College goes international (From Northwich Guardian)

College goes international

8:50am Tuesday 21st September 2010 in News

A NORTHWICH college is joining an exclusive club of educational establishments that have been awarded international status.

Sir John Deane’s College has been given International Baccalaureate Candidate World School Status and is one of the first colleges in the north west to offer students chance to study for the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB).

The IB provides the opportunity to study a wider range of subjects than A-levels and places a strong emphasis on international understanding and responsible citizenship.

Developed in 1968, it is one of the fastest-growing qualifications in Britain.

There are 217 schools across the country teaching the IB diploma programme, an increase of 88 since 2008.

Worldwide, 857,000 students are taking IB qualifications in 3,040 schools and 139 countries.

Louise Tipping, the college’s director of teaching and learning, said: “Sir John Deane’s College is delighted to be able to give our students the opportunity to study the highly-prestigious and challenging International Baccalaureate.

“Sir John Deane’s shares a common philosophy with other schools that offer the IB – a commitment to high-quality, international education that we believe is important for our students.”

The International Baccalaureate is a non-profit educational foundation, focused on the student.

Three programmes help them develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly changing world.

Accepted by all British universities and most universities abroad, it is regarded as academically challenging and is considered the gateway to a wide range of professions.

Students planning to take the IB will need to have achieved at least six B grades (which must include English and Maths) at GCSE or equivalent level.

Students joining college from next September will be able to apply to study the IB.

For more information, ring the college on 01606 810020 or log on to sjd.ac.uk.