditorium, while for physical and mental well-being, students have access to an indoor gym and large outdoor spaces for play and sports activities.
Finally, for lunch breaks, the school offers a cafeteria that also supports proper nutritional education.

Timetable information

In addition to the timetable, a pre-school service is offered with the following timetable:

07:30 - 08:50 pre-school service - welcome

Organization

The Primary School's academic activities take place from Monday to Friday, from 8:50 am to 3:50 pm

A supervision service is available from 7:30 to 8:50 am (pre-school care), and after classes from 3:50 to 4:15 pm (after-school care).

During certain periods of the year, two afternoons per week, students can take part in optional after-school clubs (such as Lego, creativity, homework, and others) which run until 4:45 pm

A transport service is also provided to accompany students to the gyms and sports fields of Polisportiva Gonzaga for afternoon sports activities.
For more information about the different sports available, please visit www.gonzagapolisportiva.it.

Admission to Primary School

Admissions follow the same timeline as the Italian school enrollment calendar. Normally, new students are placed in the class corresponding to their age, based on the January–December period of each calendar year, excluding those born between January and April of the following year (early entrants). However, exceptions for such cases may be considered after a short period of classroom observation and an evaluation conducted by teachers and the school psychologist.
Enrollment is open until all available places are filled.

Starting from Grade 1, thanks to their natural learning and adaptation abilities, children integrate smoothly into our environment, also benefiting from the support of bilingual assistants. From Grade 3 onwards (at the time of application), an English level assessment is carried out to personalize linguistic support.

For enrollment in any grade of the Primary School, it is necessary to present the student's previous school records.
For more information, please fill in the form below.

Primary

Teachers

native english speaker

Maths, Social Studies, Science and PSHE

Italian language with specialized teacher

PYP Exposure in Grade 6

Middle

School

IB PYP Curriculum Unit of Inquiry

Music and PE lessons with specialist teachers

Scientific area and anthropological area in Italian

School

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Primary School

CHARACTERISTICS OF
THE PYP

Curriculum