MIDDLE SCHOOL · MYP
Ages 12–16
Where challenge meets support
The IB Middle Years Programme builds academic rigor, independence, and real-world thinking - preparing students to thrive in the Diploma Programme and beyond.
The IB Middle Years Programme builds academic rigor, independence, and real-world thinking - preparing students to thrive in the Diploma Programme and beyond.
The Middle Years Programme (MYP) at ASB is where students begin to think like young adults. Through eight subject groups - from sciences and mathematics to arts and design - they develop the intellectual discipline, curiosity, and independence that the IB Diploma demands. This framework is built to foster student agency and global awareness, empowering students to take ownership of their journey. By mastering Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills, they cultivate the research, communication, and self-management tools necessary for success in the Diploma Programme and beyond.
But the MYP is more than a list of subjects. Interdisciplinary projects show students that real problems don't respect subject boundaries. Service learning develops empathy and responsibility. Weekly homeroom sessions ensure every student has a teacher who knows them well. Students also can study French, adding a fourth language to their repertoire of English, Spanish, and Euskera.
In the MYP, subjects don't stay in their own boxes. The best learning happens when ideas connect, so at ASB, students don't just take “Science” or “Math” on their own - they use eight subjects together to tackle real problems.
Example: Water Quality Investigation
Students run experiments to test local samples (science), analyze and visualize the data they collect (math), and investigate how the results affect nearby communities and what could be done about it (social studies). Instead of studying each subject in isolation, they're using all three to work on a problem that actually matters.
At ASB, learning doesn't stop when the last lesson ends. Through international competitions, community service, and hands-on activities, students develop confidence, leadership, and a sense of purpose that no textbook can teach.
ASB's MUN team competes at European conferences including the St. Andrews MUN in Dublin - one of the most challenging on the circuit. Students research global issues, draft resolutions, and debate with peers from schools across Europe.
In the MYP, Service as Action turns classroom theory into community impact. It is a core requirement that challenges students to apply their academic skills to help others and protect the environment. By leading initiatives - from local environmental conservation to global awareness campaigns - students develop the empathy, leadership, and social responsibility needed to become active, principled citizens who are ready to make a difference in the world.
Every MYP student has an advisor who stays with them through the year. The Homeroom teacher takes on this role, with weekly Homeroom sessions for check-ins, academic guidance, and goal-setting. The school psychologist may step in when needed, and in the upper grades the college counselor joins to help students prepare for the DP.
Beyond academics, Homeroom and the wider programme support social and emotional growth - self-awareness, resilience, and friendship skills. Targeted help is also available through our English language support programme — for students still developing fluency in the language of instruction — and through Student Support Services, working alongside subject teachers with families as partners throughout.
In the final year of the MYP, every student undertakes a Personal Project - a year-long independent investigation into a topic of genuine personal significance. Students set their own goals, manage their own process, and produce a substantial piece of work.
Past projects have been as varied as our students' interests: building a working robot, hand-sewing a traditional Swedish skirt, launching a podcast, writing a novella, designing a sustainable product, creating a documentary. The Personal Project is often the moment students discover what they're capable of when they care deeply about something.
The MYP is deliberately designed as preparation for the IB Diploma. The study skills, critical thinking, and independence your child develops here are exactly what the Diploma demands.
Explore IB Diploma (DP) for ages 16–18 →Visit our campus, meet our MYP team, and see how academic challenge and personal support sit side by side at ASB.