Primary Years Programme
What is the Primary Years Programme?
At OIS, students begin the Primary Years Programme from the age of 5. Although at the moment we start in Year 2 when a child is 6 years old, we are opening our Year 1 class in September 2026 for 5 year old student who wish to join. The PYP focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is a framework guided by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subject areas, as well as trans-disciplinary skills, with a powerful emphasis on inquiry.
Students begin their journey with us in Year 1, they continue until the end of Year 6, when at age 11 they are preparing for the move to secondary school. At Oeiras International School, learning starts with curiosity, grows with inquiry, and flourishes in a caring community
OIS took over a former elementary school building in the village for students from Year 2 up to Year 4. This provides a safe, secure environment for learning. There are facilities for the arts, a library, a meeting space and access to computers for learning. A hot lunch is served every day, though some students choose to bring a packed lunch.
Register and Book a Visit TODAY!
We are growing!!
From September 2026, we will have a new Year 1 class as well as an additional Year 6 class. Book you visit today and experience what it feels like to learn at OIS in an international environment surrounded by nature. Spaces are limited to book your visit soon. If you prefer to have a more detailed look into our curriculum and meet our community, join us for our next Open Day on January 21st, 2026.
What makes our PYP unique?
- Student-led inquiry and hands-on learning
- Emphasis on international mindedness and personal growth
- A safe, inclusive, and nature-rich campus
- A strong foundation for lifelong learning
New Year, New Possibilities! We are Opening a New Year 6 Class.
Due to popular demand, we are growing our PYP. With an extra Year 6 class opening in August 2026, families now have increased opportunity to join OIS at a key transition point in the PYP journey. Year 6, which is when a child is 10 year old, is the perfect introduction to the IB curriculum with a smooth transition into the Middle Years Programme once they start Year 7.
Teachers and support staff have their classes based there, but specialist teachers also come across from the main school for Portuguese and Physical and Health Education (PHE) lessons. The children regularly visit the main school (or Quinta) for animal care and gardening sessions, as well as to play, to explore and for events.
In Year 5 students move across to the Quinta where they will remain until Year 13. The Quinta hosts more specialised facilities which become more important as the students progress and allows them to explore a larger playspace and to mix with other students who provide good role models, a crucial part of growing up.
The Primary Years Programme curriculum framework begins with the premise that students are agents of their own learning and partners in the learning process. It prioritizes people and their relationships to build a strong learning community.
Moreover, PYP students use their initiative to take responsibility and ownership of their education. By learning through inquiry and reflecting on their own development, PYP students gain knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills and the attributes of the IB Learner profile to make a difference in their own lives, their communities, and beyond.
The PYP Curriculum
The PYP presents schools with a comprehensive plan for high quality, international education. It provides schools with a curriculum framework of essential elements — the knowledge, concepts, skills, attributes, and action that young students need to equip them for successful lives, both now and in the future. Schools work with these five elements to construct a rigorous and challenging primary curriculum for international education.
In addition, the Primary Years Programme aims to create a curriculum that is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant. The curriculum is transdisciplinary, meaning that it focuses on issues that go across subject areas.
For further information about the IB and its programmes visit http://www.ibo.org
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To learn more about our PYP Programme – Book a Visit