Education | ED06 | Summer 2019

your child and will advise on the right study programme for
them. But what else can parents do?
place. As such it’s vital that schools develop activities which
create a springboard for students to explore and advance their
entrepreneurial skills and ambition at university and beyond.
So, what can we all do to encourage and support students as
they prepare for this brave new world? At ACS we believe that
the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP)
provides a great foundation. Offered at ACS Egham, the IBDP
allows students to select a wide range of topics to study across
the sciences, arts and languages. This means they graduate with
a mix of skills rather than the comparatively narrow subject
areas they would have to choose at A Level.
With A Levels, students often pick just three subjects whilst
IB includes six, three at higher level and three at standard,
which cover languages, social studies, science and maths.
And while it’s often cited that A Level students emerge with
in-depth knowledge of their chosen subjects, I believe that
this can sometimes push them too early down a set path that
becomes difficult to deviate from later, especially when it comes
to choosing university options.
It may be harder for an A Level student who only studied
humanities to then change their mind and secure a place on
a science degree, for example, and vice versa. The IB, with its
broader span of subjects, keeps higher education options
much more fluid, a great advantage.
As well as six IB subjects, students also undertake extra
components which count towards their final grades, including
a mandatory 4,000-word extended essay: while the IB’s ‘Theory
of Knowledge’ component is designed to actually teach students
how to apply knowledge to real-life situations.
A fundamental part of the IB is ‘Creativity, Action, Service’
or CAS which shows students the importance of extracurricular
activities as an integral part of life. As part of CAS
projects, ACS students have built school facilities in Nepal,
fundraised for Great Ormond Street Hospital and supported
local charities.
Over the last decade, ACS research amongst university
admissions officers has consistently cited the IB as the best
preparation for university, outscoring A Levels on attributes
such as encouraging independent inquiry, developing workplace
skills, nurturing an open mind and creativity.
However, it’s important that students choose the right
qualification and study programme for them as individuals, so
it is always worthwhile discussing with teachers who also know
Building resilience
Coming back to character-building skills, it is evident that
we must also teach students resilience and show them how to
take responsibility.
Just last week a new report suggested that many recent
graduates lack the required mindset and determination to cut
it in the workplace but, of course, the reasons underpinning
this view are perfectly understandable. We’re all fed a constant
media diet of horror stories about what could happen to our
children if we leave them alone for any length of time.
And while social media platforms and smartphones make
it simple to stay in touch, a downside is that our offspring
have been taught from an early age to rely and depend on
pervasive parental presence which, while well meant, may
have reduced the ability of young people to make and learn
from their own mistakes.
An exciting new world awaits our children, it is our job to
teach them to make the most of it.
WAYS TO ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENT KIDS
• Set them regular tasks at home to learn
responsibility. It may be as simple as keeping
their room in order, but do be prepared to impose
rigid penalties for jobs not done – a reduction
of pocket money, less treats, less online time for
example. Make them realise that failure to deliver
on agreed tasks has implications.
• Let them organise their own school equipment
such as a sport’s kit or project work, even if it is
quicker and easier for you to do it.
• Give them physical freedom to take informed
risks. Playing sport and being part of a team is a
great way to enable this. On the playing field they
have no choice but to make their own decisions.
• Teach them not to expect to have everything at
once. Help them learn patience by creating more
distant end goals and encourage them to save
pocket money to buy that item they crave or earn
the money to pay for it themselves.
ACS Egham International School is part of the ACS
International Schools group, serving both local and global
families since 1995. The school is non-sectarian and
co-educational, enrolling over 550 students aged 3 to 18
years. ACS Egham was the first IB World School in the UK
to offer all four International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes:
the IB Primary Years, Middle Years, Diploma and Careersrelated
Programmes.
ACS Egham International School, Egham, Surrey
01784 430800 Twitter: @ACSEgham acs-schools.com
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