British School of Sofia

Today, over 7,500 Da Vinci robotic surgery systems are used across the world. In just 25 years, this technology has revolutionised patient care, enhancing precision and speeding recovery.

Our job as educators is to inspire future generations of professionals.

To give them a better understanding of innovation, we took our IGCSE and IB students to ISLE Academy by SOFMEDICA Life-saving Innovation. The professional forum is dedicated to innovation in contemporary surgery, and this year, its biggest highlight was the presentation of the newest Da Vinci 5 robotic system.

With over 150 design innovations and 10,000 times the computing power of prior generations, the Da Vinci 5 takes non-invasive surgery to the next level.

The most exciting part of the experience was a chance to perform an actual “surgery,” getting a feel for the advanced tools and their immense capabilities.

Seeing the future unfold before your eyes is equal parts mesmerising and enlightening. Even those who aren’t interested in a medical career appreciated the rapid evolution of the technology, the precision, and automation capabilities that it brings to the table.

It has been an incredible year for our taekwondo superstars.

We’re close to completing academic year 2025/2026 and we’re on a high note when it comes to sports achievements.

Since September 2025, our athletes have participated in various competitions, testing their skills, strength, and discipline. The end result is quite impressive: 7 gold, 5 silver, and 7 bronze medals.

Under the skilful guidance of coach Stoyan Panayotov (Taekwondo Club Samson), our athletes also successfully completed their new belt examination. Find out more in the detailed overview here: https://tinyurl.com/bdhmc9uv

June 1 + ice cream = the most rewarding experience for everyone.

Our World Children’s Day celebration brought smiles, created happy memories, and made us all go back to those carefree childhood days.

Throughout the day, students enjoyed activities, competitions, and delicious treats. The sunny weather added even more to the positivity, warmth, and enjoyment.

Now that we’re on the final stretch and almost ready to complete academic year 2025/2026, a short break and some positive emotions are all we needed to get our batteries recharged and push towards graduation.

Every day is a celebration when we’re spending time together, learning, laughing, and accomplishing new milestones.

Our June 1 experience started with the traditional British School of Sofia houses competition.

Upon enrolment, each BSS student is randomly assigned to one of four houses – Centaur, Dragon, Kraken, and Phoenix. This way, students from different grades get a chance to work together, overcome challenges, and emerge victorious.

The traditional houses competition had four categories: science, English, art, and sports. Houses competed in all those events, scoring points and working hard to be the best.

House Kraken’s 325 points secured them first place in the multi-disciplinary quest. House Dragon got a close second with 300 points.

Even more important than winning, however, is the opportunity to work together and make new friendships. That’s the essence of the houses system. We witness the power this system has each time we see how competitive and enthusiastic students get.

The first edition of the houses competition for this academic year occurred on Halloween. The combined scores from both events made house Kraken the overall top performers – an accomplishment that we’d like to celebrate in BSS style.

Maintaining the motivation to learn through various developmental stages isn’t easy. Children change, they experience different challenges, and they are constantly searching for the tools to cope, handle big emotions, and assert their individuality.

Parents may find these transitions difficult to navigate, which creates communication issues and misunderstandings.

To give them tools and opportunities to handle situations in a positive way, we schedule monthly parent academies. Our master trainer Emilia Ilieva specialises in empathy and non-violent communication, giving parents a better understanding of their children’s emotions.

This edition of the academy discussed the motivation to learn and trust the value of education. We mainly talked about the challenges that teenagers face with motivation, while also touching upon issues experienced by other age groups.

Nearly 85 per cent of the students who are about to graduate remain unsure about what they want to study when applying to universities and colleges. Even among those who have an idea, 30 per cent will end up changing their major at least once during their studies.

It’s only natural to have questions and doubts when you’re young and the future still seems so far ahead. With so many options and so many possibilities to consider, narrowing it down to a choice or a few seems impossible when you’re 18.

At the British School of Sofia, we make career counselling an integral part of the educational process.

Induction Week is just one of the opportunities for our counsellors to help students get a better idea about their strengths, the majors they want to pursue, and the career goals that make the most sense for their future.

While getting all the answers when you’re just beginning the journey is nearly impossible, pinpointing the right direction and focusing efforts makes a lot of sense. Induction Week helps students gain more clarity about their final years in school and the opportunities that will become available upon graduation.

How many school students have to write a well-researched 4,000-word essay that makes a claim, develops, and supports it with relevant evidence?

We know for a fact that all IB students go through the process of writing such a document in order to complete the requirements of the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP).

The extended essay is an independent research project that is a mandatory requirement for all IBDP students. Students choose a topic they’re genuinely interested in, they do the research, evaluate sources critically, construct complex arguments, and communicate a final idea clearly.

Interestingly enough, the extended essay topic can be focused within a single academic subject, or it can be interdisciplinary.

As a part of induction week at the British School of Sofia (BSS), our IB2 students acquainted their younger peers with the specifics of the extended essay and the approaches to ace the project.

The induction week is a dedicated orientation period conceptualised to make the transition to the IB programme easier. Teachers, academic advisors, and students present and organise workshops aimed at explaining academic expectations.

Did you know that more than 1.95 million students across the world are enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) education programmes? There’s a reason for the popularity of these frameworks.

Students who receive an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma are 18 per cent more likely than their peers to enter top international universities. That’s why the number of IB programmes offered worldwide grew by 34.2 per cent in just four years.

The British School of Sofia (BSS) fully embraces the philosophy and concept behind IB programmes. IBDP and CP teach students valuable skills for university and beyond. The programmes are holistic; they transcend academic subjects and develop an array of skills like self-management, research, and effective communication.

To acquaint students with the specifics of the IB programmes, BSS organises an Induction Week each year. The aim is to give a thorough overview of the subjects and the components that make IB programmes unique.

The week-long introduction started with a thorough presentation that focused on the foundation of the IB programme and the reasons why it delivers such good results.