The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme is a globally-recognised qualification offering a gold standard in Sixth Form education. 97% of University Admissions Tutors consider it the best preparation for university study and students enjoy maintaining the extra breadth in their six subjects alongside the opportunity to learn about Theory of Knowledge, pursue their passion through the extended essay and maintain physical health, creativity and a contribution to society through the CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) requirement.
On Saturday 11th October some of our IB Sixth Formers joined the IB enrichment trip to London’s Greenwich, gaining memorable and enriching experiences at the start of the academic year. Greenwich offers a unique opportunity to explore the connections between science, history, geography, maths, and the arts. Through visits to two world-renowned sites – the Royal Observatory and the Cutty Sark – students gained a deeper appreciation of how human ingenuity, global interconnectedness, and scientific discovery have shaped our world.
Kees Luteijn, Director of IB, explained, “Our annual IB cultural trips are an exciting extension of the Leighton Park IB experience, offering students opportunities to explore local cultural sites and become open-minded inquirers and reflective thinkers beyond the classroom. In lessons through their subjects and Theory of Knowledge, IB students learn about diverse historical, artistic, and scientific perspectives and these trips enable them to apply this to real-world settings, deepening their interdisciplinary understanding and fostering global-mindedness which is at the heart of the IB programme.”
The Royal Observatory is Britain’s oldest purpose-built scientific institution, founded in 1675. It is the birthplace of modern astronomy, and the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian. Our IB students took advantage of the opportunity to stand on the Prime Meridian Line, explore the 8m long Great Equatorial Telescope, discover John Harrison’s revolutionary marine chronometers, which solved the ‘longitude problem’, and enjoy panoramic views of the London skyline.
Built in 1869, the Cutty Sark is one of the world’s most famous and last surviving tea clippers. During her lifetime the Cutty Sark would regularly transport over a million pounds of tea from China back to the UK as well as breaking numerous speed records, including from Sydney to London in 73 days. Students had the chance to explore the ship as well as learning about global trade networks over time, complementing the students’ IB studies in history, economics and global politics.
Alessandro (Lower Sixth) commented, “I went to Greenwich and I really enjoyed it. What I liked the most was, of course, visiting a new place like Greenwich and discovering all of its most interesting sights. For this reason, I think IB cultural trips are very valuable , this experience was very eye-opening for me, especially from a cultural point of view.” Anja (Lower Sixth) added, “I liked the Royal Observatory the most, because it is very exciting to learn about how time was measured and determined, the machines they used. I think we get to know each other and also teachers better through trips like that, because we don’t usually spend as much time together in school.”
Jadine (Lower Sixth) concluded: “It was an amazing experience where we were able to learn more about how astrologists worked together in the observatory to collect research regarding time and space. What I liked most about it is that we gained knowledge outside the curriculum of our subject’s and as I don’t take history or physics it was especially intriguing to learn about the observatory. In my opinion IB trips serve as an opportunity not only to learn new and interesting things outside of school but also for socialising with other IB students that you might not have classes with.”
The next opportunity to learn more about the IB is through our webinar on Monday 13th October. Click here to sign up.
Alternatively, join us for our next Open Morning on Friday 7th November, 9.00am, or book a call with our Director of IB, Kees Luteijn.
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