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Starting from Early Childhood aged 3 and moving up to the IB Diploma at age 18, the IB programme combines academic rigour with a learning style that emphasises independent research and reflection. Throughout their IB journey, students are challenged to excel in their studies, whilst being fully supported in their personal development and wellbeing. Many of our teachers are recognised as experts in the IB, contributing to ongoing development of the curriculum internationally.We use the rich diversity offered by our proximity to the centre of London as the starting point for inquiry-based education. London is a city where every culture at the school is represented, and students from Primary upwards go out to find real-world solutions to academic questions and challenges. This exploration creates happy, engaged learners across all aspects of the curriculum, including sports and the arts as well as the traditional academic subjects.Being located on the edge of the beautiful Gunnersbury Park, 200 acres of open parkland, allows us to run our Forest School, an integral part of the curriculum since 2018 for all Primary students and more recently extending to Grade 6 (Year 7) students as ‘Natural Pathways’ study. The Forest School ethos supports children to develop self-esteem, independence and confidence through outdoor child-led play in nature. It takes a holistic approach to learning and development, and offers problem-solving skills and creativity as well as some fundamental bushcraft skills (tying knots, tree climbing, fire lighting). For the older years, exploration in nature is tightly bound with design skills, where students undertake product-based learning to create a tangible output at the end of a unit of inquiry. This helps to create a more holistic learning experience, with students developing resilience and creativity alongside innovation and critical thinking.Getting out of the classroom is so important for good student mental health as it fosters a deep connection and love of nature through play and observations across the seasons in the rich woodland of the park, where children are given time and space to explore and discover things for themselves. Our Forest School sessions are designed to meet the needs of individuals to ensure that children grow in self-confidence, as well as developing their physical, emotional, cognitive and social skills. Nature-based education can be a fantastic antidote to modern issues such as obesity, attention deficit disorders, depression, habitual screen time and the emphasis on stressful and busy schedules. At ISL we are firm believers in the importance of combining a traditional school curriculum with open-air learning, and its significant impact on student wellbeing. Moving into MYP (the Middle Years Programme) students continue to engage with the world around them through a ‘concept-based’ curriculum that allows them to develop their personal strengths, in the classroom and in their approach to wellbeing and social skills. A recent development in the curriculum for Grade 6 students has seen learning become more ‘interdisciplinary’, with students carrying out research and building to a final output using the full spectrum of academic subjects together, rather than learning subjects in separate silos. This approach requires students to apply conceptual and procedural knowledge to real-world scenarios, in contrast to traditional didactic instruction. It is a hands-on approach that enhances students' collaborative skills, investigative skills and learning motivation.  This product-based learning aims to equip students with contemporary competencies, making their learning relevant to real-world situations.  There is a keen focus on interculturalism, giving students an appreciation of the diverse perspectives amongst our broad student body, where around 65 nationalities co-exist happily and 24 languages are taught in our integrated Home Language programme.The final step in the IB journey is the Diploma, a rigorous two-year curriculum, culminating in a set of external exams, alongside an in-depth research essay. As with the younger years in the IB curriculum, courses have a strong focus on intercultural awareness, environmental responsibility and community service. As part of the Diploma Programme, all students take the Theory of Knowledge course in which they explore how their knowledge is influenced by our multicultural society, and how knowledge is acquired in different academic disciplines. This is a fascinating philosophy-based course that gives students a new perspective on their academic subjects. Extra-curricular activities are high on the agenda at ISL, and in particular, are an integral part of the IB Diploma course in the form of the CAS programme (Creativity, Activity and Service). Diploma students undertake a wide variety of activities and community service, in which they can explore their own passions and career interests, or simply try their hand at a completely new skill.At ISL the DP students receive advice and guidance in making well-informed choices about their future education and careers. After initial orientation about where in the world to study, and how different university systems operate globally, they work with a guidance counsellor who supports them step by step in researching, shortlisting and applying to universities worldwide. Options such as degree apprenticeships are explored alongside more traditional courses.The strength of the IB curriculum is reflected in the fact that many leading UK and international universities prize this qualification as one that enables students to develop a specialist subject insight within a broad curriculum, whilst also providing a style of teaching and learning that is more akin to undergraduate study.For globally mobile students, choosing the IB gives them access to much smoother transitions between schools and countries, allowing them the confidence to move within a continuous curriculum journey and giving them one less thing to be concerned about when relocating.

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