Swans International School is celebrating being named as the top IB diploma school in Spain, based on our average point score.  Our thriving Sixth Form sees the IB curriculum delivered to around 100 students and we are very proud of the successes we have.

Parents will know that when they visit the school one of the first things to greet them is the 40 points board.  This is where we showcase some of the successes of our students who have achieved over ‘the magic’ 40  points at the end of their IB education.  Because the IB curriculum is seen as the ‘gold standard’ in terms of education and we are told that it prepares our students better for university, we take time to promote and celebrate our successes.

However, the IB is not just a brand for our school to showcase.  

It is a commitment to the value of education as more than just a vehicle for a child to move from point A to point Z in their life, growing an economy along the way. 

Of course the IB curriculum develops skills in the student and makes them eminently employable. It does that in spades. Our students leave Swans with skills that prepare them for University and the workforce  Whereas, in some regards, that is the limit of the national examination systems that operate in Europe; because the IB is international, it goes beyond the confines of national governments and is underpinned by the concept of the principled learner so it develops a more rounded, holistic student. 

Encouraging students to value language, to be broad, open minded thinkers with a commitment to having an international outlook and to be unafraid of taking risks are the principles that weave throughout the diploma progamme. Giving students the agency to manage their own learning to what best suits them is an essential element of the programme.  And making sure that their education is sustainable in both the conventional sense of the word as well as making sure that they sustain a commitment to lifelong learning and development is a core part of the course.  And that is why, at university, the IB student has a ‘head-start’ and why, when our ex-students return to visit us, they tell us that they are in a better position in that all important first university year than students who have not had their experience; they are in a stronger position than many of their contemporaries. 

 

Ultimately it is the concept of the principle and integrity that made us choose the IB and we strive to ensure that it underpins what we do in our school.