News
The surprising thing Google learned about its employees — and what it means for today’s students by Valerie Strauss
26th March 2018The conventional wisdom about 21st century skills holds that students need to master the STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and math — and learn to code as well because that’s where the jobs are. It turns out that is a gross simplification of what students need to know and be able to do, and some […]
Read moreThe IB encourages the soft skills that businesses value, Mark Seldon
14th March 2018In my role as Director of Studies at Gresham’s School, where we offer Sixth Form students both A-levels and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, I actively encourage all students to consider the IB Diploma Pathway. If students explain that they have chosen to take A-levels because they are absolutely passionate about three particular subjects […]
Read moreEducation and global competencies (aka remembering we are human), Rebecca Hughes
14th March 2018We certainly do seem to be getting more interested in all things global when it comes to education. First there was ‘global citizenship’ — whether or not we know exactly what the term means. ‘Global’ and ‘citizen’ taken together always appear in tension to me, a contradiction in terms implying you don’t understand one word […]
Read moreWhile there remains a place for technical knowledge, in many fields this will rapidly date and it’ll be the soft skills driving a successful career
13th March 2018As the IB curriculum celebrates its fiftieth year, Tim Jones, academic deputy head at Sevenoaks School, discusses how effective the programme has been – especially in nurturing the development of ‘soft skills’. Isn’t it interesting that for the first half of the last century, ‘soft skills’ were taken for granted as those requiring little or […]
Read moreQuestioning Systems of Deformative Assessment
22nd February 2018In a series of new blog posts we want to shine a light on what it means to offer An Education for Global Citizenship. We will explore debates, emerging findings from the research literature and above all share how we at IAG are meeting the challenges and opportunities presented by both this the Fourth Industrial Revolution […]
Read moreOne of UK’s oldest grammar schools adopts the IB
22nd February 2018Bristol Grammar School was founded in 1532 and, like so many other of the ancient city grammar schools in the UK, it has been the key academic institution of the city for nearly 500 years. During that history it has produced a winner of the Nobel Prize and the founder of Penguin Books, Sir Allen […]
Read moreIB Press Coverage Summary
9th February 2018Click here for January’s IB press coverage summary from Conscious Communications.
Read moreApprentices will get a place at Cambridge University
8th February 2018Cambridge University is to offer apprenticeships for the first time in a sign that vocational training is becoming a genuine alternative to conventional degrees and £27,000 tuition fees. The university has been registered as an official apprenticeship trainer alongside companies such as Lloyds Bank, Greggs bakery and British Airways. Other universities including Bath Spa and […]
Read moreIB Programme ‘A Better World Through Education’
7th February 2018As part of the IB 50th birthday party, IB, working with ITN, produced films on the impact of IB at a number of schools in the UK: ACS International Schools, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Dwight School, Headington School and Sevenoaks. Links to these films are below. Click here for the Sevenoaks film Click here for the […]
Read morePackage vocational and academic qualifications together for university success
24th January 2018“Data shows that, over 10 years, 30% more BTEC students failed to complete their degree course than those students who entered university with the equivalent A Level tariff scores. The assumption drawn from this finding is that BTEC students are less well prepared for university that A Level students. However, I believe this simplistic view […]
Read moreSeven schools celebrate 40 years of commitment to developing global citizens through the IB
24th January 2018“Seven International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools from across Africa and Europe are celebrating 40 years of offering the Diploma Programme (DP), having recognised the IB’s unique proposition and started the programme in 1977, just nine years after it was first launched. The schools, which are celebrating 40 years’ commitment to nurturing students to demonstrate a […]
Read moreUniversities thoughts on the IB
24th January 2018Click here to view comments on the IB from different universities.
