D'Overbroeck's College

d'Overbroeck's College, Oxford

Established	1977
Type	Independent School
Principal	Sami Cohen
Chairman of Governors	James Noel
Founder	Malcolm van Biervliet
Location	Banbury Road Oxford Oxfordshire England
Gender	Male and Female
Ages	11–18
Telephone	+44 (0)1865 310000
Website	www.doverbroecks.com

d’Overbroeck’s College is a co-educational independent school in Oxford for pupils aged 11–18. The Good Schools Guide describes it as a place of energy and laughter, of single-minded determination among pupils to do the best they can. And d'Overbroeck's doesn't let them down.

The College has three main parts, each based on a different site in North Oxford:

• Leckford Place — the pupils section of the College, taking boys and girls aged 11–16. This section of the College is for day pupils only.
• The Sixth Form — teaching A levels to sixth form pupils (both day and boarding) aged 16+.
• The International Study Centre — delivering academic English courses to prepare international pupils for their A level/International Baccalaureate studies in the UK. Pupils are typically 14–17 years old.

The Swan Building, 111 Banbury Road

The Sixth Form

The Sixth Form is the oldest part of d'Overbroeck's College. Unlike many independent schools, d'Overbroeck's College Sixth Form is on a separate site, meaning that its facilities and teaching are entirely geared towards sixth form pupils.

The Sixth Form is in North Oxford, with the main teaching centre being The Swan Building, 111 Banbury Road, Oxford.

Pupils

The Sixth Form has a total of about 250 pupils, with an even mix of boys and girls. About 50% of pupils are boarders and 50% are day pupils.

The majority of pupils at d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form are from the UK, but international pupils are also integral. The Sixth Form has pupils from a large range of countries (30 different nationalities at present).

Of the 250 pupils in the Sixth Form, around 40 will have stayed on from Leckford Place or the International Study Centre. The vast majority, however, join from other schools after taking their GCSEs.

Results and accolades

A level results achieved by pupils at d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form are consistently strong. In 2010 27% of grades were A* 59% A/A*, placing the College at number 106 in the national league table for independent schools

In the academic year 2009-10 the Sixth Form achieved a contextual value added score of 1,102. This was the highest score achieved by any school nationwide.

The Good Schools Guide describes d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form as quite possibly the leading independent sixth form in the UK.

Entry

The Sixth Form is selective, and entry is typically by application, reference and interview. Entry requires at least 8 GCSEs at grade A* to C, normally including Maths and English, or equivalent. A number of Sixth Form scholarships and awards are available, including:

• Academic scholarships
• Science scholarships
• Performing arts scholarships
• Art scholarships
• Environmental awareness scholarships
• Enterprise award

d'Overbroeck's also offers a number of bursaries (which, unlike scholarships, are means-related) and an Access Award for pupils of outstanding academic ability who wish to move from the state sector into independent education.

Curriculum

Pupils at the Sixth Form study A levels, choosing their subjects from a list of nearly 40. Because these are not organised in option blocks, practically any combination of subjects is possible. The full list of A level subjects currently available is as follows:

Accounting Ancient History Art Biology Business Studies Chemistry Chinese Classical Civilisation Classical Greek Communication & Culture Computing Drama/Theatre Studies Economics English Film Studies French Further Mathematics Geography German History History of Art Italian Japanese Latin Mathematics Music Music Technology Philosophy Photography Physical Education (PE) Physics Politics Psychology Religious Studies Russian Sociology Spanish

d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form was one of the first schools to introduce the AQA Baccalaureate, a qualification that supplements A/AS level study. Pupils choosing to study the AQA Baccalaureate do so in addition to their normal A levels, and will also

• complete an extended project
• participate in an enrichment programme to encourage and recognise out-of-classroom achievement
• take an examined AS level in Critical Thinking

The AQA Baccalaureate has proved popular amongst pupils, with 25% of Lower Sixth choosing to take the qualification in 2010.

Pastoral system

Pastoral care and academic monitoring at the Sixth Form are carried out by a system of Directors of Studies. Each pupil is supervised by a Director of Studies — one of a team of senior staff. Each Director of Studies supervises a small number of pupils for whom they have pastoral and academic responsibility. In many cases a pupil will also be taught by their Director of Studies.

