Leading the way with world-class school assessments and gold standard academic competitions

We use our ICAS results to inform our learning and teaching programs. The team leaders of each year group will assess the results [to] understand where our higher ability children are not performing as well as they could be. We use this for planning Maths and Writing abilities-based groups, and for differentiation within the classroom. I would certainly recommend that other schools join the ICAS competition. They provide your children with opportunities outside of the normal curriculum and outside of our normal assessment routines and regulations, opportunities they will not get in any other way.

As a parent, the thing I like about ICAS is that it provides an opportunity for the kids to learn how to do exams and learn to be competitive. It is a way to encourage the kids to be more involved in study, and to understand where they are and if there is a gap in their knowledge. If they get a good result, then that is a bonus as they will be rewarded in front of everyone and get to stand on the stage to get a certificate, and I think that is really good.

I think the most rewarding part of ICAS was once I’d finished knowing I had done my best and at the end seeing how well I’d done and if I’d improved. ICAS prepares me for my future life by helping me experience what exams might feel like when I’m older in high school and in university.

The children found the whole experience intellectually challenging, rewarding and stress-free. It was fantastic to see the online results come back within a week or so of the competition. The end result has been a rich and rewarding competition for our students. Parents love the feedback, and the opportunity for children to be rewarded for academic talent is priceless.

We see the benefits of ICAS in terms of our academic extension program, giving opportunities for students to extend their learning beyond the traditional classroom. ICAS prepares our students for the challenges of the years ahead by giving them opportunities to problem solve and extend themselves academically.