14
15
86
Letter from Charles Ormiston, Chair of the Board of Governors ...........................................2
Letter from Chris Edwards, Head of College...............................................................................5
UWCSEA guiding statements and learning programme..........................................................7
UWCSEA governance and leadership.........................................................................................11
Board of Governors...................................................................................................................12
Student achievement.....................................................................................................................15
Academics..................................................................................................................................16
Activities.....................................................................................................................................31
Outdoor education..................................................................................................................34
Personal and social education............................................................................................... 37
Service........................................................................................................................................40
Our community.............................................................................................................................45
Scholars .....................................................................................................................................48
Community feedback..............................................................................................................50
Business report............................................................................................................................... 55
Human Resources.................................................................................................................... 55
Admissions................................................................................................................................58
Finance........................................................................................................................................61
Statement of financial position............................................................................................62
Statement of comprehensive income.................................................................................64
College Advancement................................................................................................................... 67
Foundation................................................................................................................................ 67
Foundation financial report...................................................................................................68
Statement of financial position............................................................................................70
Statement of comprehensive income..................................................................................71
Alumni relations....................................................................................................................... 73
Donors 2014/2015................................................................................................................... 75
CONTENTS
In short, the Board was governing a
great school, with a great Mission, falling
short of its full potential.
The month I joined the Board the
Singapore government asked UWCSEA
to build a second campus. While there
was much discussion about how to
respond to this request, there were
three factors that compelled us to act.
Firstly, the Singapore Government had
been highly supportive of UWCSEA,
providing us with land at reasonable
rents, supporting a tremendous number
of work and student permits, working
closely with us on matters involving
civil works, security and so on. They had
a genuine need for more high quality
capacity in the international school
sector, and we were in a position to
respond. Secondly, the Board believed
strongly that the school needed to
step up to more ambitious goals in
keeping with a desire to be a leader
in international education. Third, and
perhaps most importantly, we believed
in the Mission of UWCSEA and the
quality of the education we were
providing. The greater scale would
allow us to have a positive impact on
more children and scholars, to have
more resources to develop and pursue
innovative programs, and to have more
financial stability.
The development of East Campus
began almost immediately and three
years later I was asked by the Board
to assume the Chairmanship. I was
tremendously honoured and excited
about the opportunity. Looking back on
the six years since then, I am amazed
by how much has been achieved by the
school and the community. It is hard
to summarise the efforts of so many in
a short letter, but I will highlight a few
of the achievements that I believe have
2015/2016 marks the end of my second
term as Chair of the UWCSEA Board
of Governors, so this introduction to
the 2014/2015 Annual Report will
be my last. I’d like, therefore, to use
this letter to highlight some of the
major achievements of the Board of
Governors in the last six years, and to
provide some reflection on the rationale
for several of the decisions, perhaps
to serve as a guidepost to future
generations of leadership at the school.
But first, why do we have an
Annual Report? Why do we reveal
so much unvarnished data about
all aspects of our school, including
student achievement in the learning
programme, feedback from our
community, details of our financial
health and all aspects of our
administration?
The answer is that our annual
report reflects our commitment to
transparency about our achievements
and our shortcomings, so that we have
no alternative but to improve. The
annual report shines a bright light on
the workings of the Board of Governors
and the school leadership in a way that
allows any stakeholder to raise concerns
or provide ideas for improvement. It
is a clear demonstration of our desire
to be a global leader in international
education, and allows other schools to
benchmark themselves against us. We
are not a leader unless others follow.
When I joined the Board of Governors
in 2007, the school had spent three
years under the guidance of Kishore
Mahbubani as Chair of the Board of
Governors and Julian Whiteley as Head
of College. I quickly discovered three
characteristics of the school that I
didn’t expect:
• The UWC Mission is at the very
heart of everything UWCSEA does.
During my subsequent time on the
Board, I repeatedly observed that
decisions were guided by an idealistic
commitment to that vision, as
opposed to ‘pragmatic’ alternatives.