Read moreThe rapid growth of the IB Career-related Programme in the UK
10th January 2018Twenty-four state schools across Kent are now authorised to offer the IB Career-related Programme (CP), equating to nearly one third of state schools in the county and a quarter of CP students worldwide. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) is becoming a popular choice in the UK as students are reaping the benefits of […]
Read moreMaking the learning leap: KS4 to KS5
4th January 2018Finishing secondary education and heading into Sixth Form is an exciting, yet daunting prospect for most 16-year olds. Assuming they have already chosen by the summer what they will be studying at Sixth Form – whether that be A-levels or the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma – arriving at the summer holiday offers them time to […]
Read moreMind the STEM gap – How good careers advice can help to close both gender and pay gaps
4th January 2018‘Research has highlighted the influence of gender stereotypes on students who are at crossroads with their career path. It suggests that good careers advice is vital in helping students determine – regardless of gender – how they can translate their aptitudes and skills into viable careers…’ Click here to read more about how the IBCP […]
Read moreThe University Admissions Officers Report 2017
14th December 2017This is the twelfth year that ACS International Schools and IBSCA have commissioned this survey among university admissions officers and in all this time the DP has been consistently rated as the best qualification to thrive at university. The University Admissions Officers Report 2017 summarises the results of the survey, highlights trends in university applications, provides […]
Read moreOne Head’s Story, Tracy Tresler
12th December 2017I am Head of Wilmington Academy which is a non-selective secondary modern surrounded by grammar schools so that our students are of mid/low ability. So, we start from a basis that is lower than the national average starting point. Nor are we short of competition: North West Kent College is a big draw and some of […]
Read moreUniversity admissions officers rate IB Diploma Programme as the best pathway for university preparation
11th December 2017According to research findings published in the 12th annual University Admissions Officers Report, UK university admissions officers rate the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) as “exceptionally different and better than A Levels”. The DP uniquely equips students with key skills The survey, commissioned by ACS International Schools and the IB Schools and Colleges Association of […]
Read moreThe International Baccalaureate launches ‘A Better World Through Education’,
11th December 2017The International Baccalaureate (IB) and ITN Productions have launched ‘A Better World Through Education,’ a news and current affairs-style programme which explores how IB programmes have been preparing children for life, allowing young minds to flourish across multiple disciplines and multiple cultures. With IB programmes being offered in more than 150 countries, this programme goes on a world-wide […]
Read moreIB Schools make a bigger splash in the Sunday Times Parent Power survey
4th December 2017Sunday Times Parent Power is the most respected, the most extensive and best researched study of the best schools in both the state and the independent sector in the UK. This year’s survey was published yesterday and it shows the great, and growing, significance of the International Baccalaureate Diploma in the UK… click here to […]
Read moreIndependent Secondary School of the Year: Sevenoaks School
4th December 2017There aren’t many schools that get to boast of being our Independent School of the Year. There are even fewer which get to claim the prize not once, but twice, with a record of consistent excellence that last saw Sevenoaks School walk off with the award 10 years ago… Please click here to read more, unfortunately […]
Read moreWindermere School crowned best for IB programme
30th November 2017THE LAKE District’s only independent school has been named in Sunday Times as the International Baccalaureate (IB) School of of the Year. The Sunday Times published its 25th edition of Parent Power at the weekend, a publication which identifies the 2,000 highest-achieving schools in the UK, which are ranked according to their examination results. Among […]
Read moreStudents with BTECs do worse at university – here’s how we close the gap
30th November 2017BTECs have been lauded for widening access to university, but once students get there they receive worse outcomes Every so often a new study tells us privately-schooled pupils perform worse at university than their state-schooled peers, or that there are huge gaps in attainment across measures of disadvantage, gender and ethnicity. Perhaps the most significant […]
Read moreHow can we better prepare students for university?
