AHS_Prospectus 2022/2023 by AkademeiaHigh

Our Mission Academic Potential Assessment & Admissions Academic Programmes AHS A Level Exam Results and University Offers 2021 Personal Development Mentoring Wellbeing Personal Development Scheme

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Co-curricular Activities Summer School Courses Our Faculty Management School Structure School Community Our Facilities AHS Main Building Boarding House Akademeia Educational Group Contact

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Akademeia High School

‘‘

The best way to think of Akademeia High School is as a pre-university university. We offer young people a combination of academic excellence and individual pastoral care to provide the best possible preparation for life both at university and afterwards. Our approach to education is reflected in the school’s interdisciplinary teaching programme, which shows our students numerous potential career pathways and enables them to make the best academic choices. The best teaching involves instilling in others a passion for learning. The faculty at our school is unique in bringing together the alumni of top universities across the world and experts in their fields. Teaching through dialogue and inspiring each student to achieve their full potential are our guiding principles.

Dr Karolina Watras HEADMASTER

History of Art, University of Cambridge and Courtauld Institute of Art, London

Our Mission

Akademeia High School

We strive to help our students realise their intellectual and creative ambitions and stretch their abilities in our pre-university university environment. We provide a pathway to the leading universities across the globe and prepare our students for the ever-changing world.

Akademeia High School is a key milestone on the educational path of our students because we know that education is a journey, a partnership, and not a manufacturing process. Like the pedagogues of old, we accompany each student as they explore the realms of knowledge, stretching their abilities to the utmost.

With critical thinking at the heart of our curricula, we nurture student agency, encourage dialogue, and follow an interdisciplinary approach to develop in our pupils a lifelong passion for learning.

This bold educational vision is made reality by our teachers and mentors, who work tirelessly with our students in helping them realise their intellectual and creative ambitions.

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All our teachers are masters in their fields, with a wealth of qualifications from the world’s most prestigious universities. This intellectual bedrock is the foundation of our success in propelling students to those very same high-ranking universities. Our students also benefit from the vast range of work and life experience garnered by our faculty through their years of working in the private sector. Our students therefore begin their studies with an accelerated maturity thanks to their time at Akademeia: we believe that a good university experience starts in school, which is why Akademeia looks, feels, and operates like a university.

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Academic Potential Assessment & Admissions

Academic Potential Assessment

A student’s first experience of Akademeia is through our Academic Potential Assessment, which is part of our admissions process. This process was created with the aim of uncovering the academic knowledge and talents held by each individual student. Through the assessment process, we can better understand how these talents may be developed, enriched, and employed in propelling students along the educational pathway to which they are most suited. Our entrance process was designed by us, based on our personal knowledge of and experience of the Oxbridge interview system, as well as A Level requirements and other assessment methods. All assessment meetings are conducted exclusively by our own teachers. We assess not only each student’s current knowledge, but also evaluate their academic potential and skills.

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Admissions Entry points

Year 9

for a preparatory programme before students start the regular Akademeia High School Four-Year Programme

Year 10

most students will join us in Year 10 for the Four-Year Programme, which involves iGCSE, Akademeia Assessed Courses in Years 10-11 and A Levels in Years 12-13.

Students may also join Akademeia in:

Year 12

for the Two-Year Programme, involving only A Levels

Alternative entry points are possible in individual cases. As we are an academically selective school it is important that we ensure the right fit between the student and the school. This is the main goal of our Academic Potential Assessment process. 16 17

Academic Development through the British Education System: iGCSEs and A Levels

Our programme allows for individually tailored academic pathways, which students can follow as they discover and develop their academic interests and strengths.

Academic Programmes

The pre-university model that shapes our curricula encourages the development of independent learning, building up towards A Level qualifications in Years 12 and 13. A Levels were created by universities and for universities. They allow a free choice of subjects and depth of study that gives a solid preparation for higher education, certifying students’ interests and their ability to pursue academic studies. A Levels also constitute a unique opportunity to lay an extensive and in-depth interdisciplinary foundation for university study. The flexibility of choice at A Level is wonderfully liberating for students in academic terms but it is also a serious responsibility. A Level subjects must be well chosen, and students need to be prepared for them in order to maximise their learning possibilities. For this reason, we have carefully crafted our programmes for Years 10 and 11, combining Akademeia Assessed Courses with subjects that fulfil iGCSE specifications. All students follow Core Subjects that incorporate iGCSE standards but go beyond them to prepare them for A Level.