The Board of Governors sees itself
as accountable to the mission and
responds accordingly.
• The Board of Governors has a very
constructive and collaborative
working relationship with the
leadership and staff. This positive
working relationship continues
today and is so important in schools,
where less positive interactions
between Boards and staff can have
a destructive effect on culture
and operations.
• Finally—and this was perhaps the
most unexpected finding of all—
UWCSEA was resting on its laurels.
All institutions need an inspirational
mission, ambitious goals and a
culture of growth and development
for employees, so that the institution
stays focused on what matters.
It was clear to the Board and the
school’s leaders that UWCSEA, while
continuing to provide a very good
education for students, was losing
its ambition and not acting like a
leader: it played a secondary role
in UWC International affairs, it was
not open to expansion, it had fewer
scholars than almost every other
UWC, it was not accredited by an
external agency, it was no longer a
driving force within the IB or in other
curriculum initiatives, it was falling
behind in innovation and technology,
the physical plant was deteriorating
and there had been no investment
in sustainability.
LETTER FROM CHARLES ORMISTON
CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
been most significant in furthering the
College and our Mission.
1. The East Campus is a success, and
has had the additional benefit of
strengthening the Dover campus—a
commitment the Administration
and Board made to the parents
of Dover students at the time of
the announcement. If there is any
evidence of successful collaboration
between a school and its Board,
it is in the conceptualisation
and execution of the second
campus at UWCSEA. By any
measure—academic performance,
satisfaction of the students,
teachers and parents, hitting cost
and revenue targets by opening
both the temporary and permanent
campuses on time and on budget,
the architectural awards the school
has received for sustainability
and usability, the addition of 42
additional scholars, not to mention
the nearly 2,500 additional students
who now receive a UWC education—
the East Campus is a source of
tremendous pride to everyone
associated with it. The cost of the
second campus—over $250 million—
has been properly financed and the
costs of operations are well below
competitive benchmarks.
2. We have underwritten one of
the most comprehensive reviews
of curriculum in the field of
international education. The goal of
the Curriculum Articulation project
is to develop a logically sequenced
K1 to Grade 12 curriculum that
is firmly derived from the UWC
mission and appropriate for
UWCSEA and the Singapore context.
Students are already benefitting
from a more seamless experience,
developing age-appropriate
knowledge, skills and understanding
in each area of the learning
programme from K1 to IB Diploma.
We are excited by and proud of
the efforts of our educational staff,
supported by our Board Education
Committee. The UWC movement,
which helped to develop the IB
Diploma, is once again at the
forefront of curriculum design.
3. We have completed a major building
programme at Dover. Over a 6 year
period we have added approximately
20% to the physical capacity
of the Dover campus without
adding students. This has added
significantly to the functionality of
the environment and our ability to
educate the students to a global
standard. The campus has already
achieved Greenmark Platinum award
and the overall power consumption
is lower, despite the increase in
size—a remarkable move towards
our sustainability goal. In addition,
not a single building has suffered
from the quality and construction
problems that were common
features of facilities built in the
past. The Facilities committee of
the Board played a major role in
this expansion, working closely with
school leadership.
4. Our balance sheet is healthy; our
costs are low. We carry sufficient
cash and liquid assets on the
balance sheet to fund one term’s
expenditure—about 12 times
the levels of 12 years ago. We do
not borrow from our reserves for
mortgage obligations. All pension
obligations are fully funded and
reserved, with most paid out every
two years. Our tuition costs, while
higher than 6 years ago, have fallen
from the second most expensive
school in Singapore in 2008/2009
to seventh in 2014/2015. Under the
leadership of the Finance Committee,
the school is financially secure and
sustainable in the long term.
