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There are many reasons why the International Baccalaureate is a global leader in international education. For students aged 16 to 19, the IB offers a Diploma Programme that is seen as the gold standard by university recruiters across the globe. The DP was created by teachers at the International School of Geneva in 1968, with assistance from several other international schools.
Students explore six subject groups: sciences, mathematics, arts, individuals and societies, language and literature, and language acquisition. To broaden and apply the knowledge learned in these subjects, they are required to complete three additional components: theory of knowledge, the extended essay, and creativity, activity, service (CAS). Taken together, the DP addresses the intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being of students — with tangible outcomes obvious among its graduates.
Diploma Programme (DP) graduates are more positive about their research abilities and overall pre-university education and often enrol in some of the most selective universities in the world. They say the Extended Essay taught them to learn through inquiry instead of memorisation; and that the CAS projects made them more caring, open-minded, reflective and mature.
Yet, these are just a few samplings of the full list of transferable, future-ready skills the IB equips learners with to transform them into global citizens over time. “The IB learning framework nurtures the qualities within students, which can be explicitly taught, that allow them to become an internationally minded person,” says Barry Sutherland, KIS International School Reignwood Park’s Head of School.
Set to open in August 2024 on a world-class 60-acre campus, KIS Reignwood Park will be Bangkok’s only full International Baccalaureate (IB) day and boarding school. The school has worked with Rosan Bosch Studio, one of the world’s leading school campus designers, ensuring exciting, flexible, and dynamic learning environments. Some of the highlights include a 1,000-seat Performing Arts Centre, science labs, design technology pods, a climbing wall, a gymnastics hall, floodlit football pitches, indoor sports arena, a two-storey golf center and access to Robinswood Golf Club. As not everyone is interested in the same thing, this vast variety of spaces and activities will allow students to fully explore any and all interests. “We will have the best facilities in Bangkok,” says Sutherland.
Some of the highlight facilities include a 1000-seat sports arena. Source: KIS International School Reignwood Park
A lot of thought has been put into the campus, including features to promote sustainability and experiential learning. For example, there are solar panels across the heart-shaped lake, and students may analyse how much energy costs and how much the school is saving by using the sun. “We have dedicated farming plots, so students can grow different things and learn about the life cycle of plants,” adds Sutherland. “We also have cooking labs in the school because we want them to learn directly about nutrition and how to combine ingredients not only to cook in a variety of ways, but also how to make a nutritious meal in every sense.”
It’s an extensive range of facilities that will undoubtedly enhance the learning and boarding experience. The school has combined this with a very experienced group of educators guiding students through the IB programme. “If you have a wonderful teacher and you’ve got the right learning programme, which we believe is the IB, students can learn and do anything,” says Sutherland. “At our school, we focus on a student well-being ecosystem and having the best learning framework in the world. We believe that is the IB, delivered by our highly trained teachers in an amazing learning environment.”
This rendering of the secondary science lab is just one of many cutting-edge spaces for students to explore. Source: KIS International School Reignwood Park
Teachers at KIS Reignwood Park don’t just impart technical knowledge on their subject but also consider the emotional well-being and mental health of each student. Sutherland explains that teachers are hired for their attitude and are chosen only if they genuinely care about the holistic care of children. Teachers come from all over the world too, as this aligns with the IB programme’s aim of developing global citizens and exposing them to more cultures and languages.
Another vital element of the IB is the “Approaches to Learning.” “ATLs emphasise skills development, not rote learning of facts,” says Sutherland. “[This includes] self-regulation, communication, social skills and research skills, which are especially important in the modern day world of AI and fake news.”
The forward-thinking premise of the programme lends itself to the ever-changing world, so dealing with AI’s challenges is part and parcel of the learning. Your child would benefit greatly from the focus on soft skills — which the World Economic Forum describes as vital in the coming years. “We’re really trying to develop the human side of the student and their thinking abilities,” says Sutherland. “So that no matter what the new world looks like when they graduate, they will thrive.”
The combination of stellar and expansive facilities, experienced teachers, and the IB programme’s effective guiding attributes make KIS Reignwood Park an excellent school for your child. “We’re trying to develop global citizens who are ultimately going to be caring and open-minded to understand the perspectives of other cultures and the skills to enable them to solve some of the world’s problems and make it a better place. If education systems are not stretching students to set goals bigger than themselves where they can help shape and improve the world for themselves and for others, then what is the point? If we want a better future, it starts with our children,” says Sutherland.
Watch a fly-through of the KIS Reignwood Park campus here.
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