Parent Perspectives

'When our daughter, Annaliese was in Year 10, she expressed an interest in the IB program after hearing about it at school. We both didn’t really know a lot about it, so we attended a parent information session held by the school that explained both the VCE and IB programs, differences between the two and how they were run at school.

The IB program is focused on developing students’ ability to think independently and fosters the skills for lifelong learning. While IB is an academically rigorous course, the favourable ATAR conversion takes this into account and students really are rewarded for the hard work.

The IB program at Ivanhoe is well established and provides students with a great support structure. The teachers were all so helpful – which was greatly appreciated especially during IA (internal assessment) and exam time. The IB cohort of students all developed strong friendships and it was great to see them all support each other through their challenges and celebrate their successes.

The course provided a well-rounded education and has allowed Annaliese to develop life-long skills that will be beneficial throughout her university studies and beyond. Congratulations to Ivanhoe for implementing such a rewarding program, we are truly grateful for the opportunity!'

'Olivia agonised over the choice between IB and VCE. Ultimately, she chose IB, and being both a hard worker and a high achiever I was very comfortable with her decision. I was attracted to the concept of critical thinking, the analysis and appraisal of knowledge and the breadth of the curriculum. There is a need for self-discipline and effective time management in order to manage the very heavy workload and Olivia, early on, recognised that the latter was her weakness. To her credit and with the guidance of her teachers she was able to greatly improve in this area without totally sacrificing a social life and enjoyment of co-curricular activities.

The IB Diploma is a very challenging program, however, the end justifies the means and not just in the academic sphere. It is particularly pleasing that the cohort, being much smaller than the VCE, developed camaraderie and an ethos of helping one another. Without the burden of ranking, IB students are able to develop a cooperative study atmosphere to a large degree.

Olivia, unhesitatingly, is so pleased she chose the IB and so am I.

Thankyou IGS for providing the program and thank you for the efficient implementation and dedication shown by all the staff involved.'

Both of my sons made the decision to study the IBDP. When my eldest son expressed an interest in the IB, we, as a family, knew very little about it. After researching it together, meeting with the IB coordinator, he decided, it was what he wanted to do. Quite simply, he knew it was the course that would ‘get the best out of him’.

The IBDP appealed to Tom, as the program covered a broad range of subjects, had a global focus, smaller classes and would best prepare him for his future endeavors, whatever they might be. He was prepared to commit to it wholeheartedly and see what he could achieve. I initially thought the undertaking may prove too arduous, especially given Tom’s commitment to high level sport, but he proved that organization, hard work and effective time management can achieve outstanding results.

After seeing how much my eldest son enjoyed the IB, my youngest son, Harley, decided, he too, to take up the challenge of the IBDP.

As a parent supporting children studying IB, it was, and still is, my goal to provide them with a stable and warm environment, so they can strive for whatever they desire to achieve. I believe that if there is a safe base beneath, they can hopefully stretch that bit further to achieve their ultimate goals, as there is no fear of falling and not being caught.

'As someone who has always loved writing essays, Stella was confident that she’d be able to handle the heavy written component of the IB. It was one of the reasons we were so happy to support her on this journey.

The nature of the program also appealed – broad based in its curriculum, an international approach, and opportunities for students to really direct their own learning and follow their individual lines of enquiry. It’s wonderful to let them have the opportunity to really take control of their learning. We were particularly impressed with the collaborative nature of the program. Everyone supported each other, shared information, mentored one another. And that’s just the students! The teachers, needless to say, were outstanding. We really felt as though Stella was being properly equipped for university, and we are so grateful that she had the chance to study the IB.'

'My youngest child was somewhat sceptical before commencing the IB due to its reputation for being a challenge and his lack of confidence in not being 'top of the class' or an 'A+' student. However, after due consideration, he was attracted to the program because it allowed him to study specific elements within each subject that interested him… it became evident that the myth or stigma surrounding the IB as an option reserved for the academic elite was defeated.'

'I think the IB is for motivated students, who start researching their extended essay before the start of Term 1 and know how not to fall behind.

The extended essay, on any topic whatsoever, says a great deal about the overall intention of the IB. That is: 'you are the learner, what do you want to know more about?' This also applies to the student generated topics within history, maths and chemistry. The range of topics students came up with was amazing!

I think the research angle of the IB and the self-motivation requirement gels very well with university expectations.

'IB was completely new and unfamiliar to us as a family and to be honest, as parents, we really had no idea! Jet showed a genuine interest, so we started to look closely at what suited him and his learning style. After many discussions we decided the IB was the right pathway for him. This was based on the understanding of how he presented as a learner, what made him tick and what inspired and motivated him.

IB has a diverse teaching/learning structure that suited Jet’s thirst for knowledge. Jet loved to 'dive in deep' – the in-depth exploration of subject areas played to his strengths in terms of really getting down to the nitty gritty.

From our experience as parents watching from the bleachers, IB is an enormous amount of work. There is certainly no 'down time'; students need to maintain a constant work ethic as it is an absolutely jam-packed course. The standard of work produced was exceptional.

And in saying this, all credit to the amazing staff at IGS in terms of the support structure for IB students.'

'My daughter learned to be a thorough scholar with a truly world view on the many subjects she studied. She learned to read widely and critically before forming an opinion. Importantly for tertiary study, she learned the value of referencing her opinions and adhering to an evidencebased approach to her studies.'

'Ivanhoe Grammar’s support for social justice and academic effort is brought together seamlessly in the IB program…'

The amount of oral presentations are a bonus too as the students become very familiar with public speaking and that is a real asset.'

'I remain a strong supporter of the Diploma Program generally and as an option at IGS. In my professional judgement, it remains the optimum senior schooling curriculum option…

The requirement to study a range of disciplines (2nd languages, maths, science, humanities et al) along with mandated tertiary foundation skills and disciplines (ToK / Extended Essay / CAS) ‘taught’ my son and all DP graduates that a ‘broad liberal education’ requires fundamental and explicit components that provide the basis of western educational tradition. With these components, he has learned pre-requisite skills of successful tertiary study alongside the capacity and resilience to study not only subjects he ‘likes’ or at which he is ‘good’ at – as a 16/17 year old – but also skills that do not come easily but must be learned. It is upon these learned behaviours that the older adolescent and adult, who finds success at university and in life-long learning, often depends.

The IB DP remains the optimum senior secondary qualification, of those of which I am aware, for Australian secondary graduates intending to attend university in Australia or overseas. This is because it requires students to develop skills and learning which the VCE and other State certificates does not require or do not require to the same extent. The top one or two percent of academic students will achieve success regardless of the certificate they study; however, I believe the IB DP particularly maximises or amplifies the ATAR outcomes of those students in the 75.0095.00 range, in particular.'