5. The UWCSEA Foundation is a
success, with room to grow. It is now
hard to believe that 10 years ago
UWCSEA had raised only $200,000
in its history or that we only had
contact details for about 15% of the
graduates at the school. With this
as a starting point, I’d like to point
to the efforts of David Chong (who
provided tremendous pro bono
support for getting IPC status with
the government), Kishore Mahbubani
(who served as the first Chair of the
Foundation) and Declan MacFadden
(who has served as the second
Chair), along with the team at the
College, for what they achieved. We
now have a far-reaching and active
alumni programme and a successful
gifts programme that has raised
SG$12.4 million in gifts and pledges
since 2008. Thanks to the generosity
of our donors, we have increased
the number of scholars at the
College from 55 to 102, supported
many environmental initiatives
and provided significant support
for professional development and
excellence in teaching and learning.
Members of our community have
contributed not only financially, but
with their time and expertise, to
help make the College better—we
are fortunate indeed to have such a
committed community.
6. Over the last three years, the
Governance Committee has
systematically reviewed the
governance of the Board. Most
Board Governors now spend two
years on 1-2 committees before
joining the full Board. This allows
them to familiarise themselves with
the operations of the Board and to
demonstrate an ability to contribute
effectively to its operations. We have
added an Education Committee
and an Engagement Committee.
We have carefully separated the
role of the Governance committee
Chair from the Chair of the Board:
now, the Governance Committee
drives the process for who is
brought onto the Board (with input
from the Chair of the Board) while
the Chair of the Board decides
the leadership within the Board
(with input from the Governance
Committee). Every Board Governor
is rigorously assessed at the end of
their first term to ensure they merit
a second term. Key skills that are
required to fulfil the agenda of the
Board are considered heavily as we
seek to attract great candidates to
the Board. All these efforts have
established the Board as a high-
functioning professional group of
volunteers who are accountable to
the College guiding statements and
can effectively guide and support the
school leadership.
7. We have tackled a range of topics in
support of the administration—with
an approach of how the Board can
support the College in becoming a
global leader in a particular area, as
opposed to how the Board thinks
the College should do it. Key areas
included technology in education
(the iLearn programme); child
protection; language learning at
UWCSEA; outdoor education; and
sustainability in education.
8. We have changed the admissions
policy of the school from one based
on date of application to an annual
application cycle with selection
criteria that take a holistic view of
the applicant. Our goal is to ensure
that every family joining the College
is committed to our Mission, and
that every child joining can benefit
from the programme we offer.
Equally, we need our community
to reflect the diversity that is so
central to our mission. This policy is
already paying enormous benefits
to the school. I have real admiration
for the Admissions Department and
the commitment and energy they
have displayed in implementing the
new policies.
9. We have successfully managed a
Head of College transition through
an inclusive process that included
Board Governors, faculty and
staff. We believe the process we
undertook for the Head of College
selection was appropriately inclusive
and confidential—the community
has a right to engagement but
the candidates also have a right
to have their privacy protected.
We were heartened by the vast
number of high quality candidates
who expressed genuine interest
in the position. Our choice of
Chris Edwards as our new Head of
College is a response to our ongoing
commitment to being a leader in
international education, and we
are excited about the future of the
College under his leadership.
Charles Ormiston
There is still work to be done—there
always will be. As I write, there are deep
and important conversations taking
place about integration with Singapore,
innovation and entrepreneurship at the
College, how we measure the impact
of our education, how we understand
the issue of diversity, and how we
respond to an increasingly competitive
environment and the changing needs of
our current community. I will have to
leave it to my successor and the Board
and school leadership to continue those
conversations and determine the next
agenda. What I do hope is that the
annual report—and the commitment
to transparency on our performance
against the goals that we set ourselves—
is maintained.
UWCSEA is a great institution, one of
the highest performing non-profits I
am aware of in the world. I am proud
and grateful for the opportunity to play
a role in its development over the last
six years. All of us who volunteer on
the Board of Governors are stewards
of this great institution for just a short
time; UWCSEA will continue long
after our time in the leadership of the
school is finished. The only reward we
should expect for ourselves is the deep
satisfaction of knowing that we have
left the school in the strongest position
possible to educate individuals to
embrace challenge and take responsibility
for shaping a better world.
