As the academic year comes to a close, I’d like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to our learning community for another fantastic year. Throughout the 2021/2022, the College experienced some real highlights: from the launch of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme to the incredible success of our globe-trotting Turing Scheme, our IB Sixth Form students receiving fantastic results, and so much more.
The summer holidays offer an opportunity for reflection, and I’d like to share some of my personal highlights from the year below.
Don’t just take MYP word for it, we are a truly unique College
In September 2021, we began our journey to offering International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Year Programme (MYP), and subsequently became the first UK state school to offer three IB programmes. At Impington, we teach the MYP to students in Years 7 – 9. The programme emphasises international-mindedness, interdisciplinary learning and service to others, and ensures students are well-prepared to undertake the challenges of GCSEs and the IB Diploma or Career-related Programmes. The launch of the MYP curriculum has been an incredible success so far, and we look forward to continuing to offer the MYP in the next academic year.
Around the world in… 365 days
2022 saw much of the world opening back up for travel, and this fortunately coincided with the College receiving £1million in funding from the Turing Scheme; a UK Government initiative to provide schools with the funding for students to experience life-changing opportunities abroad. This enabled us to enhance our internationally-focused learning through a series of lifechanging international trips. Some of our students were lucky enough to journey as far afield as Peru, India and Botswana. From learning to ride camels in Osian, to exploring the ruins of Pompeii, Impington Village College is proud to offer a truly international education that develops students into well-rounded and respectful individuals.
Lights, curtains, action!
2022 saw the welcomed return of in person musical performances. Students from Year 7 – 14 dazzled audiences in February with their rendition of Annie! The Musical. We even had West End agents attend as part of our commitment to forging career links and opportunities for our Sixth Form Performance School students. This month. we also welcomed theatre goers to the College to witness our summer showcase: Bon Voyage. Our students enthralled audience members with a mix of Dance, Theatre and Music, and the show was another great success; a personal favourite of mine was Evan Hansen!
Mental health matters
Earlier in the year, we were delighted to be awarded the Gold Status School Mental Health Award by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools for the second time. We have worked extremely hard to create a positive and inclusive environment at the College, where all of our students and teachers can feel safe, secure and looked after, and I look forward to continuing our commitment to the mental wellbeing of all of our learning community in the next academic year.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Creating an environment that all students thrive in is one of our key aims at Impington Village College. In June we were honoured to welcome journalist, Mike Segalov, from The Guardian to discuss LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion. Students were invited to share their thoughts on the topic, and discussed the positive and safe environment that we have nurtured at Impington Village College in an article that you can read here.
We were also fortunate to have been featured as a case study for an article in The Times discussing the benefits of an International Baccalaureate (IB) education. We strongly believe that the IB offers the best opportunity for all students to thrive, and we are so proud to have showcased the benefits of an IB education in a national broadsheet paper.
The IB: A ticket to a world of opportunity
This year saw the return of students sitting in person exams for the first time since the start of the pandemic, and I am thrilled that 100% of IB students passed their Diploma Programme (DP), with an average point score of 36. 35% of students secured 40 points or more, which is the equivalent to 4 A*s at A Level. Our students have also secured places at top universities around the world, including the University of Virginia in the USA, Wageningen in The Netherlands, Cambridge and Oxford in the UK, and many more.
Save the Date: If you would like to find out more about our Sixth Form, we are hosting an Open Evening on 13 October. We look forward to seeing you there!
I’d like to wish all of our GCSE students the very best of luck ahead of their results day on 25 August! We know your hard work and determination will pay off. We look forward to welcoming a large number of our GCSE students back in September to join our Sixth Form.
Have a great summer break one and all. Be sure to stay updated on all College matters by following the College on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
July 21, 2022
