Student life
Impington International College is just a 15 minute bus journey from the centre of Cambridge but our students love the freedom and green space they gain when they join our Sixth Form.
Located in the heart of Impington, our brand new Sixth Form building opened in September 2021 and includes dedicated seminar and teaching rooms as well as an exclusive Sixth Form common room. Co-located on campus with Impington Sports Centre, which offers gym and swimming facilities, there is also a local tennis club and football club within easy reach for sports fans.
The Sixth Form is located within easy access of a variety of independent cafes and shops, for students who want a change of scenery during their free periods. Stir Histon, The Station House Histon and d:licious coffee and sandwich bar offer exclusive discounts on food and drink for our Sixth Form students who show their ID badges.
A standard day at Impington International College runs from Period 0 – 6. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate are available all day in the common room from 8:00 am. Breakfast snacks are available to purchase through the Student Congress on most days. During study periods, there are various places you can work including the common room, the library and the quiet study area in the Alan Rogers Building. You are welcome to work in this building until it closes each evening.
| Period 0 | 08:00 – 09:00 |
| Period 1 | 09:00 – 10:00 |
| Period 2 | 10:00 – 11:00 |
| Tutorial/Assemblies | 11:00 – 11:20 |
| Break | 11:20 – 11:40 |
| Period 3 | 11:40 – 12:40 |
| Period 4 | 12:40 – 13:40 |
| Lunch | 13:40 – 14:35 |
| Period 5 | 14:35 – 15:35 |
| Period 6 | 15:35 – 16:35 |
| Period 7 | 16.35 - 17.35 |
In addition to the academic subjects available at Impington International College, we offer a range of extra-curricular opportunities for every student. These experiences come in several forms and are a crucial element of your post-16 programme. View our full clubs and activities timetable here.
Creativity, activity and service (CAS) and service learning are requirements for all DP and CP students and involve a large variety of creative, sports and community service activities. Participation in CAS and service learning is an integral and compulsory part of being a student here at Impington International College. Through CAS and service learning you will be involved in the Impington iCAS programme on Wednesday afternoons.
iCAS offers you an extraordinary range of extra-curricular experiences including: primary teaching, yoga, debating workshops, fencing, baking, and many more. While taking part in the programme, you will be encouraged to become involved in an array of clubs and additional mini-courses, which include:
- Duke of Edinburgh
- Amnesty International
- Film Club
- PE Department: Sport fixtures, Pool and Fitness Suite
- Music Department: Ensembles, Orchestra and Choir
- Youth Dance
- Art/Photography
- Charity Abroad: Ethiopia and India
You will be required to maintain a portfolio of your CAS and service learning experiences. You will have access to workshops, advisors, and a CAS and service learning coordinator to support your choices and ensure you are accessing a broad range of experiences, which can be used in the next stages of your life journey.
Our commitment to Service Learning is something we are incredibly proud of. This fosters a community minded approach to learning – whether that be in local or global communities. Our links with local communities such as The Abbey Fields project and international communities in Ethiopia, Botswana, Peru and India give students the opportunity to work alongside a wide range of people from diverse cultures.
Your education at Impington International College is your ticket to a world of opportunity. Throughout your two years with us you will be given in depth and ongoing advice on your academic and career opportunities; covering applications to UK and international universities, alongside apprenticeship and career pathways, and gap year opportunities.
All of these options, and any questions that you have, will be explored in detail through our progressions programme which is delivered in a variety of ways: by our careers’ advisor, during assemblies led by our Progressions Coordinator, in tutor sessions and in one-to-ones.
These one-to-one sessions are held with your progressions tutors, our careers’ advisor and our progressions coordinator and are designed to help and advise you about the next steps in your career, motivating you accordingly and offering professional guidance with applications and entry examinations.
You will also have the opportunity to attend regular careers talks, and related events, such as a mock interview day, which includes a number of subject specialist group interviews run by external employers which aims to give you hands-on experience on how to approach a formal interview. Events such as the UCAS fair, webinars with our Oxbridge link college and talks from international sports’ scholarship agencies will help guide you through higher education applications and job training schemes.