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British qualifications are respected by academia and employers worldwide. They are internationally recognised for the integrity of their academic rigour. Akademeia is an accredited examination centre for the AQA and Pearson Edexcel exam boards, and for Cambridge International. All our students sit their major public exams, as set by these boards, within our school premises.

iGCSEs In the first two years, all students study a selective number of iGCSE subjects combined with Akademeia Assessed Courses to give them a thorough preparation ahead of the demands of A Levels. At iGCSE level, the study of English Language and Mathematics is mandatory for all students. A Levels All students at Akademeia High School work towards A Level exams, giving them the opportunity to build their own academic profile from the wide variety of subjects on offer. A student may choose to combine Sociology and Politics with Economics. This unique approach, which is tailored to the students’ greatest strengths, allows them to develop several valuable skills, such as critical thinking, effective communication, problem solving, and data analysis. 20 21

Years 10 & 11 THE FIRST TWO SCHOOL YEARS FOCUS ON THE IGCSE PROGRAMME AND AKADEMEIA ASSESSED COURSES. Students take a breadth of subjects in order to sample a variety of disciplines. This approach allows them to explore subjects and directions they may not have previously considered.

YEAR 10

YEAR 11

iGCSE

i G C S E A N D A K A D E M E I A A S S E S S E D CO U R S E S

CO R E S U BJ E C T S

BIOCHEMISTRY

ENGINEERING

Mathematics

Biology

Physics

English Literature & Language

Chemistr y

Polish

Polish Literature & History

Computer Science

Modern Language

SOCIAL SCIENCES

HUMANITIES

Histor y

Geography

Religious Studies & Philosophy

ARCHITECTURE

CREATIVE ARTS

Physics

Drama & Creative Writing

Art

History Geography Biology

ACA D E M I C PAT H WAYS Students begin to narrow their academic range in their second year (Year 11) by selecting one of six Academic Pathways.

Chemistry E AC H ACA D E M I C PAT H WAY Physics Modern Language

consists of two core subjects and one additional subject from the list below:

A D D I T I O N A L S U BJ E C T S

Music Art Drama

CO - C U R R I C U L A R

Personal Development Scheme

Co-curricular Activities

Sport

Psychology

Politics & Sociology

Computer Science

History of Art

Fine Art 3D Design Music**

We offer the following subjects at A Level YEAR 12 & 13 Students select three A Level subjects

Photography Drama** Textile Design**

English Literature History History of Art Philosophy** Religious Studies** Polish* Media Studies**

French German Russian Spanish Further Mathematics Mathematics Computer Science

Biology Chemistry Physics Economics Geography Politics Psychology Sociology CO-CURRICULAR * In Years 12 & 13, all Polish citizens take Polish as an additional A Level. ** The subject will only run if there is a sufficient number of students wishing to take it.

Personal Development Scheme Co-curriculal Activities Sport

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A Level Exam Results 2021 This summer, our third cohort of pupils completed their A Levels. Despite the challenges of the last school year, our pupils have achieved an outstanding set of results with 63% of all completed A Levels graded A*, and 91% of all entries marked A-A*. The UK national average for A* grades at A Level this year was 19.1%.

AHS A Level Exam Results & University Destinations

A* GRADES

A* - A GRADES

63%

91%

A* - B GRADES

97% 26 27

AHS University Destinations 2021

The excellent A Level results mean that our graduates have been accepted to prestigious universities from around the world.

Our 2021 highlights include:

Aerospace Engineering, DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY ST ANDREWS

Anthropology, UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM

OXFORD

GLASGOW

CAMBRIDGE

MANCHESTER

LONDON

BATH

LANCASTER WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

AMSTERDAM, AMSTERDAM UTRECHT, DELFT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY WARSAW PARIS DUKE UNIVERSITY

MILAN

Biomedical Engineering, IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON Computer Science, LANCASTER UNIVERSITY Economics and Management, BOCCONI UNIVERSITY Geography, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD History of Art, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Drama, NYU TISH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS Theoretical Physics, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON Textile Design, GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ARTS

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Personal Development

Wellbeing

We believe that emotional and psychological wellbeing is a key requirement for academic success and more importantly for a fulfilled and happy life. However, at times, we all experience stresses and pressures that challenge our sense of wellbeing. Our purpose is to support students through those times and to help them develop self-help strategies to weather future storms.