29th November 2017The narrow A-level curriculum is leaving more and more new undergraduates unable to cope with the rigours of university, says Mary Curnock Cook Earlier this autumn, over 330,000 young people made the leap from school or college to higher education. Many of them will have been ill-prepared for this transition, which involves a fundamental change […]
Read moreEnglish as a second language? Schools need to stop treating it as an obstacle to success
22nd November 2017When columnist Andrew Pierce tweeted earlier this year that 1.3 million children “do not speak English as a first language, underlining strain immigration puts on schools” he understandably caused something of a social media stir. Alongside some tweets of support, others were quick to point out that not having English as a mother tongue need not […]
Read moreVienna International School – International Mathematics Conference
16th November 2017This academic year Vienna International School are excited to be hosting a Kindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics conference in early June 2018. Their aim is to bring together leading authors, workshop facilitators and classroom practitioners for an engaging, relevant and cost effective professional development opportunity. To view more information on the course and to sign up please […]
Read moreWhy is the government spending so much on T-levels when a world-class programme that combines academic and vocational study already exists, asks Paul Luxmoore
15th November 2017I don’t really understand T-levels. This is either because I’m a bit dumb and slow, or because, as the executive head of a predominantly secondary MAT, I’ve been led to believe that T-levels are designed for FE colleges, and are therefore not for my pupils. I get the intention, however. T-levels are supposed to be […]
Read moreUK county leads the world in offering the newest IB programme
15th November 2017Twenty-four state schools across Kent are now authorised to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme (CP), with first teaching starting this term. This equates to almost 30% of state schools in the county. With over 500 students studying the programme in Kent alone, the UK is now home to almost a quarter of the schools across […]
Read more‘In 2017, not one of my sixth-formers took A levels. It was the best decision I ever made’
8th November 2017One headteacher of a secondary modern in selective Kent discusses his decision to look beyond the “narrow and purely academic curriculum” of A levels This year, for the first time in almost 10 years as a headteacher, I felt success on sixth form results day. For the first time ever, every student had passed […]
Read moreThe International Baccalaureate and Tes Partner in New Global Resource-sharing Hub for Educators
7th November 2017Two of the world’s leading authorities in education, the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Tes, the world’s largest community of education professionals with over 8 million registered users – including 100,000 IB educators – have announced a major new collaboration, which will see the launch of a resource-sharing service to help improve learning outcomes worldwide…. to […]
Read moreRoyal Society calls for Baccalaureate
23rd October 2017Sixth form education needs a major overhaul to properly prepare pupils for the future, a leading academic has said Pupils are being put at a disadvantage by A levels, because it is a narrow system that is no longer “fit for purpose”, according to Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, president of the Royal Society. Britain is at […]
Read moreIB or A-Levels: The decision to shape a lifetime
28th September 2017With Mark Seldon – Director of Studies at Gresham’s School Many parents will be under the impression that they know all about A Levels (as they are likely to have taken them themselves) but don’t know as much about the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. Yet we are currently going through the biggest shake […]
Read moreIB extra-curricular activities prepare students for university and life beyond
22nd September 2017Research undertaken by the University of Bath into the impact of an extra-curricular component of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) has revealed that DP students are well-prepared for university, and for life. DP modelThe report, based on responses from almost 8,000 students as well as programme coordinators and alumni, questions respondents on their […]
Read moreThe importance of international-mindedness
19th September 2017Comment by Jane Drake, Head of Curriculum Innovation and Alignment at the IB. How do today’s students understand current affairs? They hear daily analyses of the actions of the governments across the world, the plight of international refugees, terror threats, and environmental challenges. If they are being exposed to these events and current affairs for […]
Read moreDanny Collinge: VfB Stuttgart’s Englishman ‘never questions’ move to Germany
11th September 2017Here is an article about an English Footballer who went specifically to Germany to get a better education than with an English club. Danny took up studying the IB in Stuttgart to ensure that he had a solid back-up plan in case his career in football didn’t work out for him. Read more about his […]
Read moreGuide to International Education & Schools
4th September 2017The latest edition of Guide to International Education & Schools is out now! Articles that may be of interest to you: – The International Baccalaureate: A Global Success Story – A pathway to career success – The education system in England – and many more…. Click here for the full guide.
Read moreThe IB’s Career-related Programme: a pathway to success?
