IB EVALUATION VISIT 2022

The School recently concluded its IB Evaluation Visit. An evaluation visit is a requirement through by which the IBO assesses and ensures that the standards and practices of an IB school are being maintained, to acknowledge accomplishments and to provide guidance for improvements.

The Evaluation Team consisted of four trained members who are all teachers or leaders in other IB schools around the world. We had to postpone the original date of the visit in 2020 due to Covid, and when the date was rescheduled, travelling restrictions were still in place. For this reason, throughout the first week of May, the Evaluation Team visited our School ‘virtually’: watching classes, talking to the Board, the School´s IB Visit Committee, teachers, staff, students and parents.

The Evaluation Team gave us some initial feedback, although the full report will not be available for a few months. However, their feedback was extremely positive, and they concluded that the School ‘was in a very good position’, and most importantly, said that the box in Section C of the Report - Requirements that are not in place, would ‘remain empty in the final report.’

They added that there were many strengths in our School, some of which are:

Strong community with a strong sense of companionship and togetherness. This was seen in all meetings they had with SLT, School´s IB Visit Committee, faculty, parents, students and Board of Governors.
All decisions taken were aligned with the Strategic/Development Plan.
The School is very proud of its long history as an IB school and this is felt by all members of the community.
The Mission Statement and practice are aligned with IB philosophy.
There is a wide range of choices for students, not only in the IB subjects in the Diploma, but also in the extracurricular activities offered (sports, musical, MUN, trips), which helps them become lifelong learners.
Our students are ready for success (they have been given the tools).
The School continued to strive to meet the evolving needs of students during and after the pandemic.
The School cares for the wellbeing of its students and teachers.
They mentioned the importance of Tutor System in 5YL and 6YL and highlighted that SMT and leadership were involved.
Support to students when starting the DP (choosing subjects, career advice etc).
Teachers expressed they were supported when asking for Professional Development, including assistance with university studies.
Teachers mentioned there was an impactful and professional working environment.
Parents, students and members of the Board shared examples of how national universities share feedback to the School when students are at university.
The Wellbeing Department in Senior had developed very positively.
Policies were created and shared with the community.
Students value the relationship with their teachers and management teams.
Students recognise the openness of the teachers and praised them for supporting their social and emotional needs, not only academic.

The Evaluation Team also gave some suggestions for us to think about, including working on the PYP Inquiry Cycle, and in further developing our Approaches to Learning (ATL) and differentiation strategies. These are both areas that the School is already working on as we have recognised their importance.

The next visit will be in five years' time.

The School´s IB Visit Committee (Florencia Paullier, Fernanda Sobral, Gary Mallon, Andrew Bunt, Cecilia Gómez and Mark Rosevear) worked very hard towards this visit, preparing all the necessary documentation and having everything ready beforehand.

We would like to thank everyone who helped, either before and/or during the visit, to make it such a success.