LETTER FROM CHRIS EDWARDS
HEAD OF COLLEGE
Annual reports are strange things.
They reflect on a year that, in the
life of a school at least, is a distant
memory, and while they mark changes
and achievements during that year,
they don’t allow for the momentous
happenings that are taking place
as we write our introductions. One
such happening is the end of Charles
Ormiston’s second term as Chair of
the Board of Governors. In theory,
reflections on the 2015/2016 year’s
most significant change don’t belong
in this report. But as I look back on
last year it would be wrong not to
acknowledge that I wish I had enjoyed
more time working with Charles.
Charles has sacrificed much for
UWCSEA: to be Chair is to give, give
and give again: you can’t even clothe
yourself in your own biases, prejudices
and gripes while you are expending
so much energy. Impartial, generous,
honest even when it hurts, Charles
has led with a blend of compassion
and precision such as I have seldom
seen. Under Charles’ leadership things
changed at the College: quickly,
significantly and for the better. Next
time you are on East campus, look
around you. Without Charles, none of it
would be there. Our governing body, our
drive to transparency, our will to engage:
they too owe their genesis to his will,
intelligence and passion for the College.
Every Chair will eventually become a
historical figure in UWCSEA’s annals.
But few will be historic. Charles will.
The UWCSEA community thanks and
salutes him.
And so to 2014/2015. As he states in
his introduction, the annual report is in
part a manifestation of Charles and the
Board’s commitment to transparency.
And they are right. A school should tell
it straight. And if we are to go by the
raw numbers (the ‘straight talk’), the
UWCSEA community should engage in
vigorous self congratulation. Another
wonderful year of service, activity, and
outdoor education; an inspiring set of
public examination results; super net
promoter scores from parents on both
campuses; much needed new facilities
on Dover. We could continue listing
until the Report was filled and the
Amazon felled.
It would be easy, then, to say “It’s been
a stellar year” and fall silent. However,
when it comes to understanding a
school’s quintessence, statistics can
be far more dangerous than opinion or
even rumour, and the tempering of raw
numbers with measured critique is vital
if we are to honour value above price.
So, as one heartily congratulates
students, staff and parents for the
scale and success of what is recorded
here, let’s ponder for a moment on
what is not. And as we ponder, let’s
acknowledge that the landscape for
international education in Singapore
has witnessed tectonic shifts in the
last eighteen months whose effects
will resonate for many years. Where
once UWCSEA sat proud as a large
single campus school with an effective
monopoly on holistic, experiential
education, it now finds that the lone and
level sands of its former landscape have
become undulating dunes of change. We
cannot be a stagnant colossus gazing
imperiously over its domain: we must
be as dynamic, as fluid, as nimble as
circumstances demand.
So, when we consider what the annual
report does not cover, we must revisit
internal structures and steer this
Chris Edwards
aircraft carrier as if it were a frigate,
constantly reviewing our curriculum
and our pedagogy to ensure we are
truly understanding front line 21st
century tertiary education and desirable
workplace skill sets. Our educational
offer must be transferable and
recognisable: in an international school,
many students are not loyal veterans of
K through to 12, hence it is imperative
we introduce International School
Assessment tests for our students. We
need a College wide, unambiguous
position on sustainability and a
crystalline understanding as to what we
mean by optimum diversity (instead of
an inarticulate notion that more might
somehow be done). Creative centres
need to be up and running on both
campuses so our offer better reflects the
dynamic of the world beyond our walls.
And yet, we we must exercise discipline
by not falling into line with fads, paying
homage to this year’s buzz-words and
running in fear of pie charts. As Margaret
Atwood said: “Ignoring isn’t the same as
ignorance: you have to work at it.”
A good year, then? No, an amazing
one. A joyous, eventful, intense and
invigorating time of invention. Those
who seek starts, middles and ends in all
they do might want to seek elsewhere,
but I’ll take my mantra for the year from
the Bhagavad Gita: “Curving back within
myself I create again and again.”
