Teaching students to stand out, not blend in.
ACS Cobham offers a unique educational experience, characterised by a bold international approach that nurtures independent learners. At the heart of this experience is a commitment to providing the right support for each student, so they thrive and stand out within our culture of high expectations.
The breadth and flexibility of our international curriculum give us the freedom to find the best fit for every student, allowing them to tailor their course selection to reflect their aspirations and challenging them academically.
Another distinctive feature of the ACS culture is our balanced approach to assessment. Our students achieve excellent results, but we focus on assessment for learning rather than simply preparing students for high-stakes external exams. We use a wide range of contemporary assessment strategies to provide high-quality data and feedback that students and teachers use to improve individual performance.
ACS students’ development as resilient, self-confident, self-disciplined, reflective individuals is excellent. Across all age groups, they demonstrate excellent decision-making, relating both to the content and context of the learning experience. Students develop good study skills, drawing on a wide range of sources to inform them in discussions and debate.
The result is a flexible system that works for every student, regardless of ability. Our rigorous academic programmes, including the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and Advanced Placement (AP), are designed to help highly ambitious learners excel and go on to leading universities in the UK, the US, and the rest of the world. At the same time, we encourage all our students to pursue individual passions and explore personal interests.
Put all this together, and ACS Cobham delivers transformational learning: we help students help themselves by teaching them how to learn and how to manage their own learning. We help them become effective learners, confident individuals, and caring contributors, preparing them to be the world’s next global thinkers and doers.
By design, learning and teaching at ACS Cobham aims to:
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develop a deep understanding of subject content by engaging students with real-world challenges
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provide opportunities to practise critical- and creative-thinking skills
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create safe learning environments in which individual students are valued and respected
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provoke curiosity and structure exploration
Digital Learning
At ACS, students learn how technology can be a powerful tool for taking an active role in how they choose and achieve their learning goals. They also learn about the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world.
ACS teachers and IT professionals enable students to construct knowledge, innovate, solve problems, design, create, and communicate with developmentally appropriate educational technologies. We integrate technology across the curriculum so that students can become effective digital citizens, computational thinkers, and global collaborators.
Educational technology at ACS schools is supported by Apple, ‘inspiring every kind of mind’; Google Workspace for Education; Microsoft 365 Education; alongside a wide range of contemporary applications and technology partners. Younger students learn in a unified 1:1 school-based Apple iPad programme. Older students use their own Apple laptops (purchased from the school’s approved supplier) in a fully-managed environment. Our Lower School has also been recognised as an Apple Distinguished School for 2022–2025, and many ACS Cobham teachers are certified Google Educators, demonstrating mastery of Google tools in the classroom and advanced technology integration skills.
We are committed to safe, people-centred design that leverages advanced technology as an essential–but not exclusive–resource for learning. We use human and machine intelligence to ensure that our students are ready for a rapidly-changing digital world.
An International Education at ACS Cobham
Definition of high quality learning
Our definition of high quality learning is what we do. We work to develop students to become:
| Effective Learners | Confident Individuals | Caring Contributors |
Who are:
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ACS calls it a ‘bespoke education’ allowing students to meet academic aims and explore much more. Parents love that it’s broad-based and child-centred.
