
IS Siena has rigorous entry requirements for the IB Diploma Programme (DP). Students wishing to pursue the full DP will need to demonstrate that they have gained high academic grades across all the subjects that they wish to continue to study. Principal Jennifer Tickle explains: “If students are joining us from a different school, we will consider students’ examination results and transcripts from their previous school to help us determine whether they have the academic capacity to enter what is a very rigorous pre-university programme. Usually, we can make a good fit and especially students coming to use from Italian schools adapt very well to their new programme of study.”
The IB Diploma Programme is not a course of study that suits every student, and so IS Siena offers multiple pathways to graduation, including taking a variety of IB subjects at standard level. Many universities around the world offer places on foundation or undergraduate degrees with these course certificates. This pathway suits those students who have heavy semi-professional sporting commitments, such as football players and showjumpers.
In general, students choose six subjects from a broad choice. Since the programme focuses on a holistic and interconnected curriculum, students must study literature and language in one language, usually their mother tongue, and they must study a second language, either bilingually at native level or as a second language. All students take one or more science subject, a mathematics course best suited to their abilities and interests, a humanities subject (economics, business and history are popular) and then they can study an arts subject, like music, visual arts or theatre. Instead of an arts subject some students opt to take a second science or humanities subject. “Many of our students go on to study medicine, computer science and engineering. For them, the opportunity to study two science subjects is invaluable,” adds Principal Tickle. “Keeping up with their Italian at such a high level helps those students who are going to go to university in Italy. Last year we had graduates head off to LUISS and Bocconi.”
So far, the IB does not differ greatly from many academic programmes designed for students aged 16 to 18. It is in the other areas of the programme model that we see the things that make DP students stand out in their applications for some of the world’s best universities.

There is much more to the IB Diploma Programme than just six subjects. Principal Tickle explains: “At the centre of the diagram, you see three other areas of learning known as the core. The first of these is the course of study called Theory of Knowledge (TOK). This is a critical thinking course where students ask questions about what we know and how we know. When discussing the differences between students who have undertaken the IB Diploma Programme and those from other academic backgrounds, it is often the TOK that makes IB students stand out in the eyes of university professors and admissions officers.” TOK encourages students to deeply and critically question the nature of the world around them. TOK students learn to analyze information sources and connect their studies with the exploration of knowledge from great philosophers to contemporary thinkers. This is achieved through real-life situations and the students’ own sociocultural contexts. “In last year’s exam, one student shared how his time living in Bahrain as well as growing up as a member of a Siena contrada had shaped his understanding of the world.”
In addition to TOK, the Diploma Programme (DP) core includes the Extended Essay and the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) programme. The Extended Essay is an independent research project that allows students to delve deeply into a range of subjects offered by the IB, regardless of whether they are part of their current curriculum. This flexibility enables students to explore a subject they are passionate about but could not choose, or to focus on a topic they wish to pursue at university. Students engage in thorough research, which can be practical or theoretical, culminating in a 4,000-word analytical essay. This rigorous process not only hones their research and writing skills, but also prepares them for the demands of higher education. “The ability of our 17-year-old students to conduct independent research and present it in a formal academic style sets them apart in the competitive landscape of top university admissions. Recent Extended Essays have covered topics such as mechanical engineering, equine genetics and the politics of the Vietnam war.”
Students are also required to fulfil the school’s Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) requirements. This involves participating in various independent activities during their own time. By committing to creative endeavours, staying physically active and engaging in community service, students in this rigorous academic programme are encouraged to find balance in their busy lives. IS’s Grade 12 class recently organized a school basketball tournament. Students paid to enter teams, raising funds for a local charity while having fun.

“At IS Siena, our Diploma Programme stands out because of our outstanding approach to individual and personalized learning,” says Principal Tickle. “Classes are small and our teachers know their students very well. Not only are they able to tailor their lessons to suit the interests and cultural backgrounds of the students, they fully understand the unique learning styles and needs of each student and can ensure that each one is supported to engage with the learning in the manner that allows them to be most successful.”
The school pays close attention to psychometric testing, which helps build a profile of each student and presents the teaching team with a unique profile of each individual, showing strengths and area requiring special attention. This information also allows teachers to see where they can challenge eager learners. In collaboration with the IB, students are able to use bilingual dictionaries in most examinations, to use voice-to-text or other technological aids, and to have extra processing time in formal examination situations, if needed.
As an Inspired school, IS Siena is able to leverage the latest technology, from full use of the Microsoft suite of learning apps to online teaching applications including Kognity and bespoke Diploma lessons created for use in the Metaverse, where Virtual Reality can bring learning to life. Smart use of artificial intelligence, other technologies and attention to data are vital aspects to ensure every student achieves their full potential in the IB Diploma. What matters most, however, is the relationship that students and teachers have with each other at IS Siena. Warm, caring and respectful, it is the connection between learner and teacher that really makes IS Siena stand out as a unique place to finish high school and the perfect springboard to university and life beyond school.