Mentoring

At Akademeia High School each student is accompanied on their educational journey by a mentor. Our mentors support their students’ learning, inspire and guide their individual pursuits, and advise on their academic choices, both at subject level for iGCSE and A Level, and throughout the university application process. Mentors lead their students to ask and answer vital questions about themselves, helping them to make informed, life-shaping decisions. This process is naturally conducted in close association with a student’s parents, to ensure a constructive and fruitful dialogue that will create the framework to help each student flourish.

We achieve this by supporting students in developing awareness of factors which contribute to stress. We help students develop greater resilience by promoting healthy lifestyles and mindfulness, as well as fostering good relationships with themselves and others. We help students appreciate and celebrate their own achievements and successes, find internal motivation, develop self-esteem and a sense of agency. We support students in identifying and naming specific obstacles to wellbeing. We empower them to address these obstacles by themselves where possible or to seek further professional support when difficulties are more complex. We hope that our guidance and wellbeing sessions will help students achieve their full potential and derive greater enjoyment from their academic journey.

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Personal Development Scheme At Akademeia High School we always strive to learn from our experience while following our school ethos so that we can grow and develop as a school. Therefore, we introduced a program called ‘Personal Development Scheme‘ (PDS) that has become an integral part of our school curriculum. The programme complements our regular classes and encourages the holistic growth of each student. The foundation of the Personal Development Scheme is project-based learning and our school’s mission, which is empowering our students in many different areas of life. It is obligatory for all 5th and 6th form students, which means that the work is graded and the PDS grade appears on the final transcript.

The programme of the scheme includes activities such as: workshops on various topics ranging from mindfulness and non-violent communication to public speaking and ethics community-engagement projects chosen by the students individual projects, internships, competitions reflective learning journal PDS helps our 5th and 6th form students build transferable skills such as selfesteem, self-confidence, autonomy and self-reliance as well as teaches them how to be more cooperative and empathetic towards others. It is also a great opportunity to enrich 6th form students’ university portfolio. 34 35

Co-curricular Activities Akademeia students can pursue one or more co-curricular courses. These range from Global Development and Medicine through Debating, Coding, and Scientific Research Methods, to Music, Drama, and Creative Writing. The list is constantly growing, reflecting the diverse interests of our students and the expertise of our faculty. Courses are often run at different levels, allowing students to try new things or further practise existing skills.

Sport Sport is a vital ingredient of the educational process at Akademeia High School. We believe sport contributes to shaping the character as well as the body - and is especially important to developing teamwork and endurance. Every student is required to participate in one team sport, in addition to having the opportunity to practice individual sports.

At Akademeia, we also strive to cultivate a keen social awareness in all our students. To this end, we offer a diverse range of activities in which students can participate. These include lectures delivered by renowned academics and our teachers (i.a. Akademeia Seminars and Open Faculty Lectures), outdoor art workshops, long term participation in start-up projects run by established business leaders, excursions to sites of cultural significance, internships, and voluntary service. These activities help our students develop a lasting interest in the world around them and present them with practical life situations to which they can apply their growing knowledge. They also learn and practise teamwork, communication skills, and other soft skill prerequisites for success in the 21st century.

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Summer School Courses

‘‘

The Summer School is an intellectually stimulating and fun taste of academic life at Akademeia. It is ideal for students who are keen to experience what it’s like to study here for the first time, as well as for our current students looking to engage in inspiring materials away from the core syllabus.

Akademeia High School also organises Summer School courses, open to all internal as well as external students to participate in. The courses are devised, developed, and delivered by our highly experienced teaching staff and cover a wide range of disciplines and faculties across the school. In common with our year-round operations, the summer programmes are informed by our teaching philosophy and overriding mission to help each student reach their full potential and achieve academic excellence. Our Summer School Courses, conducted exclusively in English, range from Creative and Dramatic Writing and Social Sciences, through to Mathematics, Science and English for Academic Purposes. Details of courses available during the upcoming summer are published on our website.

Andrew James

SUMMER SCHOOL COORDINATOR

BA (Hons.) Philosophy, University of Liverpool

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Our Faculty

At Akademeia High School, we know that people are the most vital resource we have, be they students or staff. Having teachers who are passionate about their fields of study is essential to everything that we do. Our faculty consists of alumni of the world’s leading universities, including the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, American Ivy League schools and top Polish institutions. Our teachers hold masters’ degrees and PhDs, are involved in current research and have many years of teaching experience. They are experts in their respective fields, who are able to instil a thirst for knowledge in our students.

