D'Overbroeck's College

d'Overbroeck's College, Oxford

Leckford Place site
Established c. 1977
Type Independent School
Principal Sami Cohen
Chairman of Governors James Noel
Founder Malcolm van Biervliet
Location Banbury Road
Oxford
United Kingdom
Coordinates: 51°46′08″N 1°15′43″W / 51.769°N 1.262°W / 51.769; -1.262
Gender co-educational
Ages 11–18
Website www.doverbroecks.com

d’Overbroeck’s College is a co-educational independent school in Oxford, England, for pupils aged 11–18. The College has three main parts, each based on a different site in North Oxford:

The Swan Building, 111 Banbury Road, Oxford.

The Good Schools Guide describes d’Overbroeck’s College as a place of energy and laughter, of single-minded determination among pupils to do the best they can. And d'Overbroeck's doesn't let them down.[1]

The Sixth Form

The Sixth Form is the oldest part of d'Overbroeck's College. Unlike many independent schools, d'Overbroeck's College Sixth Form is on a separate site, meaning that its facilities and teaching are entirely geared towards sixth form pupils.

The Sixth Form is in North Oxford, with the main teaching centre being The Swan Building, 111 Banbury Road, Oxford.

Pupils

The Sixth Form has a total of about 250 pupils, with an even mix of boys and girls. About 50% of pupils are boarders and 50% are day pupils.

The majority of pupils at d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form are from the UK, but international pupils are also integral. The Sixth Form has pupils from a large range of countries (30 different nationalities at present).

Of the 250 pupils in the Sixth Form, around 40 will have stayed on from Leckford Place or the International Study Centre. The vast majority, however, join from other schools after taking their GCSEs.

Results and comments

A level results achieved by pupils at d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form are consistently strong. In 2010 27% of grades were A* 59% A/A*, placing the College at number 106 in the national league table for independent schools[2]

In the academic year 2009-10, the Sixth Form achieved a contextual value added score of 1,102.[3] This was the highest score achieved by any school nationwide.

The Good Schools Guide describes d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form as quite possibly the leading independent sixth form in the UK.[1]

Entry

The Sixth Form is selective, and entry is typically by application, reference and interview. Entry requires at least 8 GCSEs at grade A* to C, normally including Maths and English, or equivalent. A number of Sixth Form scholarships and awards are available.

Curriculum

Pupils at the Sixth Form study A levels, choosing their subjects from a list of nearly 40. Because these are not organised in option blocks, practically any combination of subjects is possible. d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form was one of the first schools to introduce the AQA Baccalaureate, a qualification that supplements A/AS level study. Pupils choosing to study the AQA Baccalaureate do so in addition to their A-levels. The AQA Baccalaureate has proved popular amongst pupils, with 25% of Lower Sixth choosing to take the qualification in 2010.

Pastoral system

Pastoral care and academic monitoring at the Sixth Form are carried out by a system of Directors of Studies. Each pupil is supervised by a Director of Studies — one of a team of senior staff. Each Director of Studies supervises a small number of pupils for whom they have pastoral and academic responsibility. In many cases a pupil will also be taught by their Director of Studies.

The vast majority of Sixth Form pupils go on to study at UK universities.

Leckford Place (11–16)

Leckford Place is in Leckford Road, Oxford. Its main entry points are at 11+ (Year 7) and 13+ (Year 9). Unlike the other two parts of the College, Leckford Place is for day pupils only.

Of the three parts, Leckford Place was the most recently opened. It took its first pupils in September 2005, since which time pupil numbers have grown steadily.

Pupils

As is the case throughout d'Overbroeck's College, Leckford Place is coeducational. The vast majority of pupils at Leckford Place are UK residents local to Oxford, in keeping with its day school status. Pupil numbers are about 150.

Leckford Place is a selective school, with entry by assessment. A number of scholarships are available at 11 and 13, including academic, art and performing arts scholarships. Academic results are strong, with 41% A/A* grades at GCSE in 2010.

Results and comments

In 2010, 41% of GCSE grades were A/A* (69% A* to B), and 100% of pupils gained five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C.

The Good Schools Guide commends teachers [who] make good use of state-of-the-art facilities and vibrant teaching methods, clever design, superb use of space, modern and extremely well equipped [science labs] and value added features in spades, declaring, [missing word] have yet to meet a dissatisfied parent.[4]

The International Study Centre

The International Study Centre (hereafter referred to as ISC) is on St Giles, close to the centre of Oxford. The ISC takes international pupils aged 15+, and is a boarding school.

Pupils at the ISC study the College's GCSE Programme, designed specifically for international pupils as a preparation to study A levels or the International Baccalaureate at a UK school.

Pupils

The ISC takes around 40 pupils each year, with a broad mix of nationalities. As is the case throughout d'Overbroeck's College, the ISC is coeducational.

Pupils are required to have at least a Lower intermediate (B1) level of English language for entry into the ISC.

Results and comments

In the ISC's most recent British Council inspection, it was awarded points of excellence in six separate areas:

No other UK international study centre scored more points of excellence, according to a summary of organisations' results published in the EL Gazette.[5]

The GCSE Programme

The GCSE Programme at the ISC is a 1-2 year course in which pupils study a range of GCSE subjects and take examinations at the end of the course. Alongside their academic studies, pupils receive expert tuition in English. Pupils are grouped according to ability, and the programme is designed to be flexible enough to fit pupils' various aptitudes and aims.

Accreditation

d'Overbroeck's College is affiliated to the Independent Schools Council (ISC) and in membership of both the Independent Schools Association (ISA) and the Society of Headmasters & Headmistresses of Independent Schools (SHMIS).

The International Study Centre is Accredited by the British Council as an international study centre, and is a member of the British Association of International Study Centres (BAISC).

References

  1. 1 2 The Good Schools Guide 2008, p. 304.
  2. ↑ "Independent schools' A-level results". The Daily Telegraph.
  3. ↑ "Key Stage 4 to 5 Value Added". London: Department for Education.
  4. ↑ The Good Schools Guide 2008, pp. 302–304.
  5. ↑ EL Gazette. April 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)

Sources

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, March 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.