High School

he High School curriculum is a four year programme, divided into biennial cycles. During the first period students follow the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), developed and administered by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). During the final two years, they study the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), regulated by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).

Aims and objectives
The High School is all about offering students opportunities to gain accomplishments that will enable them to access university education in almost any country in the world; internationally recognised qualifications open more doors and present more opportunities in an increasingly global world.

These two international programmes are academically challenging and balanced educational courses aimed at making students responsible and active participants in society, able to think globally and act locally; they prepare our students for the challenges of the 21st Century.

International General Certificate of Secondary Education (14-16 years)
This curriculum supports an active learning approach focused on developing the students’ research skills and their critical and creative thinking, analysis and problem solving.

Students are required to chose the subjects - from a minimum of 9 to a maximum of 11 - that best reflect and support their skills and ambitions. At the end of the two years they take official examinations, set and marked by Cambridge International Examinations.

The programme includes:-

Compulsory Externally Assessed Subjects at IGCSE (Cambridge):

• English 1st Language and Literature or English as a 2nd Language
• International Mathematics
• Modern Foreign Language: French or German or Spanish
• Sciences: Biology (compulsory/obbligatoria), then a choice between either Chemistry or Physics
• International History

*Optional Externally Assessed Subjects (Cambridge) :

• Italian as a Second Language (IGCSE only for non-mother-tongue students)
• Art & Design
• Business Studies
• Computer Science
• Economics **
• Geography
• Latin (internally assessed) **
• Music **
• Physical Education **
• Chemistry or Physics as a 3rd Science

Internally Assessed Compulsory Subjects:

• Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award (only in Y9)
• Global Studies (only in Y9)
• Italian 1st Language (except non mother tongue speakers)
• Philosophy (only in Y10)
• Physical Education (in Y9 and Y10)

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (16-19 years)
The IBDP is an internationally recognised programme which prepares its students for universities in Italy and all over the world. The curriculum goes beyond the standard acquisition of academic knowledge, by means of an holistic approach which develops transferable personal skills and competences. The IB path encourages continued investigation and the pursuance of independent knowledge to foster open-minded individuals who understand the importance of respecting other cultures and their duty to the planet.

Following the IB Learner Profile our students are inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.

Programme
The programme, presented below, consists of six subjects - one to be selected from each of the six groups - and the Diploma Core (Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge, CAS).

• Three of these subjects are studied at Higher Level (240 teaching hours) whilst the other three are studied at Standard Level (150 teaching hours).
• The Diploma Core is mandatory and central to the IB philosophy. It is composed of:

• Extended Essay offers the opportunity to investigate a topic of individual interest and helps students to develop the independent research and writing skills expected at university level.
• Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is designed to explore the nature of knowledge across disciplines, encouraging respect of other cultural perspectives.

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) requires students to participate in artistic/sports/cultural activities and community service, in order for them to engage in experiential learning outside the standard school environment.

IB Results
We are very proud of our students' attainment at IB Diploma level. For the record - in 2015, one of our students achieved the highest possible score (45 points), attained only from 0.31% of IB graduates in that year. Furthermore, the results until now have continued to be successful in embracing the opportunities an international education has to offer. This year, despite the many challenges that the they faced, our Year 12 students all gained their IB diplomas and were accepted to their first choice universities. After EISP they are now studying in Ivy league institutions in the US, Russell Group universities in the UK and some of the very best universities abroad and in Italy.