LAB16

Introduction from Mr O’Donnell, Head of LAB16

At the time of writing this introduction we are still revelling in delight and pride on the receipt of an incredible set of IB results from our inaugural cohort. The achievement among the year 13 students has been amazing, thanks to their hard work and the great support from our dedicated team. Below you’ll be able to read about some of these fantastic outcomes and get a flavour of some of the wonderful university courses they have secured off the back of these. However, our sixth form programmes are about more than just grades. This cohort of students have displayed great personal growth over their time with us and will go on to thrive regardless of their post-18 destination!

Since completing their mocks at the end of the last module, the year 12s have now moved into the next phase of their journey with us. Summer term has all been about kick-starting UCAS applications and submitting first drafts of IAs and Extended Essays or Reflective Projects. Our students benefitted from an engaging and interactive personal statement writing workshop delivered by an external organisation that means they now have a solid first draft to build upon. All of their hard work this term means that they enter year 13 in a really good position to thrive despite the pressures and intensity it will bring.

I wish everyone a wonderful Summer break and look forward to welcoming another new LAB16 cohort into our fantastic community in September!

IB Results Success & Destinations

Congratulations Class of 2025!

There has been an overwhelming sense of pride at LAB these past weeks as our community celebrates the achievements of its inaugural cohort of LAB16 students and their excellent set of IB exam results. Overall, our students did better than their starting points suggested they would with a value added measure for this cohort reaching 0.21.  With 89% of grades at 4 or above, and outcomes for the core assessments expecting to meet or exceed the IB global averages, these results are incredibly strong for our first set of post-16 students. The average total UCAS point score for a LAB16 IBDP student equals that of an A-Level student achieving 3 ‘grade A’s’, which is really impressive! 

Rory and Christina, both CP students, also secured exceptional results with 5’s in both of their IB courses and a grade A for their Reflective Project.  Like other CP students they now have a few weeks to wait for the results of their BTEC courses, but are pleased to know they are another step closer to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.

Whilst it is still early and many destinations are still to be confirmed, we can share with you a few of the university courses that students will be going on to study:

Anna – Chemistry with International study at University of Manchester

Suchay – Physics at University College London

Kristian & Alex – Politics and international studies at University of Warwick

Maya - Law at University of Southampton

Ismay - Biomedical Science with Placement Year at University of Warwick

We wish all of our year 13 students every success for the future, and congratulate them on achieving their brilliant IB results this summer.  Well done class of 2025!

LAB Talks: Summer Series 2025

Whilst we are incredibly proud of the academic achievements of our students, we believe in more than just grades. To be truly prepared for an ever changing world and to enable them to play a part in making the world a better place, they need to appreciate different perspectives, be curious and learn from the experiences of others. One way in which we facilitate this is through our LAB Talks series. We are incredibly grateful to the wide range of speakers who contributed to the summer 2025 series. Refer to the flyers below to find out more.

Help us inspire and expand the minds of our global learners! We are now seeking speakers for our next series of LAB Talks - Winter 25/26. If you, or someone you know, might be interested in giving a talk we would love to hear from you! Please contact LAB16@leighacademyblackheath.org.uk for further information. 

Geneva Residential 2025

A group of 20 year 12s had a fantastic three days in Geneva, Switzerland last month. 

Geneva is a vibrant and global city as a result of being home to many internal organisations including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), and the European headquarters of the United Nations (UN). This makes for an excellent location for IB students to further develop their international mindedness.

Our visit included visits to key cultural attractions as well as a range of leisure activities. They had the opportunity to tour the UN headquarters, visit the Red Cross museum, take part in a chocolate tasting tour, walk around the Old Town, and visit the official Olympic Museum in neighbouring Lausanne.

Welcoming the next new cohort of LAB16 students

At the start of the month we held what many have referred to as the best sixth form taster day that they’ve attended! Despite the intense heat, our future LAB16 students had a wonderful day of team building and engaging subject taster lessons. A huge shout-out to our fantastic Ambassadors who led an engaging session on the power of an IB education, complete with icebreakers and a lively quiz! This year's exciting new escape box challenge saw incredible collaboration and problem-solving. We were so impressed to see everyone step out of their comfort zone and truly become IB Risk-takers. Well done everyone – we can't wait to see you on Enrolment Day!

Not yet applied? There is still time to submit an application. Contact us for more information: LAB16@leighacademyblackheath.org.uk.

Enrolment will take place in-person at Leigh Academy Blackheath on Thursday 21st July. Please bring a copy of your results.

Welcoming the next new cohort of LAB16 students

At the start of the month we held what many have referred to as the best sixth form taster day that they’ve attended! Despite the intense heat, our future LAB16 students had a wonderful day of team building and engaging subject taster lessons. A huge shout-out to our fantastic Ambassadors who led an engaging session on the power of an IB education, complete with icebreakers and a lively quiz! This year's exciting new escape box challenge saw incredible collaboration and problem-solving. We were so impressed to see everyone step out of their comfort zone and truly become IB Risk-takers. Well done everyone – we can't wait to see you on Enrolment Day!

Not yet applied? There is still time to submit an application. Contact us for more information: LAB16@leighacademyblackheath.org.uk.

Enrolment will take place in-person at Leigh Academy Blackheath on Thursday 21st July. Please bring a copy of your results.