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Original poster

Private school to ditch GCSEs, write own exams

234 replies

noblegiraffe · 13/09/2023 19:40

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/education/gcses-private-schools-london-qualification-latymer-school-b1106686.html

Not entirely sure what to make of this. Latymer Upper (I'm not really up on private schools so don't know how fancy it is) is planning to ditch GCSEs and create its own assessments to 'free up teaching time'.

I guess if it's a super-selective type school they'd be expecting all the kids to go onto A-levels anyway so aren't worried about losing GCSEs, but what of kids who want to go elsewhere? How recognised would their portfolio be?

Also, we know from covid just how good some private schools are at marking their own homework so how would anyone know if standards were being maintained?

I'm surprised that a school has enough staffing capacity to set up its own exam system tbh.

More private schools could ditch GCSE after London school announces own qualification

Latymer Upper School will drop all GCSEs except maths and English

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/education/gcses-private-schools-london-qualification-latymer-school-b1106686.html

OP posts:
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PreplexJ · 13/09/2023 21:00

More time to prep A level will get better result for sure. LU want to do this for quite a while.

redrobin75 · 13/09/2023 20:59

It's a tricky sell to parents esp if the dc wants to go into medicine.

menopausalmare · 13/09/2023 20:58

I bet they'll get great results.

LolaSmiles · 13/09/2023 20:52

It sounds like it could be a good thing, if it's thought through properly.

I've long thought far too much time was wasted redoing coursework endlessly and now doing lots of mock exams. GCSE is a 2 year course and yet more often than not there's a push to rush through content to be 'finished' by Christmas of year 11 for the mock exams. Inevitably the 'revision' that follows is more re-teaching than revision.

It could be a train wreck though if not we'll considered.

AntoinetteCosway · 13/09/2023 20:52

Ampleforth did this with English Lit years ago, universities accepted it.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 13/09/2023 20:46

That's interesting that other schools have tried and ditched it, I wonder why? And I wonder why, knowing that, this school is still deciding to go for it!

It says in the article that they'll still do maths and English so they're not completely mad.

OP posts:
LittleOwl153 · 13/09/2023 20:38

I thought universities required maths and English GCSEs these days as well as Alevels for entry... how will that work?

Wouldn't be a risk I'd be taking with my kids after paying all that money for education!

redrobin75 · 13/09/2023 20:28

Teddies (St Edwards) in Oxford did something similar but dropped it when they had a change of head. Sevenoaks also had a school certificate of some kind but a new head has bought in igcses/ GCSEs for all subjects.
The problem is if UCAS won't acknowledge the school based certificate then it makes uni applications uncertain and parents nervous.

GreenMeanMachine · 13/09/2023 20:22

I don’t think they would be recognisable or portable, which means you would be keeping your child there for a level (and how could decide that at 11). Also what happens if you finances change and you want to move to any other school (including state) who usually have greater requirements that maths and English gcse? What happens (and I am sure the school does this) when your child says they can’t stay for A-Level?

I would also be worried about university and even job applications, a lot of which are very “standard” and won’t cope with lack of GCSEs.

I wonder if they have a lot of foreign students or students going to uni abroad so GCSEs are not so important.

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