4th September 2017Adrian Kearney, the International Baccalaureate’s (IB) regional director for Africa, Europe and the Middle East, answers key questions about the opportunities afforded by the Career-related Programme. The Career-related Programme is the latest in the International Baccalaureate (IB) suite of qualifications. Adrian Kearney, the IB’s regional director for Africa, Europe and the Middle East, answers the key questions relocating parents […]
Read moreA state of flux
31st August 2017John Claughton, IBSCA Development Manager, discusses the advantages of the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme Heraclitus wrote in seventh century BC Greece, ‘All things are in flux’. He may not have had the 21st-century British education in mind, but all things are in flux. A-levels, after 17 glorious years of AS levels and modules and retakes, […]
Read moreScience and arts shouldn’t be seen as rivals
21st August 2017Fears that we will become a nation of techno-nerds at the expense of the arts only show that we are still stuck in 1959 Libby Purves Hard not to snort with momentary laughter, reading of the dismay of senior cultural figures and head teachers at a sudden upward surge in STEM subjects taken at A […]
Read moreIB Middle Years Programme students celebrate eAssessment exam success
4th August 2017This week more than 66,000 International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) students from around the world have received their results from the May 2017 examination session. This represents a 20.03% increase compared with last year. 703 schools in 95 countries participated and students received an average score of 35.8 points (of 56 possible maximum). 290 students received their results […]
Read moreIB Results Day: Graduates Worldwide Celebrate
14th July 2017Today almost 160,000 Diploma Programme (DP) students around the world will receive their results from the May 2017 examination session. They join a community of more than 1.6 million DP graduates in 152 countries worldwide. Globally, students received an average diploma score of 32.03 points (of 45 possible maximum), with a pass rate of 87%. […]
Read moreAdmissions Officers Survey
11th July 2017Google it! Students are ‘needy, ill-prepared and reliant on search engines’ Survey of university admissions staff paints an unflattering picture of today’s students, finds Jeremy Lewis. A “challenging set of results”, a politician might say. Others might suggest that heads should roll. What is clear is that if there were any sort of league table […]
Read moreThe benefits of the International Baccalaureate Diploma for Latin and Classics in the Sixth Form
29th June 2017“ABSTRACT In spite of its world-wide reach, the International Baccalaureate (IB) is still a relatively unknown quantity in many schools in the UK. Even if teachers know of the IB, very few teachers know how it works and even fewer have actually taught it. As a result, not enough Classicists realise how beneficial the IB […]
Read moreThe need for breadth in 21st education
28th June 2017Wellington Festival of Education, Friday 23rd June The need for breadth in 21st education ‘What’s so special or odd about English students that they have the narrowest 16+ education in the world?’ [Carl Gombrich, University College, London] On Friday 23rd June at the Wellington Festival of Education, the International Baccalaureate brought together key figures from […]
Read moreThe International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme
27th June 2017Wellington Festival of Education, Friday 23rd June The International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme ‘The IB CP programme is a beautifully created curriculum which brings together the academic and the vocational in a way that is perfect for our students with their many different abilities and aspirations.’ [Dr Saima Rana, Principal, Westminster Academy] On Friday 23rd June […]
Read more89% of uni admissions officers believe freshers can’t think for themselves
27th June 2017ACS International Schools and the International Baccalaureate Schools and College Association’s (IBSCA) twelfth annual survey of admissions officers from 80 different universities, ranging from Russell Group to Post ’92 Institutions, provides a grim outlook on the level of preparedness of undergraduates starting university this autumn. Continue reading here…
Read moreWorld Academy of Sport – Olympian Visit to Felsted School
27th June 2017Jamie Fearn, Olympian, speaking with Felsted School Sporting Scholars. Photo courtesy of Felsted School GB Olympian Jamie Fearn recently visited Felsted School in Essex meeting with 40 of the Schools’ sporting scholars. Jamie represented Team GB at the Winter Olympic Games in 1992, Albertville and 1994, Lillehammer in Short Track Speed Skating and successfully […]
Read moreUniversity of Nottingham launches £500,000 scholarship fund for outstanding IB international students
8th June 2017The University of Nottingham has launched a new undergraduate scholarship for outstanding overseas fee-paying students who have successfully completed the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme(DP) before applying to study at the institution. Students starting at the University in September 2017 and 2018 will be eligible for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Excellence Scholarship, which recognises the academic merit of students who achieve […]
Read more“If introducing the DP wasn’t my greatest achievement, it was certainly the scariest thing I ever did”
