Welcome to our first blog of 2024-25! I hope that our students and their families have had a wonderful summer; it has been brilliant to welcome back our existing students and to see so many new faces over the last week across years 7 and 12. We have been really impressed with how well the students have returned to College, and settled back into routines, especially with the change to our mobile phone policy. We are grateful both to our students, and their parents/carers for being so on board with the changes.  

A summer of excellent results 

Although this is the first blog of the new year, we can’t move into 2024-25 without celebrating the incredible outcomes achieved by our outgoing year 11 and year 13 students. We are so proud of the year 11 cohort, who had a very disrupted start to their time at IVC, and their outcomes are testament to their own hard work and the support they have received from staff across the College.  

Here is a summary of the headlines: 

• 11% of all grades were Grade 9 

• 42% of all grades were Grades 7-9 

• 83% of all grades were Grades 4-9 

• All pupils achieved at least one qualification at either GCSE/equivalent or entry level 

Our Progress score for this cohort is expected to be approximately +0.7. This means that on average, pupils at IVC achieve a whole grade higher than other pupils nationally in at least 7 out of 10 of their GCSE subjects. This considers the starting points of pupils, and includes all our students, including those with the most complex needs who may sit only one or two GCSEs.  

These outcomes build on the success of our sixth form students, who once again achieved some excellent results across the IB Diploma and Career-related Programmes (IBDP and IBCP). Our IBDP students achieved a 94% pass rate with an average point score of 34, well above the global averages. 25% of our students achieved a Bilingual Diploma, which is a special distinction awarded to pupils who demonstrate their understanding of multiple languages. Two of our home-grown IVC students achieved 44 and 43 points respectively, Isabel M and Misa H, out of a maximum of 45 points. This places them among some of the highest achievers internationally! Our IBCP students achieved 100% pass rate this year, as well as 100% pass in the BTEC programmes- with almost 70% achieving a Distinction or Distinction*.  

New year, new curriculum 

We are very excited this September to have added several new subjects to the curriculum across Key Stage 3, 4 and 5. Within our Middle Years Programme (MYP) in years 7-9, we have added both Mandarin and Italian in as core languages for year 7 (these will roll through with the students as they move through the school), and also added Food into our Design Technology curriculum into both years 8 and 9.  

Further up the College, our year 10 students have just begun their GCSE options, enjoying a refreshed curriculum that staff have spent the last 12 months planning, to ensure that our first cohort of MYP students continue to develop the skills that they have worked on through the programme. This includes a focus on debate and critical thinking, ensuring that pupils are able to have an engaging and fulfilling experience whilst gaining the knowledge they need for GCSE. This year we have added Economics, Film and Catering into the curriculum, meaning that pupils have more choice than ever. Within the IBDP and IBCP in our sixth form, we are also delighted to have added Music into the curriculum, which has proved very popular. Watch this space for the addition of Mandarin Ab Initio in 2025! 

Student Successes 

We love to hear from parents/carers (and students themselves) about achievements outside of College. Please do share them with us via the Office, using so that we can celebrate! 

Adult Education 

We are busy preparing for another exciting term of adult education classes, in line with our Village College ethos. You can book spaces via our website for a growing range of classes, from Dance, to Pottery, Languages (including Italian and Mandarin), Indian Cookery, Crochet and Creative Writing. We also welcome older pupils to most of our classes with their parent/carer (we recommend year 9 upwards).  Book now to avoid disappointment!