Understanding Montessori, IPC and Other Early-Years and Primary Options

This guide is for parents of young children who are looking at international schools and have just come across names such as Montessori or IPC. It does not rate or rank any curriculum. It only summarises what the official notes say, all as of 2026-10-29. Practices differ by school, so please confirm the details with the school itself.

Curriculum names are not one single thing

The International Schools Association of Thailand (ISAT) describes a very wide range of options, even within one country. There are American (AP/SAT), British (IGCSE/A Level) and IB (PYP, MYP, DP, CP) programmes. There are also Australian, Canadian, French, German, Japanese, Indian and Singaporean curricula. IPC and Montessori are listed alongside them.

A name alone therefore tells you little about daily classroom life. Once you know the name, ask how the classroom actually runs.

What AMI Montessori classrooms look like

Among Montessori approaches, the AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) standards are fairly specific. According to AMI USA, classrooms group mixed ages:

• Nido: about 2 months to 12-15 months
• Infant Community: about 1 to 3
• Primary: about 2.5/3 to 6
• Elementary: 6-9, 9-12 or 6-12

Primary and Elementary have an uninterrupted three-hour morning work period. Each class needs an AMI-diploma teacher for that age level and a complete set of AMI-approved materials. Even if a school calls itself Montessori, ask separately whether its classes are AMI-recognised.

The IPC family

IPC is a primary curriculum. It belongs to the same family as the IEYC for early years and the IMYC for ages 11-14. The material used here comes from a school group that runs these programmes (Nord Anglia Education), so keep in mind that it is the school's own description.

On the IMYC, the source says:

• Learning is organised in units around Big Ideas such as adaptability, responsibility and entrepreneurship, which link several subjects.
• It sets subject learning goals, eight personal learning goals (for example collaborators, communicators, empathetic, resilient) and international learning goals.

The source gives no detail on the IPC itself. If you are considering it, ask the school to explain it directly.

Look at accreditation too

Apart from the curriculum name, a school's accreditation is also worth checking. According to ISAT, every international school in Thailand must by law be accredited by a recognised overseas agency by the end of its fifth year. These are ten agencies recognised by OPEC, including CIS, WASC, NEASC, COBIS, Cognia, EDT and ISI. Schools must also be accredited by the national body ONESQA.

Rules can change and differ by country. If you are looking outside Thailand, confirm with the relevant official body and the school.

Checklist

• I have noted the exact curriculum name on the school's materials.
• For Montessori, I have asked whether the classes are AMI-recognised.
• I have checked how classes are grouped for my child's age, including mixed ages.
• I have asked whether the three-hour morning work period in Primary and Elementary is really kept.
• For IPC-family schools, I have checked which stages they run (IEYC, IPC, IMYC).
• I have checked the school's accrediting agencies and when it was accredited.
• I have thought about how the programme continues into later grades or another school.

Ask the school

• What qualifications does the teacher of my child's class hold?
• Does the classroom have a complete set of approved materials?
• Which agencies accredit the school, and since when? (For a Thai school, ask about ONESQA too.)
• If the school uses IPC or IEYC, how are lessons run day to day?
• How does the curriculum continue as children move up to higher grades?