AQA Bacc (aka English Baccalaureate)

[NormalMum]

My DS1's school is staring this in September, and the more academic students are being encouraged to take it.
Does anyone out there have any knowledge of this - I know some schools were a pilot for it last year? Any advice welcomed!

[QueenofSpleen]

DD's school has been doing this for the last few years.
Of the three other schools in a 5 mile radius of her school, one has since started doing the BACC and one other is due to start the BACC next year... it is very popular.
This is her school website, they are very proud of doing the BACC, and it has proved very popular, with students coming from all over Europe to 'our' school to do it.
The funniest thing ever, was when the Headmaster told us (at the open evening) about how the BACC would enable our children to go to UNI anywhere in the world from the Sorbonne to Harvard, which I thought sounded great, but maybe he was a little pretentious!

[snorkle]

The IB isn't the same thing as AQA BACC though QoS.

[NormalMum]

Hi

The AQA Bacc is different to the IB as students select 3 A levels and take AS levels in Critcal Thinking and an Extended Project. I'm not sure how useful this is although the school is really pushing it.

QuennofSpleen - thanks for the link. I gather your DDs school is doing the IB?

[snorkle]

I don't know anyone who has done/is doing it NormalMum. My gut feeling is that critical thinking is OK if you want to do it, but less good if you'd prefer to do something else, so it will primarily be the extended project that will set AQA BACC apart from a normal set of A levels. I guess, whether or not it is useful then depends entirely on whether you do something worthwhile/relevent for the EP or not.

[Karam]

We teach it at my college, and students like it as it helps them to be more rounded without having to do the IB.

They have to do their core 'A' levels (Any three they choose from any exam board)

Then they must do a further 'AS Level' (For this they can choose from General Studies, Critical Thinking or Citizenship.

Then they must do an extended project. This can be on anything they like - I know current students doing this ranging from exploring gay rights, alternatives to the British education system to more arty projects. I think it tends to be about a 5,000 word essay or mini dissertation. However, it does not have to be an essay - they can do it in another format such as a short film etc.

Then they must do 100 hours. This must be made up from 2 of the three categories which are personal development, community service and something else I can't remember at the moment. It sounds a lot, but this does include paid work, any 'extra' courses they do or if they help out with the Brownies or anything like that.

The benefits of this is that will the exception of the 100 hours, everything else is also credited individually so, if it gets a bit much for them, they can drop the AQA BAC and still get points for the 'A' levels, and even the extended project carries UCAS points (equiv points to an AS, depending on the grade they are awarded). I have done this from memory so please don't quote me, but I think it is correct. HTH

[QueenofSpleen]

oops, I feel silly. I hadn't realised that there was a difference.