Welcome to Tollbar BEC Sixth Form College’s first International Baccalaureate prospectus.

This has been our most fulfilling year to date with unsurpassed results in our A-level examinations, so you might be asking yourselves why we have decided to move away from what we do best?

The answer is simple. We are here to offer the best education possible for you, our students, and we believe that the International Baccalaureate Diploma will do that.

We have been extremely successful with A levels but their currency has been devalued. The IB Diploma is universally acknowledged as the Gold Standard qualification, with universities welcoming the independent learner, and employers crying out for the person who can think creatively, communicate confidently and work effectively as part of a team.

In today’s increasingly global society it is important that you develop an international perspective, which opens up a whole world of university and employment opportunities. The IB Diploma encourages all of this.

Within such a highly competitive market place you must be able to offer more than simply a string of exam results. After all, we are educators not dictators, and the core elements of the IB Diploma - Theory of Knowledge, and Creativity, Action and Service – encourage critical thinking while developing an awareness of others, and also taking seriously the importance of life outside the world of scholarship.

For all students the diploma will offer a well-rounded, enjoyable education which encourages you to ask challenging questions and teaches you to learn how to learn. It develops a strong sense of your own identity and culture and also the ability to communicate with and understand people from other countries and cultures.

For the most able student, 7 points (which is the highest diploma score awarded) records a truly exceptional performance – so the A* star now being suggested for A levels already exists!

Here at Tollbar BEC we have been working towards the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Diploma for the past two years, and the switch from A levels in September 2008 will be a very exciting time for us all.

Of course we are immensely proud of our students’ success at A Levels, but now we are choosing to move on because we believe the International Baccalaureate Diploma is the best education Tollbar BEC can offer you in the future.


Principal DJ Hampson