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The Bolitho School
International Baccalaureate
The school recognises that the sixth form is a half way house between school and university, and treats sixth formers differently in consequence. The relationship between the teaching staff and the sixth form is informal, while members of the sixth form are given a number of privileges not open to the rest of the school. For example, they are not asked to wear school uniform, while most non-academic activities are voluntary. Sixth formers are encouraged to develop their powers of leadership and initiative. They are role models for the younger children in the school, and they are given positions of authority and responsibility in a number of important areas.
Sixth form boarders need to prepare for university life, and they have separate houses off campus, five minutes walk from the school. While the House Parents are always available to offer advice and guidance, there is a greater level of freedom and independence built in to their life style.
In the small sixth-form sets, teaching becomes coaching. Individual tuition turns good marks into the top grades that leading universities require. Staff build on strengths, correct weaknesses, and train the candidate for the exam. Small sets also make candidates think for themselves, and grasp what their courses mean – a vital skill that can be lost in larger sets. Nobody can hide behind colleagues, or cut corners in private study, or conceal problems that can easily be dealt with.
Following an inspection and the formal accreditation of The Bolitho School by the reputable International Baccalaureate Organisation, based in Geneva, the school has espoused the International Baccalaureate (IB) as its sixth form qualification. Recognised as a hallmark of academic excellence by every university in the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States of America, the IB synthesises intellectual rigour with lifelong experiences. Its worldwide reputation, in academic and business circles alike, open advantages and opportunities over more parochial qualifications. The IB is specifically designed to prepare students for university and then for lives and careers after university. It is a challenging course, suited to academic generalists who wish to keep their university and career options open. Armed with a clutch of GCSE passes, including English, maths, a language and a science, students can soar towards their intellectual potential within an exciting curriculum that stretches and empowers each individual in his or her own unique direction. The intrinsic rewards, for those who are not faint hearted, match the extrinsic national and international prestige.
The IB is, of course, recognised and welcomed by every university in the UK. Its status as a “Gold Standard” qualification is likely to be further strengthened by the uncertainties accompanying the new and unproven “AS” and “A2” level system that the Government imposed on British schools from September 2000.