5th June 2017John Claughton, former Chief Master of King Edward’s School, Birmingham, UK, radically abolished A-Levels to introduce the IB Diploma Programme (DP) – he explains why it was a risk worth taking, and how it was part of a wider plan to transform the school. Not many people get the chance to go back to their […]
Read moreFirst Russell Group University officially recognises the IB Career-related Programme
30th May 2017The University of Southampton is the first Russell Group University to make an official admissions policy statement for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) in recognition of how the programme prepares its students for university and its value within the UK education system. The University’s statement follows a large increase in the number of […]
Read moreToo many independent schools are scared of the word ‘vocational’
24th May 2017Mark Waldron, Headmaster of Ryde School with Upper Chine, Isle of Wight, discusses the benefits of an academic and vocational curriculum. Follow the link below to read the full article in this month’s issue of Independent Education Today Full Article – Independent Education Today
Read moreIB Diploma Biology and ESS: Incorporating Fieldwork
12th May 2017The Field Studies Council is hosting an IBO approved CPD residential at their Field Centre at Dale Fort in Pembrokeshire. This 3-day DP Category 3 workshop will develop participant’s skills to lead and delivery effective fieldwork and internal assessment for Biology or ESS. Using a hands-on approach it will demonstrate the key issues and opportunities […]
Read moreThe IB: Preparing students for university and more
11th May 2017Martina, an IB alumna student from Impington Village College, writes about her experience of the IB in the latest issue of World Student magazine: “The continuous headlines, dominated by A Levels, have made me reminisce about my time in sixth form. I am originally from Italy and, rather unconventionally, moved to the UK without my […]
Read moreCEO of The International Baccalaureate Schools and Colleges Association of the UK (IBSCA)
27th April 2017Robert Tibbott will succeed Sandra Morton as CEO of IBSCA on 1 September, 2017. Up to 2016, he was Deputy Head at Dartford Grammar School (a Kent IB World School), where, since 1996, the IB Diploma Programme, and, since 2007, the IB Middle Years Programme have been offered. In 2009, the IBDP replaced A-Levels; there […]
Read moreRevolutionising post-16 learning with the CP
20th April 2017In the past, vocational and academic education were seen as mutually-exclusive choices. Students would have to pick a “side,” stick to it, and follow that choice through. Now, an alternative approach that brings vocational and academic paths together for students aged 16-18 is proving popular writes Jon Severs for TES magazine. Severs cites 27 schools […]
Read moreA Better World Through Education
27th March 2017A programme called A Better World Through Education, set to launch on Oct 25, will explore how the International Baccalaureate (IB) impacts students, schools and communities, according to a press release by IB. English newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky will host the news and current affairs-styled show, jointly produced by the international education foundation and ITN Productions, a British-based news […]
Read moreJohn Claughton – vocal advocate of the IB
22nd March 2017Follow the link below to read an article by Absolute Education who interviewed John Claughton, IBSCA Development Manager, about the strengths of the IB: John Claughton – Absolutely Spring 2017
Read moreNew research benchmarks international IB students language skills for universities
19th March 2017The study, conducted by the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC) provides a benchmark for universities across the world to assess international IB students’ English language acquisition. Most international universities around the world have English proficiency requirements for incoming international students. Many universities accept scores in DP language courses as evidence […]
Read moreASCL – Next Generation Leadership
13th March 2017On 10th and 11th of March ASCL held their 2017 Annual Conference at the ICC, Birmingham. Sian Carr, ASCL President, IBSCA Committee Member & Executive Principal at Skinners’ Kent Academy spoke about next generation leadership: “Whilst holding firm to my strong sense of what can be, of possibility, this year has made me wonder a […]
Read moreA bright future? The IB Career-related Programme
6th March 2017Research has revealed that the majority of graduates of the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme believe that it gives them a head start at university and prepares them for the world of work. Research has shown that the International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) helps to prepare students for university and future employment. The Warwick Institute […]
Read moreIBSCA’s Development Manager
3rd March 2017You may or may not know this, but last September I passed over from being the Chief Master of King Edward’s School, Birmingham to the newly created part-time role of IBSCA Development Manager, working alongside Sandra Morton and Peter Fidczuk.I see this role as having two faces, an inward-looking face and an outward-looking face. The […]
Read moreRaising awareness and aspirations in the UK
1st March 20172016 was an exciting year for the International Baccalaureate (IB) and IB World Schools with the launch of a number of initiatives in the UK. The IB’s continued collaboration with Kent County Council means that 27 schools in just one county of the UK are now offering the Career-related Programme and raising aspirations among their […]
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