Are more of you planning to move your DC from private to state for 6th form now?

Based on their statement on another thread it looks like they have no idea about education anyway so any comments can be safety ignored

This is utter nonsense in my subject (maths).

To be fair 99% of MN posts get derailed, that's what happens when you have an open forum. You can't police what other posters say

Then ignore them, or post your opinion once and move on. Their statements weren't relevant to OP's question but arguing about them for multiple pages just makes it worse.

A lot of people here have really fallen for the marketing from indies in a really massive way.

If the iGCSE was equivalents to a standard GCSE then they wouldn't be banned in state schools ,would they.

They are set by the same exam board, and based on the same curriculum - why would the government find one acceptable to be taught in state, and the other not. Because they are a lower standard.

It isn't even a dispute! It is general knowledge.

I do still teach a little bit of iGCSE in private tutoring. ( for indie school students) - much easier to teach than standard GCSE. Because I don't need any resources - that is how it is designed

Because some posters started making ridiculous sweeping statements that were blatantly not true

If people want to have a debate about the merits of private schooling in general, why don't you go start a thread on it? OP asked for advice on how to handle the prospect of her DS not being able to stay on at his current school past GCSEs when most of his year-mates likely will.

Sorry your thread has been so badly derailed, OP.

If they were equivalent to a standard GCSE, then state school wouldn't be banned from using them, would they.

We used to teach both side by side, and give pupils the choice - and the iGCSE was cheaper to teach and easier to pass. But that is why they were banned.

Of course they are easier. That is why they are banned in state schools. Because they don't reach the standard required to be counted as a GCSE...and yes, no course work is part of their design, to be run cheaply and simply.

employers / universities /colleges just count them as GCSEs what's the problem? And as someone who works in state and private schools, and has looked at the course content of both, I would disagree with your assessment anyway.

I think you are a little off. Some of the most selective schools in the UK use IGCSEs. They do it because the grade is based on a final exam rather than coursework. This frees up time to go through the curriculum at pace, and then do a lot of extra extension work.

GCSEs are recently based less on coursework than they used to be, so maybe this will change.

But the choice of IGCSEs was never because they were easier. That’s just nonsense. Schools that were achieving A*s as the modal A level grade and sending large cohorts to Oxbridge did not need an easy short cut for GCSEs.

Please can you give me the exact figures to prove your assertion because I've just checked DDs school results from last year and 8% did IGCSE, the rest did GCSE.
You seem to be hung up on iGCSE as being the only evidence that teaching in private schools is inferior to state. Sorry, I just don't accept that.
If you are going to make such sweeping, damning statements then please have the evidence to support your opinion

aside from the fact half of the students in an independent school exam hall are taking an easier exam than their peers in a state school exam hall???

Do you understand what you are asking? cos I dont

IGCSEs aside please again can you answer my Q on how teaching in private schools is lower standard than state schools.
Or is that just your own prejudice?

I'm really surprised how many people don't understand these are a cheaper easier version, designed to be accessible to students in countries with no educational resources.

But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, given who is selling them to parents, and why

Eh? Nothing wrong with IGCSEs they are internationally recognised that's all.

@combinationpadlock I don't know where you get your ideas from, about standards but our non-selective independent got 100% of pupils through gcse Eng Lang. and maths last year, and are expecting to do the same this year. No-one is allowed to fail those essentials and teachers put individual support in place to make sure pupils get every help.

And our music and drama rooms are terrapins (remember them!)

So maybe rethink your rather odd assumptions because you are wrong at least some of the time..

OK thanks for the clarification

However as most Indy schools offer them as an alternative (or don't offer them) then how does this support the claim of teaching being at a lower standard? If kids are sitting the same GCSEs as their state counterparts then how do you evidence your assertion about the standard of teaching?

They are designed for situations in which students do not have access to the resources you would expect in a UK school. Eg, internet. DT equipment. Chemicals in a science lab. etc.

That is the difference - cheaper and easier to run, you don't need to do practicals, make DT projects, watch videos, etc. You can do, but you don't have to.

And easier to pass

This thread is getting silly. I don’t know any indies that teach IGCSEs. I live in a part of London where, within a 2 mile radius, there are several highly competitive private schools and several state schools. With exception of one very selective grammar, the privates outperform the state schools significantly at GCSE. They are miles apart unfortunately in terms of results.

one of those private schools also headed up the first LGBT school society in the UK - point about private schools being difficult if you are gay or not sporty is ridiculous!

iGCSEs and GCSEs are understood and accepted to exactly the same degree, worldwide. They are from the same exam boards. they are based on the same curriculum. The difference is one is cheaper to run and easier to pass, the iGCSE

yes universities DO recognise iGCSEs. But not as the equivalent of proper GCSEs. Because they are not. Hance UK state schools are banned from teaching them - they are to a lower standard.

And yes, oddly enough alot of private schools focus on them because- surprise surprise they have a large number of international students who wish to get qualifications that are respected, understood and valid that they can carry anywhere in the world. And military families, ditto.

@redskydarknight re the uni offers (couldn't quote your post) - state secondary parent here and wow I had no idea they worked like that. So do they ask for higher grades from private school students compared to state / college students?

So can you clarify the following:
IGCSE stands for International General Certificate of Secondary Education. It offers the same level of education as a traditional GCSE, but without a UK-centric curriculum or context. The IGSCE was intended to increase the relevance of the GCSE qualification for an international audience.

I believe they are accepted by universities as a GCSE equivalence? So please can you explain how I don't understand about them?