For more than 40 years, the International Baccalaureate (IB) has developed and delivered its programs with the participation and involvement of IB World Schools.
Newington College first applied to become an IB World School in 2006.
The IB’s philosophy of developing learners with attributes of independence and inquiry, combined with a global approach, was an obvious fit with Newington’s tradition of diversity and provision of a liberal education. The IB is chosen by a range of students as an alternative to studying the NSW Higher School Certificate.
The year 2009 saw the first 10 Newington IB Diploma graduates.
In 2014, 20 per cent of boys in Years 11 and 12 elected to study under the IB Diploma course. Newington’s results in the last two years have seen three boys achieve perfect IB Diploma scores of 45, the equivalent of the highest possible ATAR of 99.95.
The average score achieved by the school’s IB Diploma graduates in 2012 was 38/45, a score that equates to an ATAR of 96.8 — a phenomenal achievement. Newington College’s headmaster, Dr David Mulford, has been a particularly outspoken advocate of the International Baccalaureate: “Our approach has always been one of motivating boys to discover within themselves how to achieve their personal best, and our academic offering is a natural complement to this philosophy. “We see the IB as an internationally respected alternative to the HSC because it enhances the choices for our senior boys.” — Dr David Mulford, Headmaster of Newington College “Most importantly, we understand that all boys are different and each boy has unique strengths.
Flexibility in our academic offering at Newington is paramount.
We see the IB as an internationally respected alternative to the HSC because it enhances the choices for our senior boys in an environment where they have access to excellent teachers, facilities and opportunities.” Not all schools satisfy IBO standards, which are meticulously maintained through accountability via extensive teacher training, visits by IB teams and assessment moderation.
In 2011 Newington’s Lindfield Preparatory School K-6 commenced its journey towards authorisation to offer the Primary Years Program (PYP).
The school was granted authorisation as a fully fledged PYP school in January 2013.
The Lindfield campus has embraced the models of presenting learning in all classes through universal trans-disciplinary themes. The International Baccalaureate is often described as a worldwide community of schools.
IB World Schools frequently speak of this strong relationship while the organisation lists “participation” and “partnerships” among its core values. Newington also works closely with MLC School in Burwood, another IB World School. The IB works in partnership with 3493 IB World Schools in 144 countries and continues to grow rapidly, particularly in Australia. For Newington, the fact that every IB World School is a self-governing entity is important.
While the IB establishes standards for the delivery of its programs, it does not dictate how those standards are achieved.
This ensures that the IB community is remarkably diverse but, like Newington College, is committed to highquality education for a more peaceful world.
For more information on Newington College visit www.newington.nsw.edu.au