TIBHS’ historic Harvard visit inspires students
Students from Tauheedul Islam Boys’ High School (TIBHS) have received a historic visit from one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
A representative from Harvard University visited TIBHS’ newly opened Sixth Form, TB6, to give the school’s sixth form students an insight into an Ivy League education.
It is thought to be the first time the world-renowned institution has visited Blackburn in an official capacity and demonstrates the academic alignment between Harvard and TB6. Harvard’s visit provides TB6’s erudite students and their families with an insight into an Ivy League education and the bespoke support they will receive from the school to secure places on the most competitive university courses.
Harvard University is part of an elite group of eight American universities, known as Ivy League colleges, which are widely considered to be amongst the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and its alumni include eight US presidents, 10 Academy Award winners, 48 Pulitzer Prize winners and 110 Olympic medallists.
The visit to TIBHS marks the beginning of a strategic relationship between Harvard University and Star Academies, the multi-academy trust which runs TIBHS and 30 other schools around the country.
During the visit, students from TIBHS, along with those from The Valley Leadership Academy in Bacup, also part of Star Academies, learnt about the exciting possibilities of studying at an Ivy League university and how the experience and application process for American universities differs from the UK. The scholarship opportunities available to UK students were also explained, as well as how the ‘cultural capital’ gained from studying overseas increases employability chances and opens doors to the world’s leading businesses and organisations.
Not only will the relationship allow pupils across all Star secondary schools to realise the opportunities of studying abroad, it will give them access to tailored tutoring and guidance in addition to their studies, to give them the best chance of being successful in the competitive application process for Ivy League and other elite global universities.
A selection of students from TIBHS will also be crossing the Atlantic in November to visit Harvard University.
The partnership is part of Star’s new Elite University Preparation Programme, which seeks to raise pupils’ aspirations and give them the best support possible to access not only Oxbridge and Russell Group universities, but Ivy League and other prestigious international institutions. The programme will ensure that talented students who study in Star sixth forms, such as TB6, are provided with a comprehensive package of support to enable them to achieve their ambitions.
Majid Ditta, Principal at TIBHS, said:
“It was an honour to welcome such an elite university to our new TB6 sixth form and we’re very proud to be part of what is a historic visit for this area.
“We want to make sure our young people’s futures are not limited because of where they live, and to open up as many opportunities to them as possible. The advantages of an international education are numerous so we thank Harvard University for taking the time to explain the possibilities to our students.
“Giving our students aspirational goals to aim towards is a fundamental part of our mission and we hope this continued relationship with Harvard will be another step in helping our young people realise their potential while studying at TB6.”
Speaking about what he learned from the presentation, student Muhammed Karbhari said:
“Before the talk I hadn’t even thought of the possibility of studying in the US, but hearing about all the advantages makes it seem like a really exciting opportunity.
“Whatever I decide to do in the future I know we’ll have the support from all of the teachers and other students here to realise my ambitions.”
Along with opportunities for pupils, Star has plans for staff across its family of schools to receive specialist teacher training from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with the first group of staff expected to visit the US later this year.
Mouhssin Ismail, Regional Director and Executive Principal at Star Academies, commented:
“Star has a strong national reputation and to be able to entice Harvard University to be the first university to present to TB6 students demonstrates the academic rigour and quality of our students.
“We want our students to dream big and there isn’t much bigger than Harvard University. We are committed to supporting our able students to achieve exceptional A level results and university progression and we are already inundated with enquiries about sixth form admissions in September 2023.
“There is a real appetite amongst our students and their families for the type of education we aim to provide, and I look forward to working with colleagues and students to help deliver this first class provision.”
Added By: Star Academies | Date Added: 10th Oct 2022 | Posted In: Latest News