We are always proud of what our students achieve, and we want to celebrate their hard work and triumphs with them.  Shaking hands with everyone in year 12 who achieved success at IGCSE last year is one very straightforward way to show how impressed we are by them.  IGCSEs are issued by two big organisations in the UK deriving from the universities of Cambridge and London, and we wanted to mark the significant achievement of gaining qualifications that are validated and recognised by such prestigious bodies.

The idea behind this short ceremony was more than that though.  In two years’ time, they’ll be celebrating the end of IB and looking forward to great results at a big, formal occasion, with outside speakers, music and family and other guests watching.  This, then, was an opportunity for some hands-on education – literally, as it included a very short lesson in how to shake hands – in taking part in public occasions.  Life skills like this are really important as we prepare students for success as adults in the upper echelons of global society.

Our year 12 students have just started on IB courses, and we’re really pleased for them.  Today’s short ceremony will be – we hope – the first of many to celebrate the award of top class academic qualifications.