St Leonards School is celebrating 20 years of delivering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP), marking two decades of internationally recognised education and celebrating the achievements of the pupils who have passed through the School during that time.
Introduced at St Leonards in 2006, the IB Diploma was a bold and distinctive choice. At the time, St Leonards was the only Scottish school, and one of barely a dozen nationally, to offer exclusively or predominantly IB examinations. Twenty years later, the IB Diploma has become a defining part of the School’s academic offering.
Over the past 20 years, hundreds of St Leonards pupils have completed the IB Diploma, going on to universities and careers around the world. The Programme’s emphasis on independent thinking, academic breadth, research, reflection, and international-mindedness closely reflects the School’s ethos and its commitment to developing confident, curious young people.
Today, St Leonards is an IB World School offering all four IB programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP), providing an IB education from Kindergarten to Year 13. Further, a new Postgraduate Programme welcomed its first cohort in August 2026, offering pupils an additional year of academic and personal development before university.
The 20-year milestone also provides an opportunity to recognise the many staff, families and pupils who have contributed to the success of the Programme and to reflect on how the IB Diploma has evolved alongside the School.
Head of School, Simon Brian said:
“There is a real sense of pride in reaching this 20-year milestone. The story of the IB at St Leonards has been written by generations of pupils, teachers and families who believed in an education that asks young people to think deeply, remain curious and look beyond themselves. As Head, I am enormously proud of what they have built together. Twenty years on, the IB feels completely at home at St Leonards because its values are so closely aligned with our own: an education that is ambitious, outward-looking and, above all, preparation for life. As we celebrate this anniversary, our greatest pride is in the young people who have left St Leonards ready to make their own contribution to the world.”
The celebrations also form part of a particularly significant period in the School’s history. In 2027, St Leonards will celebrate its 150th anniversary, bringing together the School community to mark its heritage, achievements and enduring commitment to education. The milestone will provide an opportunity to celebrate the past while looking ahead to the next chapter of the School’s story.
As St Leonards looks ahead to the next 20 years of IB education, the School remains committed to providing an education that equips pupils to achieve academically while approaching the world with curiosity, confidence and a sense of purpose.
Categories: St Leonards
