No GCSEs at Latymer Upper

[DonkeyKon]

What do people think about this?

theoretically I agree with the premise.

practically , I worry that with everyone else having gcse results, it will disadvantage LU students when applying for universities.

To be honest Latymer Upper was on our radar for 11+ but their GCSE reform has made me completely rule it out although I am sure it will still appeal to some families.

Wouldn't like that at all. If you did all STEM A levels it's good to know the child can write an essay evidenced by the GCSE English or History grade and if Humanities A levels that they can add up!

No, actually I didn't.
I think people imagine that GCSEs are somehow something other than learning by rote which does nothing other than display a good memory and knowledge of what each exam board wants. This is not ringfenced information that only private schools have. One of the best schools in the country has decided to deviate from that rote learning to try to get more interesting and varied applied teaching to it's pupils and I can't see why Oxbridge would take issue. It seems sensible given the changing situation the workforce faces with AI.

When O grades and Highers were first introduced in Scotland it was designed so schools could choose who did the direct Higher and who did O grade then Higher. Most schools very quickly moved to everyone doing the O grade first and only the brightest kids were allowed to 'crash' a Higher in 6th year.

I went to a state school and did O grades in 4th year, Highers in 5th year then did a mix of CSYS (slightly higher standard than A levels) and crashed Highers in 6th year. DH went to a posh private school and at the end of third year you were either put in the O grade class (to be sat in 4th year) or the direct Higher class (to be sat in 5th year, so doing the one year course over 2 years). He said if you crashed a Higher you were put in a special one year course and it was seen as really hard.

I wonder if Latimer has looked at the learning from the Scottish system. And why have they chosen to scrap GCSEs rather than doing the IB which would be a recognised broader system.

As I posted above, LUS pupils will continue to sit English and Maths GCSEs for oragmatic reasons

Oops, sorry didn't read that ! Apologies

I really think people are overestimating the impact on university admissions. There are other schools that don't do GCSEs for various reasons and they manage to get admitted, and it sounds like LAtymer has thought of this. Some of the counterexamples involve schools where GCSE or equivalent were available and the standard not met, not schools where children didn't take them.

It also sounds like they find GCSEs too rigid and limiting, and omitting the need to conform to the spec and use time for revision will enable them to deliver a deeper curriculum, which I think is a good aim. it won't solve the problem of overspecialisation at A-Level, but that's something England isn't yet ready to tackle.

@Wipeywipey Why do you think boarding parents don’t care about their dc? What a load of judgemental twaddle.

I didn't say all boarding school parents don't care, I was pointing to the assumption by another poster that people living in poor areas don't care enough to pay for tutoring for kids whereas kids who board are assumed to have been given familial support which goes against them with Oxbridge assumptions.

Which PP said people in poor areas don’t care enough to pay for tutoring, or that those at private school enjoy familial support?

@Wipeywipey Has it not occurred to anyone that living in a poor area with a poor school probably means you are pretty poor too. Few would have excess money for tutoring. Of course some very bright parents live in these areas by choice to show their socialist credentials and they tutor dc. Generally though tutoring exists because people csn afford it. Most parents don’t afford it! Plus attending boarding school csn give some advantage but doesn’t confer intelligence.

£31 includes 20% VAT

LU announced they’re abandoning their plans to minimise GCSEs. Those avoiding the school because of this may be irritated; those choosing it because of this may be irritated. I suspect most won’t care. This was obviously going to be the outcome months ago because the universities wouldn’t play ball but they announced the plan to change regardless hoping they could change the mind of the higher education sector. Loads of staff worked really hard on this.

Letter from LUS

Letter is too blurred to read

Thanks for the update, I’m not surprised that the uni’s wouldn’t play ball as the uni admission process becomes more automated. It also shows how parents have to take the marketing pumped out at open days to get you to apply to a school with even more scepticism than before.

@Solasum I can read it on an iPad, it says despite what the uni’s did say they now can’t guarantee Latymer applications would not be disadvantaged in the automated application process. Ie it’s too much of a risk.

Good. It was a ridiculous suggestion in the first place. And they’ve realised that - it’s fuck all to do with unis ‘changing’ and automating systems, more to do with the fact that there are 350 unis in the UK - all autonomous. I wonder if they even bothered to attempt QCA approval - maybe they did and their qualification was found lacking?

Yep, as I said upthread some of the schools that run their own courses in a few subjects have had difficulties in getting universities to accept these as equivalent to GCSEs. Latymer either dropping the plan or disadvantaging their own students were the only two possible outcomes.

It was a very stupid plan

I think the school has been really brave here. They wanted to affect change and they worked very hard towards that. The brave part is then looking at it and seeing that it might create a disadvantage to their students so they should revert. AI is being increasingly used to filter applications and there is (sadly) no getting away from that.

We looked at this school but decided against applying for this very reason. All it takes is one big scandal and the school reputation will be out the window rendering the "Latymer qualification" worthless.

They are still over subscribed so many parents are obviously ok with this approach!

I like this; wish the government implement it too. I don’t agree with 20 plus exams for GCSE. Kids should study all subjects but only English and Maths tested in year 11.

GCSE are outdated and is time for a change. It is a memory and regurgitation exercise.

Nobody is implementing it since Latymer has discovered it will massively disadvantage their pupils.

I think it's sensible that they stepped away. But I also think they were naive and did not do the due diligence they should have done before announcing it.