Due to our close proximity to Cambridge, you will be able to explore the workplace and further opportunities that will be on your doorstep.
We are proud of every one of our students and are confident that your time with us will successfully prepare you for the next stages of your life. Find out about the impressive careers of some of our alumni, here.
View our sixth form progression schedule below.
PAL policy download.
| Year 12 | Year 13 | CAIEG Key Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sep to Oct | Interview and Applications talks (2,8) | Interview and Applications talks (2,8) | Launch of Work Experience – parental info event Oxford/Cambridge application deadline (internal/External) |
| Introduction to Unifrog (1) | Conservatoire application deadlines University Open days |
||
| 2. Nov to Dec | Apprenticeship Talks (3,5) | Apprenticeship Talks (3,5) | Writing personal statements |
| 3. Jan to Feb | 121 Guidance Meetings (3,8) | UCAS application deadline | |
| CV and Interviews workshop (6) | CV and Interviews Workshop (6) | US Common Application deadlines | |
| Apprenticeship Fair (5,7) | Apprenticeship Fair(5,7) | ||
| 4. Feb to March | Student finance talks (7) | Student finance talks (7) | UCAS hub opens Work experience forms due |
| Mock Interviews (5,3,8) | National Careers and Apprenticeship Weeks | ||
| 5. April to May | Aim a little higher ‘Motivation’ presentation (4) | University Open Day Visits | |
| Series of employability events in reflection time (1,2,5,) | Netherlands Application Deadlines | ||
| UCAS University application event (7) | |||
| Oxford/Cambridge progressions evening | |||
| 6. June to July | Work Experience Week (6) | Work Experience Week IB Results Day Clearing Opens |
|
| Throughout the year | 121 Guidance meetings (3,8) | 121 Guidance meetings (3,8) | On going 121 support and guidance from Careers Adviser |
Key to Gatsby benchmarks
| Gatsby Benchmark | Description | Key |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Stable careers platform | |
| 2 | Learning from careers and labour market information | |
| 3 | Addressing the needs of each student | |
| 4 | Linking curriculum learning to careers | |
| 5 | Encounters with employers and employees | |
| 6 | Experiences of workplaces | |
| 7 | Encounters with further and higher education | |
| 8 | Personal Guidance |
*Some activities will have more than one Gatsby benchmark shown in brackets.
Academic and pastoral support is extremely important to us and is a key part of academic success at Impington International College. Sixth form is a transitional period in your life; linking school, university, employment and beyond, and pastoral support is key in enabling you to achieve your goals and enjoy your exciting yet challenging time with us.
You will enjoy small tutor groups of both Year 12 and 13 students and your tutor will be your first port of call for all pastoral issues, offering guidance and support throughout your two years. There is also a dedicated Director of Pastoral Care, who is on hand to help you with any issues of either a personal or academic nature.
During your time at sixth form, your tutor will monitor your academic progress and attendance, getting to know you and helping you to make progress. Academic achievement is reported on regularly throughout your two years, keeping both you and your parents or guardians fully informed of how much progress you are making and what your final grades are likely to be. The Director of Pastoral Care works with a variety of external agencies or personnel to ensure you have all the support you need to succeed.
You will be guided through the options and choices that you have ahead of you following your time spent with us. These options include:
- studying at university
- undertaking an apprenticeship
- moving into the world of work
- taking a gap year
All of these options, and any questions that you have, will be discussed in detail during assemblies and in form time. Our Progressions Coordinator and Careers Lead, as well as your tutor, will guide you through the university application process; we have a full programme of support to ensure you get to the university, apprenticeship or employment of your choice. Your form tutors, subject teachers and the Progressions Coordinator and Careers Lead are also on hand to check any applications and personal statements. We also run a mock interview day, which includes a number of subject specialist group interviews run by external employers which aim to give you hands-on experience on how to approach a formal interview.
- Find out more here
