EDUCATION
WITH SEVENOAKS SCHOOL
EDUCATION
EDUCATION
Q & A
WITH SEVENOAKS SCHOOL
Give us a brief introduction about Sevenoaks School?
Sevenoaks is an independent co-educational day and boarding school combining 600 years of heritage with a contemporary, forwardthinking approach.
What is school life at Sevenoaks School like?
Sevenoaks is an international, educational powerhouse trailblazing an IB education and beyond. But on a day-to-day basis, we are a busy, happy six-day a week school. Lessons take place every morning from Monday to Saturday, and in the afternoon pupils are either in lessons or take part in sport and service activities. We offer a wide range of activities outside the classroom encompassing music, sport, art and drama, CCF, DofE, voluntary service, trips and expeditions, and a huge range of clubs and societies.
Pastoral care is at the heart of Sevenoaks School. Each student is tutored in a small group who meet every day; this enables the tutor to know them extremely well and to support and guide them, and it enables friendships to flourish. All this we believe contributes to the particularly happy atmosphere at Sevenoaks and our values of compassion, open-mindedness and trust.
What sets you apart from other schools?
Sevenoaks School was founded in 1432 and is one of the UK’ s oldest lay foundations. It is an ancient school with a modern outlook and a liberal, unallied ethos. Sevenoaks is one of the world’ s leading IB schools and fosters open-mindedness, tolerance, breadth, academic excellence and a global outlook. We were one of the first schools to adopt the IB( 1978), and one of the first schools to drop A levels completely( 1999), with the final A level taking place in 2006.
The IB provides a foundation for our strong global outlook, and with international students of over 40 nationalities comprising some 23 per cent of the pupil body, Sevenoaks provides a British education within a cosmopolitan melting pot. The school has been described as a microcosm of the real world.
Tell us more about the IB diploma you offer?
The IB diploma is a two-year exam programme taken in Years 12 and 13.
It is distinctive for the breadth and depth of study it offers, and for enabling students to develop a wide range of skills and abilities. IB diploma students take six subjects: English, mathematics, a science, a humanities subject, a modern or classical language, and finally a creative arts subject or a second language, science or humanity. They take three subjects at Higher Level and three at Standard Level, which gives them the opportunity to specialise in subjects of their choice, drawing on their personal strengths and interests.
All students write a 4000-word Extended Essay on a topic of their own choosing. This is a key feature of the IB diploma and allows students to develop as independent learners in a genuine and meaningful way. In addition, they pursue a course in critical thinking called Theory of Knowledge.
IB students also extend their learning out of the classroom and into the community through the completion of the creativity, action and service( CAS) programme.
How did the school perform in the most recent examinations?
We only offer the IB diploma in the Sixth Form at Sevenoaks, and our cohort is one of the largest of UK IB schools. In 2016 the average IB diploma score was 39.8 points( nine points
above the world average). Seven students achieved the maximum 45 points, with 21 securing 44 points. 120 students achieved 40 points ore more.
92 % of the IGCSE, GCSE and SSC examinations taken were awarded A * or A grades, and 59 students gained ten A * s or more each.
Sevenoaks School Certificates( SSCs) are our own public examination courses, recognised by UCAS as a Year 11 qualification, and developed to provide rigorous, inspiring Middle School curricula that encourage independent learning and personal engagement, and incorporate digital skills and critical thinking.
What exciting developments does the future hold for Sevenoaks School?
Our current major development project is a Science and Technology Centre and Sixth Form Centre. Our vision for the centre is that it will enable us to inspire curiosity and scientific enquiry, foster specialist and interdisciplinary approaches to science, encourage technological innovation, prepare students for the transition to higher education and a career, support outreach, and set the highest standards of environmental sustainability. By 2018 we will have a worldclass facility for students, the community and science professionals to enjoy.
Our Sixth Form Centre for our thriving international Sixth Form will help us to cultivate excellent study and research habits and a clear understanding of the 21st century workplace, easing the transition to undergraduate and postgraduate education and careers, and offering outstanding new facilities.
www. sevenoaksschool. org
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