Written by International Baccalaureate.
Australian schools are navigating an increasingly complex education landscape. Alongside delivering strong academic outcomes, educators are strengthening literacy and numeracy, responding to evidence-informed teaching practices, supporting student wellbeing, and preparing young people to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world.
Many schools are exploring how to strengthen academic foundational skills while developing inquiry, conceptual understanding, and the capabilities students need to become lifelong learners. The challenge is finding an approach that achieves this balance while remaining responsive to the Australian Curriculum and the needs of local communities.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) achieves this through its curriculum framework and future-focused approaches. This approach to education does not assume that there is one right way to learn. Educating the whole child through inquiry for example, is personalised and humanistic in nature and encourages curiosity and creative thought. This approach embraces reflective thinking and helps learners to effectively navigate through life by being able to recognise and utilise their creative problem solving. It embraces and nurtures both curiosity and creativity so young learners can think beyond the facts to problem-solve. However, effective inquiry is also knowing how and when to use it to complement explicit teaching. To meaningfully integrate inquiry with explicit instruction to build complex higher-order thinking skills.
For more than 55 years, the IB has partnered with schools to deliver programmes that combine academic rigour with inquiry, conceptual understanding, and authentic real-world learning experiences[GS1.1]. Rather than prescribing a single curriculum, the IB provides a flexible educational framework that enables schools to deliver its programmes alongside national and state curriculum requirements where appropriate.
Across Australia, IB World Schools implement these programmes in ways that reflect the needs and aspirations of their communities[GS2.1]. While every school’s implementation is unique, they share a commitment to academic excellence, student wellbeing, international-mindedness, and developing confident, capable learners.
This aligns closely with Australia’s education vision. The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration aspires to develop confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners, and active and informed members of the community. Similarly, the Australian Curriculum emphasises building deep knowledge alongside the capabilities young people need to participate confidently in a rapidly changing world.
The IB programmes put these aspirations into practice by strengthening critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and conceptual understanding. Central to this approach is the IB Learner Profile, which motivates learners to become inquirers, thinkers, communicators, caring and balanced individuals. Complementing this are the IB’s Approaches to Teaching and Learning, which support students to become reflective, self-directed learners who can apply their knowledge and skills confidently across different contexts.
The IB is not an alternative to Australia’s educational priorities; it is an internationally recognised educational framework that complements them well. Within the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP), schools have flexibility to design learning that reflects local curriculum requirements and community context while building inquiry, conceptual understanding, and strong academic foundations. In the Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP), students engage with rigorous, internationally benchmarked programmes that provide academic depth, breadth, and recognised pathways to higher education and future careers. Across all IB programmes, schools are supported to developing knowledgeable, principled and internationally minded learners who are equipped to contribute confidently to their communities and beyond.
The opportunity for Australian schools is not to choose between academic achievement and broader learner development, but to create learning environments where both reinforce one another. From primary through pre-university, the IB offers a coherent continuum of programmes that complements Australia’s education vision while responding to the unique context and aspirations of learners and their school community.
Visit us at Booth D33 to learn how the IB can support your school’s vision and student success.
Don’t miss our Classroom of the Future session!
Topic: Building a Culture of Understanding: Exploring the Place of Inquiry and Explicit Teaching in Learning Environments
4 September 2026 – 2:30pm-3:30pm