UWCSEA GUIDING STATEMENTS
AND LEARNING PROGRAMME
UWC MISSION
The UWC movement makes
education a force to unite people,
nations and cultures for peace and a
sustainable future.
UWCSEA EDUCATIONAL GOAL
The UWCSEA goal is to educate
individuals to embrace challenge
and take responsibility for shaping
a better world.
UWCSEA AMBITION
UWCSEA will be a leader in
international education. We will have
a worldwide reputation for providing
a challenging, holistic, values-based
education with an emphasis upon
academic achievement, service to
others, environmental stewardship,
teamwork and leadership.
UWCSEA LEARNING
PROGRAMME
This diagram explains how the
elements of the UWCSEA Learning
Programme fit together, with the
mission as both the starting point
and the goal.
To make education
a force to unite people,
nations and cultures
for peace and a
sustainable future
To make education
a force to unite people,
nations and cultures
for peace and a
sustainable future
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To educate
individuals to embrace
challenge and take
responsibility for
shaping a
better world
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HOLISTIC
EDUCATION
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UWCSEA
PROFILE
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LEARNING
PRINCIPLES
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LEARNING PRINCIPLES
Learning is a life-long process in which
the learner engages with and reflects
upon information and experiences
to construct new or modify existing
understanding as well as develop and
apply qualities and skills.
We know learning is effective when:
• learners construct new
understanding by activating prior
knowledge and experiences
Therefore, it is important that new
learning is connected to what the
learner has previously experienced or
understood.
• learners use timely and goal
directed feedback
Therefore, ongoing assessment
should be regular and structured
in a manner that allows for specific
feedback to guide the learner in
constructing meaning.
• learners collaborate
Therefore, learners must have
opportunities to interact with
others in a variety of situations and
groupings.
• learners are challenged
Therefore, learners need to be
challenged in developmentally
appropriate ways.
• learners feel secure and supported
Therefore, learners need a safe and
respectful learning environment.
• learners construct meaning by
seeing patterns and making
connections
Therefore, learning needs to be
organised around core concepts.
• learners actively process
and reflect
Therefore, time is required for
learners to practise, reflect and
consolidate learning.
• learners apply metacognitive skills
Therefore, learners should develop
an awareness of their own thinking
processes to develop intellectual
habits.
• learners understand the purpose of
the learning
Therefore, learning should occur in
context with clear connections to
real world.
• learners have ownership of their
learning
Therefore, opportunities for self-
directed learning are needed to
sustain and motivate learning.
UWCSEA PROFILE
Our goal is to educate individuals to embrace challenge and take responsibility for shaping a better world. Our community achieves
this goal by developing knowledge and understanding, qualities and skills through the five elements of the UWCSEA learning
programme: academics, activities, outdoor education, personal and social education and service.
SKILLS
Critical thinker
Reason in an informed and fair-minded manner.
Related concepts: inquiry, questioning,
connection, analysis, synthesis, evaluation,
problem solving
Creative
Imagine and generate new possibilities or
alternatives.
Related concepts: originality, imagination,
curiosity, adaptability, connection, innovation,
improvisation, risk-taking
Collaborative
Participate collaboratively in diverse settings.
Related concepts: cooperation, participation,
leadership, flexibility, adaptability, responsibility,
trust
Communicator
Communicate effectively according to audience
and purpose.
Related concepts: communication,
interpretation, perspective, intent
Self-manager
Take responsibility for directing one’s learning.
Related concepts: metacognition,
independence, diligence, organisation,
responsibility
QUALITIES
Commitment to care
Initiate actions and make a commitment to
shaping a better world.
Related concepts: stewardship, caring, empathy,
compassion, open-minded, service, sustainability
Principled
Act with integrity and respect for self and the
dignity of others.
Related concepts: integrity, honesty,
responsibility, respect, fairness
Resilient
Anticipate, persevere and confront challenge.
