In the penultimate week of the Spring term, our students have enjoyed another busy week at the College, with numerous field trips, student successes, and even a couple of visits from our partner schools overseas.
SSAT Educational Outcomes Awards
The Spring term has been a period of profound success for the College and I so pleased to share that we have been recognised by SSAT (The Schools, Students and Teachers Network) in this year’s Educational Outcomes Awards. Thanks to our students’ commitment to learning, we have been ranked amongst the national top 10% of non-selective schools for student attainment in the 2023 end of KS4 exams. This award recognises that our College is among the highest performing secondary schools in the country. I’d like to thank all of our students and staff for all of their hard work that went into achieving this accolade.
International learning experiences for all
One of the many benefits of an International Baccalaureate (IB) education is that all learners study a foreign language and are provided with opportunities to travel to different parts of the world to live and learn as local citizens do.
As part of their Language studies, this week, students have welcomed their French and Spanish peers from our partner schools to the College for the reciprocal visits of their language exchange programme. Some of our students have already travelled to our partner schools, so, this week, the students have been staying with their exchange partners, taking part in a range of activities around Cambridge. It has been a joy to witness our students conversing with their international peers in French, Spanish and English. I’d like to thank all students taking part in the exchange for showing such enthusiasm for the programme.
Showcasing their talents
Elsewhere, last week, our Brackenbury Room and Prom were transformed by our Year 13 Visual Arts students as they hosted an exhibition of the works they have created throughout their studies at our Sixth Form. There were some truly incredibly pieces of art on show. The students worked exceptionally hard to compile the exhibition and showcased artworks across a broad range of media – congratulations and thank you them all.
Do keep an eye on our Sixth Form Instagram page for highlights from the exhibition. I look forward to our upcoming GCSE and IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) Visual Art exhibitions later in the year.
Striving for gold standard
Our students are able to take part in a range of enriching co-curricular activities, thanks to our iCAS programme. From sporting activities to debate club, baking classes and more, we try to provide a broad range of activities that all of our students can enjoy and benefit from and one of these activities is the esteemed Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award.
There are different levels to the Award, with Gold being the highest, and I’m delighted that a number of our students are striving to achieve that level this academic year. In preparation for their qualifying assessment in June, this weekend, participating students will be going on their training expedition. They will be learning how to pitch a tent, cook on an open fire, navigate with a map and compass, and more. This is a crucial part of their journeys to achieving their DofE awards and I will keep you updated with their progress in future blog posts.
Impington, we have lift off!
Another iCAS activity that students have been enjoying this term is Astronomy. They have been taking part in a range of “out of this world” activities, including conducting a range of experiments to compare the soil in Impington and Mars to determine if it would be possible to grow crops on the red planet. They have also been developing and testing their own telescopes and rocket designs for them to learn more about space exploration.
If any of our young astronomers would like to take part in further outer worldly experiences, the Cambridge Astronomical Associationruns a series of regular talks, events, and interactive activities across the city. You can learn more about their activities by visiting their website or emailing for more information.
March 22, 2024