One-third Two-thirds

of our teachers are PhD holders and PhD candidates

of our teaching staff are graduates of top international universities.

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MANAGEMENT

Katarzyna Borzym-Grzesik

HEADMASTER

DEPUTY HEAD (PASTORAL)

MA History of Art, Courtauld Institute of Art, London; MPhil History of Art, University of Cambridge; PhD History of Art, University of Cambridge

MA Economics, Warsaw School of Economics; MA Psychology and MA Philosophy, University of Warsaw

A United World Colleges Scholar at Cheltenham Ladies’ College and

Katarzyna Borzym-Grzesik has experience studying in a multinational

a graduate of two Cambridge colleges (Christ’s and Jesus), as well as the

environment, having participated in two exchange programmes: at

Courtauld Institute of Art, London, Dr Watras has lectured at both the

Northeastern Illinois University in the USA (2011) and at the Management

Department of the History of Art and the Institute of Continuing Education

Development Institute in India (2012). She completed a summer internship in

at the University of Cambridge, where she was also acting Director of Studies

the Department of Global Business Services at Procter & Gamble. Katarzyna

in History of Art at Jesus and Trinity Colleges. Her research focuses on

is currently a PhD candidate at Warsaw School of Economics, specialising in

Surrealism and twentieth-century artists’ books.

behavioural economics. She is also the author of several research articles and

MANAGEMENT

Dr Karolina Watras

co-author of many publications in Poland.

Ewa Milewska AKADEMEIA GROUP CEO AND CFO MA Quantitative Methods and Information Systems, Warsaw School of Economics ACCA certificate

Ewa is responsible for all of the financial aspects of the Akademeia Group’s operations. She brings broad consulting experience to Akademeia, gained during her 12-year career at PwC, where she was a director specialising in due diligence and other M&A related services. Her experience includes leading due diligence teams on landmark transactions in the CEE region (TVN, LuxMed, Euromedic / Affidea, EmiTel, AliorBank), as well as projects in the educational sector. Ewa holds a master’s degree in Quantitative Methods and Information Systems from the Warsaw School of Economics, as well as ACCA certificate. 44 45

School Structure As our school community grows, supporting each individual student’s needs is just as important as ever. For all of our students to develop and reach their full potential, we have fortified the pastoral structure of the school. Heads of Fifth and Sixth Form work closely with the mentors, teachers and Headmaster to support our students at every stage of their education.

The Head of Fifth Form works with all Year 9, 10, 11 students and mentors. The Head and mentors of Fifth Form students oversee academic progress through iGCSEs and Akademeia Assessed Courses, and personal development through the Personal Development Scheme and Mentor’s Hour. They also support students in their choice of Academic Pathway (in the case of Year 10 students) and A Levels (in the case of Year 11).

The Head of Sixth Form, in liaison with Centre for Higher Education & Career Advice and Personal Development Scheme team, supports all Year 12 and Year 13 students and their mentors through the final steps towards higher education, including decisions about university choices and applications.

We recognise that the focus and priorities of students change as they progress in their academic journeys.

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School Community

A vital aspect of a successful school is its student body. Academic ability and motivation are important, but equally important is a diversity of talents and interests. We attract both science students who wish to focus on understanding the world, as well as those interested in social issues who want to change the world. A significant proportion of our students are pursuing their passion in the arts - both visual and performative. We have students who live in Warsaw and those who are from further afield. Up to 10% of our students qualify for scholarships that enable those from diverse backgrounds to study at the school. Our students meet and work together through various school activities that are often cross-year in scope. They inspire one another and help one another see the world from differing perspectives. They get to know the faculty and each other well, and they find other in their cohort with whom they can realise various projects and plans.

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Our Alumni

Rebeka

History of Art, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

“

Akademeia High School was an academic environment in which I felt I could identify and calibrate my interests in a way which pushed me in a definite direction, while at the same time I could curate my other interests.

Mikołaj

Economics, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

“

The thing that I like the most about Akademeia High School is its multidimensional approach to education, meaning that the students have an amazing opportunity of learning something that is outside of the main A Level curriculum.

Maya

B i o t e c h n o l o g y, I M P E R I A L C O L L E G E L O N D O N

“

Students from all over Poland come to Akademeia for the great education. The people I’ve met here are the sweetest, smartest and most amazing people, ever.