Related concepts: optimism, confidence,
courage, diligence, perseverance
Self-aware
Develop intellectual, physical, spiritual and
emotional well-being.
Related concepts: self-discipline, self-
esteem, self-confidence, reflection, balance,
contentment
10
11
GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP
UWC MOVEMENT
UWC South East Asia is a member of the
UWC movement, which was founded in
1962 by Kurt Hahn, the great German
educationalist. UWC South East Asia
was the second member of the UWC
movement, opened by Lee Kuan Yew as
Singapore International School in 1971.
Since then, UWCSEA has expanded to
become a K-12 school of more than 5,500
students, making it the largest UWC in the
movement, and one of only three who take
students before the IB Diploma in Grade 11.
The UWC movement now has 15 schools
and colleges, and is supported by a network
of National Committees, made up of
volunteers in more than 145 countries
worldwide, who help to find and select
many of the Grade 11 and 12 scholars in the
colleges around the world.
School
Country
Age
Number of students 2014/2015
UWC Adriatic
Italy
16–19
190
UWC Atlantic
United Kingdom
16–19
350
UWC Costa Rica
Costa Rica
16–19
160
UWC Changshu
China
16–19
520
UWC Dilijan
Armenia
16–18
190
Li Po Chun UWC
Hong Kong SAR, China
16–19
255
UWC Maastricht
Netherlands
2–18
850
UWC Mahindra
India
16–19
240
UWC in Mostar
Bosnia and Herzegovina
16–19
150
Pearson College UWC
Canada
16–19
200
UWC Red Cross Nordic
Norway
16–19
200
UWC Robert Bosch College
Germany
16–19
200
UWC South East Asia
Singapore
4–19
5525
UWC-USA
New Mexico, USA
16–19
200
Waterford Kamhlaba UWC
Swaziland
11–20
600
A breakdown of the other schools and colleges can be seen in the table below
UWCSEA uses the Hobo-Dyer Projection
for our maps which, as a cylindrical equal
area projection, more accurately reflects
the relative size of the continents.
12
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
UWCSEA is a non-profit organisation.
Its legal status is as a public company
limited by guarantee, registered
with the Accounting and Corporate
Regulatory Authority (ACRA). UWCSEA
is also a registered charity with the
Commissioner of Charities, and a
foreign system school, registered
with the Ministry of Education and
the Council for Private Education. As
a member of the UWC movement,
UWCSEA is overseen by the UWC
International Board.
UWCSEA benefits from a highly
experienced Board of Governors,
made up of both elected and selected
(co-opted) members. In addition to
the Management Committee, which
is comprised of the Board Chair and
the Chairs of all Board committees,
there are six Board committees: Audit,
Education, Engagement, Facilities,
Finance and Governance.
UWCSEA BOARD OF GOVERNORS 2014/2015
Charles
Ormiston
(Chair)
Chris Edwards
Will Kennedy-
Cooke (Chair,
Facilities
Committee)
Kenneth Stirrat
Alexander
Krefft (Chair,
Governance
Committee)
Anna Lord
(Chair,
Engagement
Committee)
Miles Beasley
(retired 30
January 2015)
Thierry Brezac
Nicholas Chan
Ho Seng Chee
(retired 3
October 2014)
Elaine Teale
(retired 31 July
2015)
Michelle
Sassoon
Katherine
Davies
Dale Fisher
Doris Sohmen-
Pao (Chair,
Education
Committee)
Davy Lau
David Maxwell
(Chair, Audit
Committee)
Alexandra De
Mello
Vivek Kalra
(Chair, Finance
Committee)
Co-opted members
Surinder Kathpalia
Shelly Maneth
Benjamin Detenber
Heather Yang Carmichael
S C Chiew
Subodh Chanrai
13
ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Anna Lord (Chair)
Michelle Sassoon
Chris Edwards
Benjamin Detenber
Subodh Chanrai
Sinead Collins
FACILITIES COMMITTEE
Will Kennedy-Cooke (Chair)
David Maxwell
Thierry Brezac
Chris Edwards
Frazer Cairns
Simon Thomas
AUDIT COMMITTEE
David Maxwell (Chair)
Kenneth Stirrat
Surinder Kathpalia
Shelly Maneth
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Doris Sohmen-Pao (Chair)
Dale Fisher
Alexandra De Mello
Chris Edwards
Benjamin Detenber
Heather Yang Carmichael
Frazer Cairns
James Dalziel
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Alexander Krefft (Chair)
Nicholas Chan
Ho Seng Chee
Davy Lau
Elaine Teale
Chris Edwards
Surinder Kathpalia
