Why I chose an IB education for all three of my children

Fabriene Prudencio, parent of three students currently studying at ACS International School Egham

When my twins started elementary school in Miami, they studied the national Common Core curriculum at a typical American state school. However, when we relocated to the UK, as an educator myself, I knew that I wanted an International Baccalaureate (IB) education for all of my children moving forward.

That is why I specifically chose ACS International School Egham for our three children. As the only school in England to offer all four IB programmes, it meant that my youngest son would be able to start the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) in his first year of formal education, and my older twins could complete the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) which starts in Grade 6 (Year 7) and goes all the way through Grade 10 (Year 11).

Both aged 18, our twins are now in their final year of the IB Diploma Programme (DP) at ACS Egham, and as they look ahead to university, they have aspirations to study Sociology and Politics, and Archaeology and Biology respectively. We plan for our younger son, now 13, to remain at ACS Egham until he graduates.

A multicultural education

As a third culture child myself, I grew up travelling from one school to the next – by the time I graduated, I had been through nine schools all over the world. Similar to an IB education, I was very much used to being exposed to diverse cultures at school, which consequently meant that I felt comfortable in any school environment.

So, when it came to my own children’s education, I wanted them to learn in as multicultural an environment as possible. Very few schools offer as much diversity as an IB school does, because it naturally attracts people from all over the world, which was a big pull for me.

The IB is student-led

I also like the way that the IB is taught, which enables my children to really engage with their studies. They are not just receiving information from their teachers and then regurgitating it in exams. Instead, they are active participants in their learning, since they are given opportunities in their lessons to collaborate with and question their teachers every day. The IB pushes young people to think differently, independently and critically in ways that other curriculums do not.

Reducing exam stress

One of the benefits of the IB, especially for my younger son in Grade 7 (Year 8), is that it reduces the mounting feeling of stress that often comes with the intense final weeks of exams, such as during GCSEs. Throughout the IB, there isn’t just one test, but instead many different types of assessment which reflect the different ways people learn, which also gives a broader picture of every child’s abilities. In those middle years at school, children are supposed to be focusing on learning and developing key skills, and thankfully, my son is doing exactly this instead of pulling his hair out about his grades, which I think is a much healthier way to be.

The IB has prepared my children better for university

For my older twins who are both very academic, while they have found the IB challenging, the programme has also nurtured their passion for learning, encouraging their intellectual curiosity. This in turn has fostered a desire to dedicate themselves more to their studies. They’re both thriving as a result: the IB has enabled them to be able to apply to top universities including Cambridge, Oxford, and UCL.

I have heard from other parents that, because students completing the DP work incredibly hard across a wide range of subjects, they are better prepared for the rigorous level of university study compared to their peers who may have done a different curriculum such as A Levels or Advanced Placement. This is because an IB school gets students involved in group projects, independent research, and advanced writing assignments all the way throughout their education, not just in their final two years of school.

Ready for the world of work

I can truly say the IB has prepared my children extremely well for the workplace by instilling in them the soft skills which are most valued by employers. Thanks to the diversity of their classmates and the collaborative and unique teaching style of the IB, my children are already confident and articulate individuals who are open-minded and capable of thinking outside the box, and able to challenge information presented to them.

Being exposed to such a multicultural environment every day is also an experience that our children will be able to take with them to university and beyond, as it is much more representative of the world they’ll be faced with in the future, where they will feel equipped to act as globally responsible citizens.

The best decision we ever made

Sending our children to ACS Egham is the largest financial investment we have ever made as a family. Of course, we have the privilege of making this choice, but we believe that it is the best and most important investment we will ever make. ACS Egham has nurtured a very special community where the IB is delivered extremely well, and I hand that mostly to the exceptional teachers. The talent of the teachers is simply not comparable to any other place I’ve seen.