Impington Village College

Join East Anglia's State Secondary School of the Year 2024

Inclusive, Inspirational, International

Impington Village College is part of the Eastern Learning Alliance and is a comprehensive school like no other.  It was originally founded in the late 1930s as part of the ‘village college’ movement in Cambridgeshire and remains true to this vision of community education and learning to this day. We were one of the first schools to pioneer the adoption of the IB Diploma and were one of the first Language Colleges in the country, and are now one of around 30 state schools in the UK to hold the status of IB World School. We are also the first 11-18 state school in the country authorised to offer the IB Middle Years, Diploma and Careers Programmes.

Impington Village College and International College have delivered consistently outstanding outcomes for students for nearly ten years. GCSE results for students have consistently placed Impington in the top 5% of non-selective schools nationally. Each year over 40% of all GCSE grades are at 7-9 and 30% of our students secure grades 8-9. All of our students achieved at least one GCSE grade, including our EHCP and Enhanced Resource students who follow an entry level curriculum alongside their GCSE courses. The IB Diploma pass rate has been at least 97% for the last five years, and as a totally non-selective College our average point scores are also outstanding, with significant proportions of students achieving above 40 points. In 2023, 97% of both our Diploma and Career Programme students passed, and two of our students obtained perfect scores of 45 (placing them among 25 students in the UK). This means our students go on to some of the best universities in the world, including nearly 50% going to Russell Group institutions, and 75% of applicants obtaining Oxbridge offers last year.

The College has now been voted by the Sunday Times Parent Power as East Anglia’s State Secondary School of the Year three times in recognition of its academic excellence and unique educational offering. The College has also received a number of other national accolades, including the Gold Carnegie Medal for its work in supporting mental health and wellbeing, and SSAT Awards for progress, attainment, leadership and curriculum design, as well as the British Council International Schools Award.

Student outcomes are certainly impressive and have played a crucial role in the development of the College and the rising popularity for parents and students, resulting in over 325 first choice applications to Impington in 2023 and large numbers of UK and overseas applicants to the sixth form. However, the appeal of Impington is far more than just the possibility of academic success.

Students and staff at Impington are part of a family of IB World Schools that are committed to delivering a world class international education. A curriculum that places international mindedness at its heart through our all its taught curricula, the promotion of cultural awareness and understanding through exposure to languages throughout a student’s educational journey and celebration of our community’s diversity ensure that Impington students are equipped to thrive in an increasingly connected and multicultural world.

Beyond the classroom students have the opportunity to develop and express their interests through iCAS, our timetabled enrichment programme, and the huge variety of extra-curricular clubs and activities available, in excess of 40 hours per week. We strongly encourage staff to contribute to the wider life of the College, and to offer an iCAS experience or extra-curricular activity where they have an interest. We were one of the UK's largest recipients of the Turing Scheme in 2021-22, securing over £1 million of funding towards overseas trips and visits.

A focus on wellbeing for all members of our community, students and staff alike, ensures that our community feel well cared for and supported within a compassionate environment to meet the varying challenges they will face over the course of their time with us and beyond. This includes a full wellbeing directory for staff, a commitment to flexible working and a reduced allocation for teachers to support with workload and professional development. Impington is also one of eight schools in the country to be a Flexible Working Ambassador School, championing approaches to flexible working and supporting staff wellbeing. We welcome applications from part time members of staff, and have a range of innovative approaches to support flexible working for family commitments, additional study and other wellbeing needs.

Our work supporting mental health and wellbeing has led to the College being one of the first schools in the UK, and the first in our region, to be awarded the Gold Carnegie Medal for Mental Health, and we were reaccredited in February 2022. We are deeply proud of our inclusive ethos, with Ofsted (November 2019) commenting that it 'shines through', noting 'everyone is welcome, regardless of sexuality, nationality, disability or any other personal characteristic'.

We always welcome visitors to the College and would be happy to show any prospective applicants round or set up an informal meeting to discuss opportunities.