Chegne How Poon
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Charles Ormiston (Chair)
David Maxwell
Doris Sohmen-Pao
Anna Lord
Will Kennedy-Cooke
Vivek Kalra
Alexander Krefft
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Vivek Kalra (Chair)
Anna Lord
Katherine Davies
Chris Edwards
S C Chiew
Chegne How Poon
Cecilia Teo
14
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STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
The learning programme at UWCSEA consists of five interlinking elements: academics,
activities, outdoor education, personal and social education and service. These
elements combine to provide our students with a values-based education that develops
them as individuals and as members of a global society.
Our goal is to educate individuals to embrace challenge and take responsibility for shaping
a better world. Through the learning programme, students develop the knowledge and
understanding, and skills and qualities, that will help them to fulfil this goal.
Each of the five elements of the programme complements each other to create a whole
that is greater than the sum of the parts. This is a carefully planned and purposeful
process, where outdoor education is connected to subject areas in the academic
curriculum, the Personal and Social Education programme support students in the
Activities programme, students can use the Service programme to address social
questions identified in their academic learning, and so on. The skills and qualities
identified in the UWCSEA profile are embedded in all five elements of the programme.
This section of the Annual report is an overview of the main highlights of the
2014/2015 year in each of the five elements.
THE STRUCTURE OF
THE UWCSEA ACADEMIC
CURRICULUM
The curriculum is concept-based.
As a result, each curriculum area (or
discipline) has standards, which are
written as single statements that include
the key concepts for that area. These
standards run from K1 to Grade 12.
Each standard has essential
understandings, which are
developmentally appropriate statements
of understanding, also expressed in
concepts, that describe what a student
should understand at each stage of their
development. They build naturally in
complexity from K1 to Grade 12.
Benchmarks are attached to each
essential understanding. The
benchmarks describe what a student
should know, understand or be able
to do at each stage of their learning
as the student works toward the
deeper understanding that is outlined
in the essential understanding. These
benchmarks are what our teachers
assess to ensure that students are
reaching the essential understandings
and are working towards the standards.
K1-Grade 12
Standard: Writing expresses selfhood, creativity and intellect in a medium shaped by audience and purpose.
Grade 1
Essential understanding: We create real
or imagined experiences when writing
stories by using characters and setting.
Benchmark: Develop the story through
character, focusing on specific actions.
Grade 7
Essential understanding: All parts of a
text work together to shape meaning.
Benchmark: Write narratives, using
time and plot deliberately in order to
influence mood and focus attention on
the important moments in a story.
Grade 11 and 12 (IB Diploma)
Essential understanding: Writers
manipulate structure to convey
meaning effectively.
Benchmark: Sequence and sustain
structure to strengthen and develop the
logic and persuasive impact of a claim.
Below is an example of a standard in English, and the essential understandings and benchmarks for that standard in Grades 1, 7 and the
IB Diploma Programme.
16
The academic learning programme
allows students to experience the
challenge of intellectual pursuit and
the joy of scholarly engagement. They
gain a deep understanding of individual
disciplines, while investigating the
connections between these disciplines
and how to solve complex problems
using different approaches. Learning
goals for individual subject areas
build logically through each grade so
that students grow in knowledge and
understanding and are prepared for the
next academic challenge.
