Head of Secondary Letter
Dear Parents and Guardians,
RE: Head of Secondary Letter, 31st August 2023
It has been a wonderful start to the term. Our staff and students have quickly settled back into school life. Over the last two weeks, I have begun to familiarise myself with ISB school. From my conversations and observations there are some clear positive messages that stand out.
Firstly, ISB is a caring community where diversity is celebrated. This is shown not only through the curriculum but perhaps most importantly, through the relationships between students and students and staff. At ISB, members of the community appreciate the need to support each other and learn from each other.
Secondly, ISB is focused on academic excellence. We recognise that all students have different needs, interests and passions and aim to ensure that ‘every student excels’. This year our IB Diploma average score of 33 points was significantly higher than the world average of 30.2 and equivalent to a A, B, B at A level. A special congratulations to Yen Tze Chia and Nicole Ooi who both gained 41 points.
Many of our Class of 2023 are now about to begin their university degrees. Destinations include:
· Linguistics at UCL (UK)
· Geography at the University of Toronto (Canada)
· History and Economics at the University of Edinburgh (UK)
· Biomedical Sciences at the University of Manchester (UK)
· Business Management at Monash University (Australia)
· Social Sciences at Duke Kunshan (China)
· Pre-Med at the University of Southern California (USA)
The main reason for these successes is our focus on learning. Our teachers are focused on challenging and engaging students through a variety of teaching strategies. Indeed, we have developed a framework to support and accelerate learning called ‘The Secondary 7’. This framework supports us in developing students' key functional skills across the curriculum, such as literacy, numeracy, digital technologies and attributes including collaboration, communication, critical thinking, empathy and problem solving.
Finally, ISB is focused on enriching students' lives with a range of extra-curricular activities from trips to competitions to House events. One example of this is the Duke of Edinburgh International Award where students develop resourcefulness and resilience through service and adventure. Last year, ISB had record numbers of students enrolled in the Bronze, Silver and YES, the Gold awards, receiving certification that very much benefits future university applications.
I would also like to take the opportunity to welcome and introduce you to our new teachers who are highly qualified and experienced professionals. They are very happy to be part of the ISB family. If you would like to find out more about our new teachers, then you can see the short profiles on the link below.
Lastly, your support as parents is invaluable. It was great to see so many parents at the ‘Meet the Tutor’ event on Wednesday. The partnership between the tutor and parents is central to the well-being and learning of every child. Please do keep in touch with your child’s tutor with anything to celebrate or any concerns. We will also be leading a range of events and meetings to further develop the relationship between the school and home.
I look forward to meeting more of you throughout the year.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Peter R. Jones
Head of Secondary