Impington Village College and its sixth form awarded for their commitment to international education

Impington Village College and its sixth form, Impington International College, located on the outskirts of Cambridge, have been awarded the highest level of the International School Award by the British Council for outstanding development of the international dimension in its curriculum and is now re-accredited for three years.

In order to receive this level of award, the College demonstrated that international learning is embedded across the College and its curriculum teaching. This included evidencing clear plans of activity and impact assessments to develop the quality of international education, along with highlighting cultural exchange visits and a focus on foreign language learning.

Despite the impact Coronavirus has had on education, students have still reaped the benefits of the College’s international focus. Last November, in lieu of physical visits, the sixth form’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Japanese Ab Initio and Year 7/8 enrichment groups took part in a number of virtual exchanges and live lessons with the College’s partner school in Morioka, Japan. The aim of these short lessons was to engage both sets of students with different cultures and classrooms, widening their understanding of the languages and allowing them to put their hard work into practice.

Johanna Sale, Vice Principal, Impington International College, said: “Embedding an international ethos and work ethic across the whole College is something that is extremely important to us, and I am proud of how all of our staff members and students remain excited and open to cementing their knowledge in the context of an increasingly globalised world. As an IB World School, international-mindedness is at the forefront of what we do, and we work with our students, who study with us from all over the world, so that they can become global citizens.”

Through offering the IB, the College endeavours to imbue a strong community ethos across all year groups and is committed to the IB’s mission statement: to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. The sixth form has been offering the IB for 30 years and, in September 2020, Impington Village College began its journey to offering the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP). Once authorised, it will be the only state provision in the UK to offer the MYP, the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and the IB Career-related Programme (CP). Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 at the College will follow the MYP before moving on to their GCSEs in Year 10 and 11.

Sale continued: “Starting our MYP journey has allowed us to incorporate the IB’s mission across all year groups at the College, showcasing our commitment to embedding the international dimension in our curriculum. It’s wonderful to be accredited with this award for another three years and we’re excited to see how our offering grows and develops over this time.”