It’s Your Future –Do It Your Way

In an ever-changing world of work, students may need more flexibility in post-16 courses.

Mount House Sixth Form is a candidate school for the IB Career-related Programme* to be offered alongside A Level study. Exactly what does this dual pathway offer our Sixth Formers?

Why study IBCP?

Whenever I ask employers, or indeed parents, what they really want to see from those leaving a Sixth Form, it is invariably skills that are mentioned. The ability to think for themselves, to communicate, to work both collaboratively and independently, to be agile in their knowledge, and to be open-minded in approach. In what is a complex and ever developing workplace and world, the focus of many of the traditional academic subjects may not always allow a student to excel and be credited for their intelligence and ability beyond the confines of those purely examination-based qualifications. It is with this in mind that Mount House Sixth Form is offering the International Baccalaureate Career Programme (IBCP) alongside our A Level pathway.

How does the IBCP offer a relevant and rigorous pathway?

In essence, IBCP is about as flexible a qualification as there is, able to be built around the student and made as challenging as each individual desires. What is central to this curriculum is that it develops students for university study and employment so they are community and globally aware, armed with selfconfidence, have accomplished personal and professional skills, and are able to make ethical decisions. It’s recognised by leading UK Universities, US Colleges and further education institutes globally.

Inspiring Every Individual

The key pillar of a Mount House education is the individual approach we can offer students. The IBCP allows us to build on this ethos with a pathway that gives some students a learning experience and qualification that is more relevant to their needs. The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) is a gold standard in education, recognised across the world with over 5450 IB World Schools across 153 countries. The IB champions holistic education and critical thinking. Indeed, since its creation in 1968, the IB’s qualification has remained a constant light of educational sense and development. Its value and credibility are unaffected by grade inflation. It continues to instil in students qualities that will remain with them for life rather than simply equipping them with the more limited range of skills required to get through a set of exams. The development of the IBCP as part of this educational picture emphasises that education can take different paths and that relevant skills and critical thinking needed to navigate our complex world are as equally important as the depth of academic rigour studied. At Mount House, and with the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme, learning is for life beyond lessons.

IBCP and A Levels – both pathways are offered at Mount House.

The IBCP will give Mount House Sixth Formers an option that differs to A Levels in the approach to aspects of teaching and learning, whilst offering an excellent springboard for next steps – be that Russell Group university entry, apprenticeships or the world of work. The Career Programme has four clear aims for students:

• To prepare for work in a knowledge society

• To prepare for the future

• To provide a locally relevant education

• To bridge the ‘academic vs vocational’ divide.

Skills beyond exams

The IB’s globally recognised excellence in education is based on its structure to foster all-round, as well as academic, development. IBCP courses are taught with the IB Learner Profile in mind. The Learner Profile is a set of guiding principles which motivate and inspire students. Therefore, our Sixth Formers will aspire to be:

• Inquirers

• Knowledgeable

• Thinkers

• Communicators

• Principled

• Open-minded

• Caring

• Risk-takers

• Balanced

• Reflective

If an open-minded, individual, and worldlyrelevant Sixth Form option appeals to you, then the IBCP is the next step in your lifelong education.

We welcome anyone who is keen to come to visit the school to explore both the IBCP and A Level pathway we offer. Please contact the school on admissions@ mounthouse.org.uk or call 0208 4496889 to ask when our next Open Day is.

Mrs Sarah Richardson Head, Mount House School