Our Facilities

AHS Main Building

Akademeia High School is a space that creates opportunities. We worked with award-winning Medusa Group architects to design the building, its interiors, and its equipment to fit in with our educational philosophy of dialogue, interdisciplinarity, and creativity. Our students enjoy the most modern school building in Poland, equipped with themed laboratories, a sports hall, and numerous rooms for individual and group work. Classrooms feature innovative Harkness Tables, where students actively partake in discussions with their teacher and colleagues around a table; this is key to realising our core teaching philosophy of dialogue.

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Professional facilities for academic study Modern, well-equipped Biology, Chemistry, and Physics labs Spacious classrooms with a maximum capacity of 12 people Oval Harkness tables

Modern sports hall adaptable to a variety of sports A wide range of equipment Inspiring spaces for individual study and relaxation Café

Rooms designated for art and creative activities A 100m2 art studio adapted for classes in painting, printmaking, and sculpture

School canteen serving freshly prepared, nutritious meals daily A roof garden with over 1000m2 of greenery Courtyard

A music room A darkroom An auditorium with a theatre stage

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Boarding House

Akademeia High School offers a boarding house and pastoral care for students. We provide a comfortable, safe and secure home away from home for young people. We strive to create a friendly and inspirational environment that fosters cooperation and develops interpersonal skills. The boarding house is run by a dedicated team of caring and professional staff, who support our students in becoming more independent, better organised and more conscientious. In this way boarding helps them transition from living with their parents to living on their own.

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Our building has won numerous prizes and awards WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION

LEED Platinum Certificate

Nomination for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award 2019

Best Public Service Architecture in Poland within the framework of the European Property Award 2019-2020

Showcase at La Biennale di Venezia 2018

The Architectural Prize of the Mayor of Warsaw 2017 in the category Best Public Service Building

Laureate of the 7th annual Architecture Competition organised by POLITYKA weekly

Main prize in the Property Design 2018 competition in the Design - Interior category

PLGBC Green Building Award 2017 for the best green building without a certificate (or pre-certified)

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Akademeia Educational Group

Akademeia High School is part of Akademeia Educational Group (AEG), which draws upon over 12 years of experience in educational consultancy and tutoring held by AEG’s Founder and a select team of highly qualified teachers.

Andrzej Dethloff FOUNDER AND CO-OWNER OF THE AKADEMEIA EDUCATIONAL GROUP Law, University of Oxford A United World Colleges Scholar and graduate of English Law and German Law at Wadham College, Oxford, and Bonn University, Germany, Andy has worked at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law in London (BIICL). In 2003/2004 he served as President of the Oxford University Polish Society. He has extensive international experience in individual work with young people, dividing his time between London, Geneva, Hong Kong, and Warsaw.

Janusz Kosiński CO-OWNER OF THE AKADEMEIA EDUCATIONAL GROUP Electrical Engineering, Poznań University of Technology Janusz is a Co-founder and President of the Management Board of INEA S.A., a key supplier of telecommunications services. He is also a Board Member of the Polish Chamber of Electronic Communication (PIKE) and the Electronics and Telecommunications Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Janusz is an active Board Member of the Familijny Poznań Foundation. He co-owns the AEG through his investment vehicle Lagris Sp. z o.o.

Cezary Pietrasik CO-OWNER OF THE AKADEMEIA EDUCATIONAL GROUP International Management, London School of Economics and Political Science Finance and Banking, Warsaw School of Economics Cezary is the Founder and CEO of Healthdom, a digital health company based in San Francisco. Previously, he was the Head of Central and Eastern Europe at Warburg Pincus, a private equity fund. Earlier Cezary worked at Mid Europa Partners, JPMorgan and McKinsey. He is also the Founder and President of the Butterfly Effect Foundation supporting education of children from rural and underprivileged areas of Poland.

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Since the beginning, we have supported talented young students in their pursuit of a dream education. We do so through:

Akademeia High School Foundation This foundation supports the very best students by funding their Akademeia High School studies wholly or in part, as well as by financing students’ charity initiatives with a focus to help young people to engage in socially beneficial activities.

Contact us AKADEMEIA HIGH SCHOOL Ledóchowskiej 2 02-972 Warsaw office@akademeia.edu.pl +48 22 299 87 87 ADMISSIONS ahs.admissions@akademeia.edu.pl +48 22 299 87 80 +48 538 052 454 www.akademeia.edu.pl

ahs.admissions@akademeia.edu.pl