Secondary Years

The Secondary Years at Ascot encompasses Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 or ages 11 – 16 culminating in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The courses of study are built on solid foundations received in primary school.

At the heart of the curriculum is the desire for students to become adaptable lifelong learners in an increasingly changing world. We are preparing students for careers that may not yet exist! Topics are re-visited, ideas reinforced and extended, all within a framework that prepares students for taking the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in Year 11 and the International Baccalaureate Diploma in Year 13.

Starting 2022, Ascot is in candidacy for the Middle Years Programme, which will be the framework for students ages 11 to 13 years old (Year 7 – Year 9). This will follow the Primary Years Programme and prepare them for the Diploma Programme in Year 12 to Year 13.

What is MYP?

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an educational framework that encourages students aged 11 to 16 to make practical connections between their studies and the real world. At a time when students are establishing their identity and building self-esteem, the MYP is uniquely designed to offer a well-rounded education and help students achieve success in school and in life.

Inquiry-based
Concept-driven curriculum

The MYP ensures breadth and depth of understanding through study in eight subject groups (language acquisition, language and literature, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical and health education, and design). Addressing the intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being of students holistically, the MYP prepares them to take principled action by participating in service within the community and requiring study of at least two languages (language of instruction and additional language of choice) to support the understanding of their own cultures and those of others.

MYP students also engage with big ideas, rather than simply memorising facts in order to prepare for exams. As a result, they develop learning skills that they can rely on throughout the course of their independent, purpose-driven lives. A unique feature of the programme is that it extends the traditional curriculum to include immersion in four themes— approaches to teaching and approaches to learning, global contexts and concepts. Students also complete a personal project, which is an independent piece of work that may be an essay, an artistic production or another form of expression.