International Baccalaureate

Why choose our IB World School?

St Clare’s is a co-educational sixth form college for day and boarding students in beautiful north Oxford. We offer the Pre-IB course and IB Diploma. The atmosphere is informal and friendly, with an emphasis on personal responsibility and a strong commitment to your studies. We put our success down to a combination of factors:

• IB World School: we have been offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma for over 40 years, longer than any other school or college in England. There are only 13 other institutions in the world that have taught the IB for longer than us
• Academic excellence: Our strong worldwide reputation stems from the consistent quality of our IB Diploma results. Our 3 year average is 38 compared to a world average of 31 points
• Quality teaching: Our latest inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) highlights the quality of our offering and superb outcomes
• State-of-the-art-facilities: Our charity status means that all income is channeled back into the school. Over the last 3 years 6.1 million has been spent on new facilities
• International Outlook: Internationalism is a core part of our values. Our diverse study body of over 40 nationalities creates a welcoming environment to value differences
• Careers Development Institute (CDI) accredited advisers: Specialist careers support on options for further study, apprenticeships, internships and gap years around the world
• Excellent staff to student ratio: Our small class sizes of no more than 15 students, provides dedicated support to stimulate learning and encourage you to succeed
• Stimulating learning environment: We offer a wide range of academic subjects and extra-curricular activities. Learning is not limited to the classroom, but extends to all aspects of student life and supports the development of the whole person
• Academic location: Oxford provides a stimulating study environment. This world-famous student city enables you to immerse yourself in the academic resources available
• Pastoral care: We cultivate a sense of belonging within our safe and supportive community. Students develop high-quality relationships through an environment of mutual respect.

‘The quality of the students’ academic achievement is excellent’ – ISI report 2019

How to apply

We understand that the international landscape is very different this year and you are making education decisions much later. With this is mind, we would like to reassure you that there is still time to apply. We still have places on our Pre-IB and IB Diploma courses for September 2022.

Entry is based on previous academic results and interview. We have a competitive scholarship and bursary programme awarded by examination, interview and group exercises. We will be happy to send you our IB Diploma Brochure, full details on how to apply and an online Application Form. We encourage prospective students to contact us with any questions they may have. You can register your interest in hearing more about the course and the college using this online form.

1. School reports and application form

To begin the application process, please send us the applicant’s school reports from the previous two years by email. We will then send you a link to our online application form, which includes a link to pay the £100 Registration Fee.

2. College tour and interview

When we have received all of the above, we will assess the applicant’s school reports. If these are satisfactory, we will invite the applicant and their parents to a tour of St Clare’s and an interview. For IB Diploma and Pre-IB applicants this will include a Mathematics Placement Test and an English test. This is not an entrance examination.

3. Offer of a place

We are normally able to tell the applicant and their parents our final decision on their application quite promptly. If the interview is satisfactory we will offer the applicant a place at St Clare’s and this will be confirmed by email in an official offer letter that includes an Acceptance Form.

4. Acceptance of the offer

Parents wishing to accept the offer must complete the Acceptance Form within the deadline given in the offer letter and return by email. When parents accept the offer of a place at St Clare’s they will need to pay an Enrolment Deposit of £2,500.

5. Joining information

Instructions on how to access the joining information are included in the offer letter. If you have any questions or if you require any further information about the application procedure please contact us.

IB World School brochure

Related IB courses

You will benefit from our experience as an IB World School, which provides the possible best chance for success in the IB study route:

• IB Diploma– Gain an international qualification in our IB World School
• Preparatory-IB course – Enhance your study skills for the IB Diploma and gain up to 2 IGCSEs
• IB Introduction (3 week summer course) – Provides excellent preparation if you wish to start the IB Diploma in September
• IB Teacher Workshops for new and experienced teachers, in collaboration with the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO)