Private school to ditch GCSEs, write own exams

[noblegiraffe]

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.

What is the curriculum like for the IB MYP? I'd be interested to know how much leeway children get in what they can study. Or does everyone have to do everything?

https://whichschooladvisor.com/uk/school-review/dartford-grammar-school

Interested to see this as my DC went to this school. It's very competitive entry at 11 plus - 1500 sit entrance exams, 450 interviewed, 120 places. GCSE results are consistently about 94% 9-7. Very few leave before A-level because the alternatives in the area would be single sex mostly (eg. St Paul's Boys, St Paul's Girls, Godolphin and Latymer). These schools achieve very similar results, if not marginally better.

LU won a TES award for improving social mobility. It has the most developed bursary scheme of that type of school - 25% receive bursaries there. It has won Independent School if the Year recently, as have other schools in the area.

The school tends to be quite innovative with its curriculum. For instance, it always taught its own (assessed) course "World Perspectives" alongside GCSE. While other similar schools locally are still pushing students to do 4 A-levels, at LU they do 3 (plus EPQ), alongside the 'Latymer Diploma' which involves taking 4 courses from a 'carousel' of about 40 options; plus a number of hours volunteering; plus evidence of involvement in extra-curricular and leadership or entrepreneurial activities.

I heard about this plan to abolish GCSEs about a year ago. There was a consultation between various independent schools and quite a few were / are considering this move. If I remember rightly, other schools keen on this are the Francis Holland Schools (Sloane Sq and Regents Park), St Paul's Girls and possibly Godolphin and Latymer (plus others outside London). They seem to have decided that dropping GCSEs will be inevitable in all schools anyway (now that education until 18 is mandatory) as there will be a move towards a similar system as in most Euro countries where there is less emphasis on testing at 16, just progression into the next stage. It was something like that anyway - plus they don't want to hold students back by sticking to a GCSE curriculum (which is quite limited) if they are ready to move beyond that.

it's not planned for a few years yet and no doubt other schools will be announcing similar in the near future.

@jayajana - that all makes sense but why don’t they just do IGCSE plus IB like Wellington College or Sevenoaks School and just teach way beyond the syllabus in things like languages and science and maths at GCSE level for the higher sets. The IB is challenging enough and at least it is recognised worldwide.

These moves do not seem to be in the best interests of the students. British unis are still one of the best worldwide and they still look at GCSEs as well. So this move makes no sense. It sounds more like an identity crisis amongst private schools to me - a club worried about government policy interference and pressure on universities to positively discriminate against them too somehow. So they want to do some sort of strange preemptive move.

I get the American School of London for example following the US curriculum or a French lycee school following the French curriculum. However, what your post suggests is that the top private schools are like a club that intends to get together to invent some sort of branded concept of the best of private British education that only they will offer. The British Elite Private BAC.

To be honest, I've no idea why they would be scrapping GCSEs. I just know there was some kind of consultation and quite are few schools were / are considering this.

Apologies to bring back this old post as I was searching for mumsnet views with regard to LUS gcse dropping plan. We could be in the position of deciding very soon(fingers crossed for the interview) and have not felt like we have enough info about the school alternative to gcse plan and how parents are feeling about it. My elder child sat gcse and had all 9s, she didnt like the exam format but studied hard for it and learnt alot through the process and it will be surely setting her well for her University application. An alternative route sounds adventurous to me and indeed a bit worrying. Any LUS parents here?

Not a LUS parent, but I would be very cautious in current environment of signing up to anything which deviates from the norm in the state sector. The direction of travel of the current curriculum review is to set a national curriculum which all state schools will have to follow - including free schools and academies which have until now had much more freedom to go their own way. Although at present there doesn't seem to be any suggestion that private schools will have to follow this. I expect LUS will adapt to the environment; perhaps they will delay their plans until things are clearer....

Thanks so much, I dont think there is a plan to delay though. Our elder child went to LUS and had the best time. However now with the new head and alternative route to gcse, we are not so sure anymore.

I'd just wait and see if you get an offer and then go to the offer holder events where I'm sure they'll talk about it/ answer questions etc.