The number of students registered for the Diploma has more than doubled in the past four years. The highest points total awarded to a candidate has been 45 throughout these last years. The average grade obtained by candidates has seen a slight increase last year. We are pressing to continue to upward the grades achieved by SDIS students, especially, but not exclusively, at the top end.

SDIS’s inclusivity involves enabling all students to make the progression to and through the Diploma programme. Students at the lower end of the Diploma spectrum are reassured that universities in different countries have different requirements and that for some students simply a pass of 24 points in the Diploma will enable them to progress to higher education in a university of their choice. Students with 30 points or less have gained places to study prestigious courses in top universities, such as Film Studies at Kent and Computer Engineering at Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh. 

Often success is about ensuring the students have the right subjects and make the right choices rather than the top overall scores. However, we also recognise that we need to prepare our very best students for the very best universities.