RadioNZ reports the ‘Rats to riches’ [sic] story of a New Zealand school that grew from only seven to 103 students in three years after adopting the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP).
The Bay Islands International Academy, formerly the Te Tii School, in Kerikeri, New Zealand, is one of the four state primary schools that offer the PYP in New Zealand.
The increase in numbers was driven by Donald Chandler, a former New Yorker who moved to Kerikeri after selling his software company 11 years ago. "We announced a very, very bold programme and strategy which was essentially going to leapfrog the idea of improving incrementally and just say we're going right to the top in short order,” he said. “So we chose [an] International Baccalaureate programme, which is kind of a gold standard internationally I would say, and said that's what we're going to do.”
This bold change, however, needed funding that the school did not have. Donald Chandler successfully convinced his friends overseas to donate funds to the school. This made the success of the Bay Islands International Academy possible.
Principal Sean McDermott explains that the IB’s education system for younger children puts a strong emphasis on inquiry, values, and pastoral care and is hoping to extend IB programmes into secondary years.
Read the full story at radionz.co.nz.
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