One Cambridge or many ‘Cambridges’?
As I am sure you are all aware, Avenor College became a Cambridge International School last month, having gone through a successful approval process which culminated in our being Registered with Cambridge International Examinations. As we have been running Cambridge English examinations for several years at Avenor College, some might ask, what is new here?
To explain; there is more than one ‘Cambridge’, but they are all part of Cambridge University.
Cambridge University is ranked amongst the top universities in the world, and is one of the world’s oldest universities. There is evidence that learning was taking place there in the Middle Ages because by 1226 the scholars were numerous enough to have set up an organisation, represented a Chancellor, arranging regular courses of study. The number of scholars grew, and King Henry III took them under his protection in 1231. Students flocked to Cambridge, and the University thrived as an independent body. The university we see today in Cambridge has a rich history, and as it grew, so did the family tree. The University has 31 colleges and numerous famous alumni, including many British Prime Ministers and International Heads of State, great writers, scientists, actors and musicians, architects and artists. Sir Isaac Newton was educated at, and became a fellow of, Trinity College Cambridge.
In addition, the University has a Publishing House and an Examinations and Assessment Section.
Henry VIII is probably most famous for his six wives, but he also granted the patent rights to Cambridge University Press (CUP) in 1534, thus creating the world’s oldest publishing house. Many of the books we will use in our High School will be published by CUP. My daughter is a student in Cambridge, and I visited the CUP bookshop when I was there earlier this year. I am the sort of person who enjoys spending holiday time browsing bookshops!
Cambridge Assessment is a younger cousin to CUP, having been established just over 150 years ago. This part of the family can be described as having three ‘sisters’. OCR was founded in 1998, but started life as The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) in 1858. This is one of the major examination bodies in England. Then, we have the two younger sisters, Cambridge English Language Assessment, and Cambridge International Examinations.
Avenor College is part of a global network of 56,000 preparation centres for English Language Assessment. Cambridge English Examinations are accepted as proof of English language competence the world over, and are recognized by Anglophone countries for immigration purposes. We are also now one of over 10,000 schools in the world who are a part of Cambridge International Examinations. These examinations are respected by leading universities worldwide because they are academically rigorous, and set the global standard for international education.
We are really proud to be a part of all of this and our High School students will have the security of knowing that the examinations they will work towards are world class. I hope that this brief explanation of the different ‘Cambridges’ is useful. If you would like to find out more about Cambridge University, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge English Language Assessment or Cambridge International Examinations, here are the links:
Cambridge University: http://www.cam.ac.uk/
Cambridge University Press: http://www.cambridge.org/
Cambridge Assessment: http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/
Cambridge English Language Assessment: http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/
Cambridge International Examinations: http://www.cie.org.uk
