Ellesmere College re-accredited by World Academy of Sport for IB Course

Ellesmere College has been re-accredited as an Athlete Friendly Education Centre (AFEC) and upgraded by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) in recognition of the way it helps student-athletes balance sport and education.

Ellesmere College is one of only 22 schools across the world to be given the accreditation.

The announcement was made at the International Baccalaureate (IB) Global Conference in Vienna and means the College can now offer not only the two year IB Diploma but also an extended three-year diploma for students who want to follow an athletics pathway concurrently with their studies.

Stephen Mullock, Assistant Head Admissions, said it is a huge coup for the prestigious College.

He said: "We are very proud to be an 'athlete friendly' school. The vision and principles of the initiative fits well within the school's own holistic approach to educating and nurturing all its students. This approval to move from a pilot project means that the school can seamlessly continue supporting student-athletes now and in the future. This news can only benefit our community as a whole and we at ABS are proud to have been able to participate in this latest innovation for international education."

Students currently combining successful sporting careers with academic studies at Ellesmere College include Team GB and Sky Sports Scholar champion swimmer Freya Anderson, who is studying for A levels and has won two gold and two bronze medals at the European Championships, as well as two bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games.

Ananya Chezhian plays tennis at national level for Wales and completes her training and competing alongside studying for A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Business Studies.

Swimmer Jack Shillinglaw achieved a A*, A and B A Levels from Ellesmere College and was also an English champion and a British national silver medal winner during his time there, and cricketer Sam Ellis played for Glamorgan alongside his studies at Ellesmere College before going off to Loughborough University.

Mr Mullock added: "We ensure all teachers and fellow students here understand the pressures on our athletes. They train every day and are committed to doing as well as they can in their field to enable them to go on and make it a their career. But we also don't want that to be at the expense of their education and we ensure they know they can pursue both at Ellesmere College in a way they couldn't do elsewhere. We make it easier to complete classes without affecting training schedules by offering flexibility to support academic achievement."

It is envisioned that the number of AFEC schools and recognised student-athletes in the coming years will grow exponentially now that such strong foundations have been built across the project partners.

Schools, parents and student-athletes can now enjoy the confidence to make increasingly proactive and flexible choices to better achieve their personal goals and better balance sport and education pursuits.

Chris Solly, Director WAoS, said: "We are working towards eradicating the issue of athletes having to make sacrifices that may negatively impact them in the long term. The future is certainly bright for our young student-athletes and we foresee project alumni competing in many international sporting competitions in the years to come whilst keeping a strong focus on their long-term career aspirations."

At the same time Ellesmere College has also achieved a Gold in the School Games Mark for the second successive year.

The government led awards scheme rewards schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community.

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26th November 2018  Back to News