The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) caters for Middle School students with a unique curriculum framework designed for adolescents. It promotes research, self-management, collaboration, and critical thinking skills, plus fosters interdisciplinary thinking through the study of meaningful topics.

The MYP is a student-centred curriculum spanning five years of learning, concluding in Year 10 (the first year of our Senior School).

During this stage of rapid change and development, staff build an enviroment that allows students to connect with their community, and actively embrace the life of the College. Most of Middle School students' learning occurs in a single classroom, with only accasional movement for key classes, intended to help create a stable environment for successful learning.

Growth and Personal Skills (GPS)

When students enter Middle School, they participate in GPS, one component of the College's approach to pastoral care. There are four pillars for the GPS programme, that go on to continue in Senior School, which explore strong relationships, healthy lifestyles, positive emotions, and personal resilience. Topics under these pillars evolve with the age and stage of the students.

Year 6: Be the change

Topics explored in the first year of the Middle School are designed to open discussions specific to the formative years of adolescence, and aims to provide tools for success both in and out of school.

• What is a respectful relationship?
• What is a healthy lifestyle?
• What are positive emotions?
• What does it mean to be resilient?

Year 7: Be connected

In Year 7 students work closely with their teachers to look at group dynamics and positive socialisation, as relationships amongst the cohort develop and evolve.

• How do we treat each other well?
• What does it mean to take risks?
• Do I control my emotions or do they control me?
• How do I cope with a challenge?

Year 8: Be independent

As students begin to reach the pinnacle of adolescence, GPS topics become more introspective, focusing on personal reflection and responsibility.

• What do I want my peers to say about me?
• How can I be my best self?
• Who am I?
• Can I have a go?

Year 9: Be challenged

In the final year of Middle School, students are given more opportunities to stretch their learning and their actions.

• How does my identity influence my relationships?
• How do I make informed choices about my health?
• How will I make an impact?
• How can I be resilient?

RISE Programme

Year 9 is a significant year in a student’s life. It’s a time of change, new experiences and, at times, challenges, as they mark their final year in the Middle School before stepping into the Senior School and establishing their path towards the next stage of their life.

The essence of RISE is to give Year 9 students the skills, support, and opportunities to navigate their life and make decisions that they are proud of. It is a whole-of-student, immersive learning journey that brings together academic growth, personal development, and spiritual exploration.

RISE combines our Growth and Personal Skills (GPS) curriculum with Religious Education, providing an integrated approach that equips students with tools to understand themselves, navigate this rite of passage, and envision who they want to become as adults. Taught by Home Group teachers, who will also act as mentors, the programme ensures that learning is relevant, interactive, and deeply connected to students’ current experiences.

Each Term of Year 9 explores a new topic:

• Term 1 | Identity
• Term 2 | Responsibility
• Term 3 | Relationships and Emotional Intellegence
• Term 4 | Resilience

RISE complements our STEP curriculum (Study Thinking Extension Programme), Being You and Break Free Curriculum Extension Activities, and the core subjects of the year, giving students the opportunity to step up, have more agency over their learning, and take charge of the choices that impact on themselves and those around them.