In 2014/2015, UWCSEA students
followed a UWCSEA-designed
curriculum, based on standards,
essential understandings and
benchmarks defined through our
curriculum articulation project, from K1
to Grade 8 (see previous page for more
details). Students in Grades 9 and 10
followed the (I)GCSE programme, with
students entering in Grade 10 following
a Foundation IB (FIB) programme.
Grade 11 and 12 students took the IB
Diploma programme.
LEARNING PROGRAMME: ACADEMICS
17
IB DIPLOMA RESULTS
In May/June 2015, 498 UWCSEA students took the IB Diploma exams. A full breakdown of
their achievement by College and by each campus can be seen in the following pages.
Average IB Diploma Score
30.1
Worldwide
36.2
UWCSEA
498
Students
Pass rate
98.4%
UWCSEA
79.3%
Worldwide
Percentage receiving bilingual diploma
26.1%
UWCSEA
28.2%
Worldwide
Percentage receiving 40+ points
26.5%
UWCSEA
6.4%
Worldwide
IB Diploma score comparison
42.0%
18.1%
35–39
23.4%
28.3%
30–34
7.8%
31.6%
24–29
0.2%
15.2%
<24
26.5%
40–45
6.8%
UWCSEA
Worldwide
Year
Number of
candidates
Percent
passed
Worldwide
average
percent
passed
UWCSEA
average
diploma
score
Wordwide
average
diploma
score
2015
498*
98.4
79.0
36.2
29.9
2014
465**
99.8
79.3
36.8
30.1
2013
317
99.4
79.1
36.4
29.9
2012
311
99.7
78.5
35.8
29.8
2011
300
100
77.9
36.9
28.8
2010
295
98.9
78.1
36.0
29.5
*322 students on Dover and 176 on East | ** 323 students on Dover and 142 on East
COLLEGE
18
Average IB Diploma Score
30.1
Worldwide
36.7
UWCSEA Dover
Pass rate
99.4%
UWCSEA Dover
79.3%
Worldwide
IB Diploma score comparison
44.8%
18.1%
35–39
22.1%
28.3%
30–34
7.1%
31.6%
25–29
0%
15.2%
<25
26.2%
40–45
6.8%
UWCSEA Dover
Worldwide
UWCSEA Dover students
received a bilingual diploma
Complete IB course listing for the Class of 2015
Courses are offered at either Higher or Standard Level unless noted below.
1.
Language A: Literature
Taught
English; French; Hindi (SL); Indonesian; Japanese;
Korean; Chinese
School Supported Self-
Taught (SL)
Afrikaans; Bosnian; Czech; Danish; Hebrew;
Hungarian; Khmer; Kinyarwanda; Lao; Norwegian;
Portuguese; Serbian; Siswati; Swahili; Swedish; Thai;
Vietnamese
Language A:
Language and Literature
Dutch; English; German; Chinese; Spanish
2.
Language B or ab initio
English B (HL); French B; French ab initio; German B;
Mandarin B; Mandarin ab initio; Spanish B; Spanish
ab initio
3.
Individuals and Societies
Business and Management; Environmental Systems
and Societies (SL); Economics; Geography; History;
Information Technology in a Global Society;
Philosophy; Psychology; Science, Technology and
Society (SL)
4.
Experimental Sciences
Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Design
Technology; Environmental Systems and Societies
(SL); Physics; Science, Technology and Society (SL);
Sports, Exercise and Health Science (SL)
5.
Mathematics
Further Mathematics (HL); Mathematics;
Mathematical Studies (SL)
6.
The Arts
Film (SL); Music; Theatre Arts; Visual Arts
SAT and ACT scores
189 members of the Class of 2015 took the SAT and 57 took the ACT. All scores, including
those from non-native English speakers, are included.
23.9%
DOVER
Range of middle 50%
Mean
SAT Critical Reading
SAT Mathematics
SAT Writing
560
700
630
620
760
682
590
720
652
25
31
27.8
ACT