IB Heads &IB Schools Australasia Heads Meeting Highlights- May 6th 2026

On Wednesday 6 May, Heads of School from across Australasia gathered with International Baccalaureate Organization Director General Olli-Pekka Heinonen and the IB executive team to discuss the realities, opportunities, and challenges currently facing IB schools in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region. The meeting was held in a blended format, with around 20 participants attending in person, creating valuable opportunities for direct conversation and genuine dialogue with IB leadership.

Throughout the meeting, Olli-Pekka Heinonen welcomed questions and perspectives from all participants, listening deeply and thoughtfully to the experiences of schools on the ground. He actively sought insights from local contexts, reinforcing the idea that meaningful educational change can only happen through strong partnerships and shared purpose.

The IB executive team presented the IB’s renewed organisational structure across the areas of Strategy and People, Education, Digital and Data, Assessment and Operations, Finance, and Community Partnerships & Development. The broader vision presented was one of an IB that is increasingly adaptive, innovative, and sustainable while remaining firmly anchored in its core mission. Heinonen shared the IB’s intention to “bring back the intimacy between the IB and the schools” through the revised structure.

The IB also shared its new global impact statement:

“By 2032 we will enrich the education of 5 million people from more globally representative communities in ways that enable human and planetary flourishing.”

This direction aligns closely with the growing international focus on wellbeing, inclusion, and global responsibility, informed in part by the OECD framework for Education for Human Flourishing.

A key theme throughout the day was the importance of balancing academic rigour with student wellbeing, agency, and relevance. Heinonen reflected that while the IB is renowned for its challenging programmes, learning should still be engaging and meaningful for students:

“The medicine doesn’t have to taste bad for it to work.”

Importantly, the meeting also created space for schools to openly discuss emerging challenges in the Australian context. Many schools noted the continuing decline in Diploma Programme enrolments across the region, with concerns raised about ATAR conversion at the upper end of the scale and the perception that IB programmes have not always been promoted strongly within Australasia compared to alternative international pathways.

The IB acknowledged that Australia is currently one of its more challenging regions and recognised the importance of continuing work in these areas, particularly around university recognition and direct entry pathways based on IB grades.

There was also strong recognition of the growing momentum of the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (CP) in Australia and the positive progress being made with university recognition. At the same time, ongoing concern was raised that the CP remains unavailable in Victoria. Many schools see the CP as an important bridge between the academic focus of the Diploma Programme and vocational pathways such as the VCE-VM, allowing schools to offer more flexible and genuinely holistic pathways for a wider range of students.

The discussion reinforced both the opportunities and the challenges ahead for IB schools in Australasia, particularly in ensuring that IB programmes remain accessible, recognised, and relevant for increasingly diverse student pathways.

Special thanks go to June Evans-Caulfield for continuing to spotlight the work of Australasian schools and IB Schools Australasia for helping make the event possible.IBSA would like to extend our appreciation also to our hosts at Albert Park College and Angela Meikle, whose work behind the scenes ensured the event ran seamlessly.

 IB Schools Australasia  was represented by Antony Mayrhofer and Casper Buisman.