Private school to ditch GCSEs, write own exams

No, well they won't get in will they without a science gcse ?

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

Many private schools already enter their pupils for IGCSE English language rather than GCSE, so they don't have to achieve the same standard as pupils in state schools.

So they will have 4 years ++ study timeframe of A levels instead of cramming into 2 years. The selective schools are doing GCSEs level English books at Year 7 and 8. Some top maths sets are already GCSEs level at 11 years old and those not will get 9s at later years so their lower sets are still high achievement. The attainment gap will be huge from the top selective schools to those without the resources or parental support.

Hahaha.

I’m a primary teacher - with an Oxbridge PhD and educated before that at a very selective private boarding school.

One of my school’s teaching assistants has an Oxbridge degree.

It’s extremely odd to assume that the very able and very well-educated don’t value education….

Pushy parents would love to see this, they can forgot the GCSE and focus on the next level parent competitions - think US model.

Is your programme a science related course though?

But even if the student gets 3x A* at a level or top IB grades there will be courses closed off to them without a science gcse (or recognised equivalent)

The course I teach on requires ABB, I regularly turn down applicants with no science gcse but they have the required UCAS points and seem surprised that the ucas points aren’t enough. Obviously if they have done a science A level we will forget the gcse requirement but a lot don’t do science a level.

A lot of the kids are tutored to get in and I presume, tutored to maintain the excellent results. I wonder how tutors will cope with this new so called advanced curriculum which pushes these kids even further.

I think the point is in those highly selective private most of the kids will progress to a higher level of qualification such as IB or A levels. Whether the schools own diploma counts does not matter, as long as the school provides with the education that can make these students better transition to or with more time to prepare for the higher level qualification then they will have legs up compared to other don't .

I'm very surprised to hear that nowadays any renowned UK universities does not accept IB qualification for applications - must be some very niche area or a very inward looking programme.

I can promise you that for the course I’m a lecturer on we do require gcse or recognised equivalent in maths, science or English.

We have never had a student with a high school diploma apply, if we did I would take advice from Admissions if it was acceptable. I believe it’s a recognised qualification as it’s wide spread in America???

But something which one individual school has written? Doubtful. Because we’d have no knowledge of the level covered and I don’t have time to be looking at subject syllabus for one student’s qualification. I get 400-500 applications for 30 places. Someone without a qualification I’ve heard of is going to be at a disadvantage like it or not.

@MarchingFrogs - I know 2 midwives and 3 primary school teachers who went to spgs- the horror😀

Is anywhere a safe haven for the parent not wanting their DC to mingle with those who might turn out to want to become primary school teachers, though? I mean, decades ago, but I used to work with an A&E sister who was educated at SPGS.
(She was great with patients and staff alike, btw).

IB's are A level equivalents ( some say more depth than A level but that's another debate) which presumably the kids at LU will have. She did get a high school diploma at 16 which is a ''paper'' a school writes themselves. It was recorded in her UCAS application. You said they need GCSE's. She didn't. They didn't.

And an IB is a recognised qualification so would be accepted. Unlike a “paper” a school writes themselves and nobody else uses. You must see the difference? I said a school certificate wouldn’t count, I did not say other formal alternatives wouldn’t count.

GCSEs are academically stifling and formal exams at both 16 and 18 are too much and out of step with RoW. I would have thought teachers would love to have more freedoms to develop and inspire their students. Perhaps some sort of hybrid IB would work -3 a levels and 3 lower level diplomas (maybe aimed at a level 7 gcse) and they need to cover 1 of maths, English and science. So someone could do history, geography and economics a level and then do maths, english, mixed science. Or maths, biology and chemistry a level with english, a language and an art.

The articles in the press are very superficial. In the information sent to parents they go into a lot of detail and specifically mention GCSE Science, requirements for Teacher Training, UCAS recognition etc.

I think quite a few of the better known private schools have been making noises about this for years. There are already a number that have their own courses for various subjects (DD's school has lots, mainly in creative subjects), which are not just 'marking their own homework' but externally moderated and accepted by good universities. I do agree it is short-sighted not to sit science, though.

Well, my child is at LSE. Did not sit any GCSE'S( along side her cohort of 140 others) Was at an american school in Cobham. Sat IB's. did very well. Is not an international student so pays home fees. So lack of GCSE Math or science has not hampered them in anyway..

Whether GCSEs are a good thing or should move to exams at 18 is an interesting topic. I heard this on the Today programme this morning and it was dreadful. The guy suggesting change had lots of ideas.

It was Katharine Birbalsingh and she just went on about how it was all about this private school failing as did not get all 9s and pupils in the top sets at her school would. She didn’t engage with the general ideas. Even saying what OP has said about needing grades to move to apprenticeship.

Give them chance! I can assure you it will happen before anyone leaves school without a science GCSE.

That’s a very strange assumption. And it’s simply wrong. I alone know several ex LU who are primary school teachers!