The IB journey which leads to success

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After more than four decades of offering the UK’s GCE A-level curriculum, the English Schools Foundation’s (ESF) transition to the International Baccalaureate (IB) system, which began in 2004, was a strategic move designed to provide students with a broader and more internationally focused education.

In early 2000’s, ESF saw the need to offer a more international curriculum in view of changes in their student demographic. Sha Tin College became the pioneer in 2004 and for a year or two an IB Diploma course was run alongside the traditional A-levels. The transition was completed in 2009, when students from all five ESF secondary schools, as well as the private independent school Renaissance College took the IBDP examinations.

For ESF primary schools, they started introducing the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) in 2005. By 2010, all nine ESF primary schools gained PYP authorisation. The opening of the two new all-through schools, Renaissance College in 2006 and Discovery College in 2008, provided a further stimulus to the development of the IB culture in ESF. They were set up from the start as full IB schools offering the Primary Years Programme and the Middle Years Programme as well as the IB Diploma.

To ensure each school was fully prepared to implement IB curricula, Andrea Muller was appointed as Learning and Teaching Adviser across the ESF school network. Meanwhile, each school appointed an experienced teacher as IB coordinator.

"Each school started planning as a team, but we also collaborated across schools to share best practices," says Beacon Hill School Vice Principal Andy Thompson. "The planning sessions were a fantastic opportunity to discuss and design learning experiences that were engaging and relevant for our student population that was rapidly becoming more culturally diverse."