A pupil will meet his or her Director of Studies regularly, one to one, to discuss pastoral and academic matters. The Director of Studies also

• helps pupils individually with all aspects of university application
• coordinates pupils' study programmes
• liaises with pupils' subject teachers to maintain an ongoing overview of progress

Outcomes

The vast majority of Sixth Form pupils go on to study at UK universities. Top university destinations from 2007–09 were:

• 1 University of Leeds
• 2 Oxford Brookes University
• 3 University of Oxford
• 4 University College London
• 5 Cambridge University
• 5 University of Edinburgh
• 5 Imperial College London
• 5 London School of Economics
• 9 University of York
• 10 King's College London

Leckford Place (11–16)

Leckford Place is in Leckford Road, Oxford. Its main entry points are at 11+ (Year 7) and 13+ (Year 9). Unlike the other two parts of the College, Leckford Place is for day pupils only.

Of the three parts, Leckford Place was the most recently opened. It took its first pupils in September 2005, since which time pupil numbers have grown steadily.

Pupils

As is the case throughout d'Overbroeck's College, Leckford Place is coeducational. The vast majority of pupils at Leckford Place are UK residents local to Oxford, in keeping with its day school status. Pupil numbers are about 150.

Leckford Place is a selective school, with entry by assessment. A number of scholarships are available at 11 and 13, including academic, art and performing arts scholarships. Academic results are strong, with 41% A/A* grades at GCSE in 2010.

Curriculum

Subjects taught at Leckford Place include:

Biology Chemistry Physics History Geography Religious Studies French Spanish German Art Classical Civilisation Drama ICT Latin Music PE PD (Personal Development)

The school day is from 8.45 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday. There is no Saturday school. Each day consists of 10 periods of 35 minutes each.

Results and accolades

In 2010, 41% of GCSE grades were A/A* (69% A* to B), and 100% of pupils gained five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C.

The Good Schools Guide commends teachers [who] make good use of state-of-the-art facilities and vibrant teaching methods, clever design, superb use of space, modern and extremely well equipped [science labs] and value added features in spades, declaring, [missing word] have yet to meet a dissatisfied parent.

Uniform

Unlike the Sixth Form, pupils at Leckford Place wear a "light touch" uniform.

The International Study Centre

The International Study Centre (hereafter referred to as ISC) is on St Giles, close to the centre of Oxford. The ISC takes international pupils aged 15+, and is a boarding school.

Pupils at the ISC study the College's GCSE Programme, designed specifically for international pupils as a preparation to study A levels or the International Baccalaureate at a UK school.

Pupils

The ISC takes around 40 pupils each year, with a broad mix of nationalities. As is the case throughout d'Overbroeck's College, the ISC is coeducational.

Pupils are required to have at least a Lower intermediate (B1) level of English language for entry into the ISC.

Results and accolades

In the ISC's most recent British Council inspection, it was awarded points of excellence in six separate areas:

• Teaching
• Pastoral care
• Learner training
• Leisure programme
• Aspects of course design
• Aspects of administration of pupils

No other UK international study centre scored more points of excellence, according to a summary of organisations' results published in the EL Gazette.

The GCSE Programme

The GCSE Programme at the ISC is a 1-2 year course in which pupils study a range of GCSE subjects and take examinations at the end of the course. Alongside their academic studies, pupils receive expert tuition in English.

GCSE subjects available on the programme include:

English Maths Chemistry Physics Biology Combined Science History Art French Geography Business Studies Citizenship Project Award Own language

Pupils are grouped according to ability, and the programme is designed to be flexible enough to fit pupils' various aptitudes and aims.

Extracurricular activities

The ISC aims to furnish pupils with a knowledge and appreciation of British culture. To this end, pupils go on numerous trips to cultural and historical locations, in Oxford and elsewhere in the UK.

All pupils take part in an annual pantomime, typically performed in a professional theatre.

Pupils also have regular sports/activities sessions.

Outcomes

By the end of the GCSE Programme, pupils are equipped with academic credentials and English language skills to ensure success at A level. The majority of pupils on the GCSE Programme go on to study at the d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form. Others have gained places at other UK boarding schools.

Accreditation

d'Overbroeck's College is affiliated to the Independent Schools Council (ISC) and in membership of both the Independent Schools Association (ISA) and the Society of Headmasters & Headmistresses of Independent Schools (SHMIS).

The International Study Centre is Accredited by the British Council as an international study centre, and is a member of the British Association of International Study Centres (BAISC).

Sources

• The Good Schools Guide (13th ed.). Lucas Publications. 2008. pp. 302–304. 

External links

• d'Overbroeck's College website