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.

congrats. hire your talent based on a 7 in gcse chemistry.

I get it @DynastywasthebestTV - you love the school and are a supportive parent. But are you not just worried a little bit? I would be totally freaking out if I had spent 21k a year on prep fees and now this. It is just very out there. How is it going to affect external 11 plus applications this year especially now the journos have jumped on it. Especially now there is possible VAT coming in etc too.

As a state school parent who once upon a time did consider private for 11-16 as that appears to be the most valuable time to me, it really really would put me off. I wouldn’t apply to this school anymore.

And sorry if I got the wrong end of the stick but a new head and a new policy, that is how it looks. So all marketing needs to clarify that. What are the co-ed competitors in London doing? I haven’t heard that Eg Highgate is doing the same.

It doesn't affect my child so I don't have to think about it to be honest but having gone through GCSES with another child I think it's a good idea.
I have also seen the information in a lot more detail which is available to prospective parents that answer a lot of questions.
I guess if admission numbers took a dive they will rethink it all! They would have to!
A friend was at the open day this weekend and said that pretty much all the prospective parents she spoke to weren't phased by it at all but who knows when it comes to actually accepting offers!
There are a LOT of international parents there from a huge variety of countries- I think they are less phased than some of us who may have grown up doing O levels, GCSEs etc.

Last thing I promise! I suspect that the question will come up when people visit other schools. My other DC is at a vaguely similar school- I will ask the headteacher their thoughts when I see them. They are usually very honest!

“There are a LOT of international parents there from a huge variety of countries- I think they are less phased than some of us who may have grown up doing O levels, GCSEs etc.”

That is true but I think some of that lot can also be a little naive when it comes to London private schools. As in, they don’t realise being expelled, asked to leave etc happens more often than one would expect. And if you aren’t doing anything similar to most other schools curriculum wise, that could end up a complete nightmare for a child.

But they're still going to be taught the subjects- they will still be taking A levels. Not much difference to moving to a school with different exam boards etc. it's so rare anyway- I can't think of any children leaving or joining my DCs school in y10 or y11.

A few things - Giles Coren has one child in one of the highest-achieving, most sought-after comps in the country - it is used very cynically by its middle-class clientele to game Oxbridge. . Before this they were at a private prep school. GC never misses an opportunity to boast his dc is at the "local comp" because to him it is such a wildly exotic move to have made.

His other child is at a private prep school and being tutored for the very best private secondary schools out there because there is no stellar boys' equivalent comp or grammar in his area

His article is completely disingenuous and designed to score cred points

As Dynasty says, this is not the idea of the new head, it was implemented by the previous head who really thinks very deeply about education for years. The parents in the prep whose children would be the first to go through this system were warned from the start, it wasn't suddenly foisted on year 6 but on the people whose children were applying to join year 3. Everyone has been warned before signing up that this is the deal.

God, GC is a xxxx of the highest order. I had no idea his DD was at CSG. The local comp my arse. I thought his kids went to King Alfred’s cos they weren’t close enough to EP. The only other acceptable state school.

They started at KA, decided it was not academic enough

Ah, I’m out of date! I try to avoid the family.

Surely this is like universities where they grade their own work. And the generic "league tables" are based on pupil destinations. So if other schools follow suit then it will take a few years for league tables to settle but it will be based on a similar concept. It will just be a bumpy few years until private schools setting their own exams become the norm.

This letter in the Times yesterday demonstrates one of the problems with opting out. Will Latymer be guaranteeing that all their pupils can continue in their own sixth form?

Thanks @ErrolTheDragon - you explained that better than I did. No private school is going to guarantee that all kids can stay for Sixth Form or that they won’t get expelled for behaviour issues. In addition, affordability issues can suddenly affect even very rich people, including oligarchs so personally, I wouldn’t be signing up for this. International parents are actually quite exposed here. We also never know what geopolitical situations are round the corner. I bet a lot of the “international” parents don’t understand the elitism/British establishment all that well.

As for Giles Coren - if he can afford private school fees and is taking the Camden Girls school place to brag, he is worse than any private school parent, in my opinion. How disingenuous! Why is this kind of stuff even published, especially given the racist/xenophobic overtones. I just don’t get it! Is it all because apparently the offspring of the British establishment is still at Oxbridge? Really? I thought they were meant to be addressing elitism too.

Why is this kind of stuff even published

Because it generates clicks. That is the only thing newspaper publishers are interested in.

Private Eye has some fun with the idea

That is funny!

A lot of the press articles miss the key point about private schools though - which is that most are a club for the teachers there, a sort of big community. Where they can have a better lifestyle/more support than in the state sector and much more freedom - in the state sector, many teachers are whipped by Ofsted/management/ever changing government policies so they quit in droves. There is a massive decline of male teachers as well in the state sector. It was never about the spoilt brat rich kids who attend, more about the private school teachers’ club. It isn’t a coincidence that private schools can still attract male teachers and state schools cannot. Is it really just the sport? I don’t think so.

The Tory wants to reform thr A level to introduction an IB style baccalaureate, the current GCSE surely had to reform to make it fit for purpose.

https://www.ft.com/content/d62fde2b-0803-4211-805e-4bd571714600

If Sunak is serious about actual education rather than making a mark himself on Education by some new concept, then he could just ensure the International Baccalaureate, tried and tested, over many years, is more widely available in all areas of England. Quite a few grammar schools already teach it. It is harder to do the IB than A level, it won’t suit all kids. However, in many ways it is more similar to A level than European style baccalaureates because it allows for early specialism in 3 higher level subjects. It combines the best of being prepared for uni with a bit more all round knowledge/skills and has some community service. The latter satisfying the Tory civic calls to duty as well.

@PreplexJ - As Sunak's plan (can't really be called that with the current total lack of detail) is for a 3-year baccalaureate programme, GCSEs would have to go. So far as getting rid of GCSEs, requiring everyone to study English language and maths in some form until 18 and broadening the curriculum goes, I'm all in favour of this. Of course, the final proposal will be unfit for purpose, unworkable or unfunded, or probably all three, but if the principle can be established before a competent government (if such a thing can ever exist in the UK again) works on the details, it could be a positive move.

What puzzles me is the references to a "British" baccalaureate. The Westminster government has no control over education and qualifications in Wales or Scotland, and limited control in Northern Ireland.

Well they can’t call it the English Baccalaureate because Gove already introduced that and it has already failed.

The "English Baccalaureate" isn't a qualification, though. It's a school performance measure. It would be easy to change the name, or simply get rid of it as it serves no purpose.

If Sunak is serious about actual education rather than making a mark himself😁😁😁

Agree with the rest

I didn’t see anyone mentioning this, but there was a letter in the Times about this from a Bedales parent, which implies their child had been asked to leave after year 11 having not made enough progress for A levels, and subsequently it was difficult to find a new school that would accept the home-grown qualifications his child had gained there. Definitely something to think about.

I’d be extremely hesitant about sending my DC here unless he was either very bright or alternatively unlikely ever to need A-levels.

Yes, but he won't do that, because the IB is outside of Westminster's political control. Which is in fact of course one of its biggest advantages.

I believe some state school in Kent, are following the IB middle years programme for years 7 to 9, and then reverting to GCSE's, for years 10 and 11.
I'd be really interested to hear how that is going, and how the transition from year 9 to year 10 feels.
My eldest is in MYP4 (yr10) and I've been impressed with the breadth of the curriculum.