For A-Level and AS students at Headington and across the country, today is a big day — the culmination of all of their sixth form studies. But there is one group of Headington sixth formers who have not spent a moment this summer waiting for examination results: our first cohort of International Baccalaureate students.

The school launched the International Baccalaureate (IB) as an alternative to A-Levels last September, and for the girls studying the IB, today is just like any other.

While the rest of the sixth form has been waiting with bated breath for the results of their summer examinations, they have been getting down to work on the creativity action service (CAS) aspect of their diploma course. The IB, which requires girls to study six separate subjects at standard or higher level, as well as completing an extended essay, a theory of knowledge (TOK) course, and 150 hours’ participation in activities under the heading ‘creativity, action, service’ (CAS), is an excellent choice for independent thinkers keen to keep their options open after GCSE.

Throughout the year, Headington’s IB students have been hard at work raising funds in support of the Zanzibar Action Project. Under the banner CAS4ZAP, they have held cake sales, car boot sales, mobile phone recycling schemes and more, raising nearly £4,000 for the cause.

Their efforts culminated this summer in a journey of a lifetime — the girls and their teachers travelled out to the village of Jambiani, to offer first hand support to the schools and clinics there.

IB student Ruth said after the trip: “Driving by the azure sea, it was difficult to remember why we were in Zanzibar, but we soon discovered that behind the idyllic setting lies a village dealing with extreme poverty and severe malnutrition.

“As we walked down the beach, we were surrounded by children calling for rangi — not money, but pens, which we had brought from school lost property. We were amazed that our unwanted items could make a group of children so happy! Word soon spread, and new groups appeared on our doorstep every day, pulling us onto the beach to play with them.

“We worked in three primary schools, teaching basic education from numbers to nouns, gaining a new respect for our teachers back home!

“We established a mentor scheme with the current cohort of ZAP-funded students at the newly-developed Academy for Higher Education, learning about Zanzibar culture and similarly teaching them about British culture, with discussions ranging from the weather to British politics.

“We also made visits to the village clinic and hospital to learn about the malaria prevention scheme and the daily challenges the clinic faces. The money raised from our trip will help to train more nurses, buy mosquito nets and medicines to help combat pneumonia and chest infections, which are rife in Jambiani.

“The students there have big ambitions and we want to give them the opportunity to make a difference to their lives and community by continuing our support through the CAS course. We look forward to hearing about the next Headington IB students’ continued work in Zanzibar.”

The CAS, TOK and extended essay elements of the IB course are as integral to the IB experience as the six central subjects chosen by each IB student, and it is this breadth of focus that makes the IB course unique.

At Headington, the emphasis has always been on individuality and choice. We recognise that no two girls are alike, and that recognition is reflected in the breadth of options on offer in the sixth form: as well as the IB, we offer a choice of 30 A-Levels and encourage every girl to choose the combination that is right for her.

Find out more about life at Headington School and sixth form on our open morning, Thursday, October 7, from 10am-12.30pm — and, if you are planning on joining the sixth form in 2011, join us for our annual sixth form options evening on Friday, October 8, from 6.30–9pm, where you will meet staff and current students who can help you decide which course is right for you.

Visit www.headington.org/open-events or call admissions, 01865 759861, to book your place at any Headington open events.