College Leadership

What Makes the Mercedes College Difference?

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Dear Parents, Caregivers, Staff and Students of the Mercedes College Community,
Next term in Week 2 we will be visited by a team of international educators. They will be analysing our College against the international standards determined by the Council of International Schools (CIS), and the curriculum and learning expectations of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO). 

We are the only Catholic College in S.A. that is accredited by the CIS and offers all three IB Programmes. So why do we choose to be part of both the IBO and CIS and why is this of value to you and your children?

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Why the IB?

Just Some of the Reasons

1. Mercedes College is held to high levels of external accountability by both the CIS and the IB. The IBO develops world quality programmes and is very protective of its brand. It visits all schools that deliver its programmes every five years to ensure they are being delivered to the rigorous standards required. The rigour and quality of the IB Programmes are recognised by the Australian Government, and schools that deliver them are exempt from the assessment expectations of the Australian Curriculum.  
2. Non-IB schools are not held accountable for the quality of their programmes until their students are externally assessed in Year 12. The quality of our teaching and learning programmes is assessed for each level every five years.
3. IB Diploma results are analysed globally and Mercedes College results are always well above world average.
4. The quality of the professional development offered for teachers by the IBO ensures that our teachers are continually challenged to be life-long learners and thus become the best teachers they can be.
5. As a leader of an IB College, I am able to monitor the quality of our programmes and be confident that all staff are meeting the high standards expected by both the College and the IBO.
6. The IB Programmes are based around challenging students to be problem-solvers and thinkers. They are inspired to consider the right questions that need to be asked, rather than just remember answers.
7. The commitment to the service of others is consistent with the social justice elements of the Religious Education programme as is the IB’s commitment to valuing and attempting to understand the other point of view.
8. The IB Diploma is highly regarded by tertiary educators and institutes across the globe. If your child is considering the IB Diploma, or is currently studying it, you may be interested to watch the short video below.

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Why the CIS?

Just Some of the Reasons

1. We want to be held accountable for all aspects of the College’s operations, not just our teaching and learning programmes. The CIS does this for us. We are held accountable in the areas of our governance, our co-curricular opportunities, our student services, the way we express our stated goal to be a school with an international focus, our staff support programmes, our financial operations and our capital programmes.
2.  Non-CIS schools are not held to the same rigorous standards that we are and thus are not challenged in the same way to improve across all areas of their operations.
3. The CIS expects us to do what we say and say what we do. Thus you as parents and caregivers can be confident your child is receiving the education that we stated they would at enrolment.
4. Mercedes College is committed to providing opportunities for its students to become global citizens. This requires them to gain knowledge, attitudes and dispositions that will place them well to be successful participants in the world of the future. Both the CIS and our RE programmes promote the need for our students to consider the needs of others and provide high level thinking towards better future solutions.
5. As a leader, the CIS process assists me to be confident that our staff are aware of our core values and that their work is reflective of them. None of us are perfect, but all of us at the College are committed to providing a quality learning environment that continually stresses the need to act in ways that are consistent with our Mercy Keys. Non-CIS schools are not held externally accountable to be so consistent with their stated values.

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As a result of the synchronised CIS/IBO visit next term, I suspect we will be commended on many aspects of our work and challenged to improve in others. This is the only way you can be truly challenged to improve. The feedback we receive will be a primary source of information to guide the College’s next Strategic Plan. 

In the end, I hope our choice to be so accountable in such a rigorous way means that you can be confident that you have chosen well to send your children to the College.

I thank all of the staff, parents and students who have worked so hard to prepare the documentation required for the visit next term. Their commitment and passion to ensure that we can be the best College we can be is much appreciated.

In particular, I thank Mrs Alessandra Miles who has, and continues to manage, the preparation and visitation processes with such skill and dedication and Mrs Jackie Kerr who has ably assisted Alessandra in many ways.

I hope everyone enjoys a happy end of term break and I look forward to an exciting Term 2.

Yours sincerely

Peter Daw
Principal