Strengthening Inquiry-Based Education from Early Childhood at International Schools
Aiwin International School Toyonaka has officially obtained International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) certification. This recognition signifies that AWIS's long-standing educational foundation, focused on inquiry-based learning and advanced English proficiency from early childhood, has been internationally recognized for its quality and consistency within the framework of world-class education.
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- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 01:57
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This time, Aiwin International School Toyonaka has officially obtained certification for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP).
Find an IB World School
This certification is not merely about the introduction of an international educational program. The fact that our school, operating as an unregistered childcare facility, has become an authorized school through a rigorous international standard-based screening and continuous evaluation process, means that the educational foundation AWIS has built over many years has organically connected with a world-class educational system, and its quality and consistency have been internationally recognized.
The school has always valued fostering critical thinking from an early age, nurturing initiative, and establishing fundamental academic skills, including advanced English proficiency, which deeply resonate with the philosophy of PYP. This certification symbolizes the culmination of these efforts, systematized within the framework of international education, and evolving into stronger educational practices.
**Alignment with International Baccalaureate (IB) Educational Standards and the Positioning of PYP Certification**
PYP (Primary Years Programme) is an international educational program offered by the International Baccalaureate Organization for children aged 3 to 12. It is an educational framework that aims for the harmonious development of knowledge, thinking skills, and character through inquiry-based learning. This program is permitted only in IB World Schools that meet strict criteria.
The Toyonaka Campus received PYP candidate status in January 2023 and has been working for approximately two years to develop its curriculum, train its faculty, and reconstruct its educational environment. As a result, it was formally approved as an IB World School in November 2025.
PYP certified schools in Japan remain limited, and obtaining certification, especially from the early childhood stage, is not easy. This certification marks an important milestone demonstrating that the school's educational practices have reached international standards.
This certification indicates that the school's education is aligned with the International Baccalaureate (IB) educational standards, clearly positioning its educational value.
**AWIS (Aiwin International School) Educational Philosophy and Journey to Date**
Aiwin International School Toyonaka emphasizes character formation and building the foundation for learning from an early age. Under a meticulous small-group instruction environment, it has progressively cultivated foundational skills such as language ability, logical thinking, numerical sense, and self-management. A unique feature of the school is its focus on nurturing the ability to think independently, engage in dialogue, and express oneself, rather than merely acquiring knowledge.
Its educational practices are based on its unique educational framework "BASIC (Balance, Adaptability, Self-confidence, Imaginative, Communicative)," which aims to balance the development of both cognitive and non-cognitive abilities in children.
The school's educational environment is designed to foster an international perspective and a spirit of inquiry. In an environment where children from diverse national backgrounds interact daily, intercultural understanding and respect for diversity are naturally cultivated. Furthermore, valuing interactions between different age groups, the school fosters a collaborative attitude from an early age.
Learning is not uniformly given by the teacher; it is designed as a process of inquiry that begins with each child's interests. Through play and project-based activities that utilize the five senses, children repeatedly experience asking questions, researching, thinking, and expressing their findings.
In language education, an immersion environment in both English and Japanese is provided, offering natural opportunities to become familiar with English in daily life. Furthermore, through systematic literacy instruction based on phonological awareness, foundational language skills for reading and writing are steadily nurtured. English is positioned not merely as a skill but as a means to broaden one's thinking.
The school also implements STEAM education, which integrates elements of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics across disciplines. By exploring familiar themes, conducting experiments and productions, and presenting their results through a series of learning cycles, children develop creativity and logical thinking skills.
These educational practices are positioned as a solid foundation for future development into advanced inquiry-based learning, and this PYP certification can be considered a symbolic event linking that foundation with the framework of international standards.
**Restructuring Learning from Inquiry - Evolution of Education and Advancement of English Education through PYP Certification**
With the acquisition of PYP certification as a catalyst, the school's education has been restructured under a more systematic inquiry-based framework. In addition to traditional subject-centered learning, interdisciplinary learning centered on "conceptual understanding" has been introduced, and children repeatedly experience thinking about a single question from multiple perspectives.
Find an IB World School
This certification is not merely about the introduction of an international educational program. The fact that our school, operating as an unregistered childcare facility, has become an authorized school through a rigorous international standard-based screening and continuous evaluation process, means that the educational foundation AWIS has built over many years has organically connected with a world-class educational system, and its quality and consistency have been internationally recognized.
The school has always valued fostering critical thinking from an early age, nurturing initiative, and establishing fundamental academic skills, including advanced English proficiency, which deeply resonate with the philosophy of PYP. This certification symbolizes the culmination of these efforts, systematized within the framework of international education, and evolving into stronger educational practices.
**Alignment with International Baccalaureate (IB) Educational Standards and the Positioning of PYP Certification**
PYP (Primary Years Programme) is an international educational program offered by the International Baccalaureate Organization for children aged 3 to 12. It is an educational framework that aims for the harmonious development of knowledge, thinking skills, and character through inquiry-based learning. This program is permitted only in IB World Schools that meet strict criteria.
The Toyonaka Campus received PYP candidate status in January 2023 and has been working for approximately two years to develop its curriculum, train its faculty, and reconstruct its educational environment. As a result, it was formally approved as an IB World School in November 2025.
PYP certified schools in Japan remain limited, and obtaining certification, especially from the early childhood stage, is not easy. This certification marks an important milestone demonstrating that the school's educational practices have reached international standards.
This certification indicates that the school's education is aligned with the International Baccalaureate (IB) educational standards, clearly positioning its educational value.
**AWIS (Aiwin International School) Educational Philosophy and Journey to Date**
Aiwin International School Toyonaka emphasizes character formation and building the foundation for learning from an early age. Under a meticulous small-group instruction environment, it has progressively cultivated foundational skills such as language ability, logical thinking, numerical sense, and self-management. A unique feature of the school is its focus on nurturing the ability to think independently, engage in dialogue, and express oneself, rather than merely acquiring knowledge.
Its educational practices are based on its unique educational framework "BASIC (Balance, Adaptability, Self-confidence, Imaginative, Communicative)," which aims to balance the development of both cognitive and non-cognitive abilities in children.
The school's educational environment is designed to foster an international perspective and a spirit of inquiry. In an environment where children from diverse national backgrounds interact daily, intercultural understanding and respect for diversity are naturally cultivated. Furthermore, valuing interactions between different age groups, the school fosters a collaborative attitude from an early age.
Learning is not uniformly given by the teacher; it is designed as a process of inquiry that begins with each child's interests. Through play and project-based activities that utilize the five senses, children repeatedly experience asking questions, researching, thinking, and expressing their findings.
In language education, an immersion environment in both English and Japanese is provided, offering natural opportunities to become familiar with English in daily life. Furthermore, through systematic literacy instruction based on phonological awareness, foundational language skills for reading and writing are steadily nurtured. English is positioned not merely as a skill but as a means to broaden one's thinking.
The school also implements STEAM education, which integrates elements of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics across disciplines. By exploring familiar themes, conducting experiments and productions, and presenting their results through a series of learning cycles, children develop creativity and logical thinking skills.
These educational practices are positioned as a solid foundation for future development into advanced inquiry-based learning, and this PYP certification can be considered a symbolic event linking that foundation with the framework of international standards.
**Restructuring Learning from Inquiry - Evolution of Education and Advancement of English Education through PYP Certification**
With the acquisition of PYP certification as a catalyst, the school's education has been restructured under a more systematic inquiry-based framework. In addition to traditional subject-centered learning, interdisciplinary learning centered on "conceptual understanding" has been introduced, and children repeatedly experience thinking about a single question from multiple perspectives.