St Edward's Chronicle Summer 2018

9 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

We’ve focused on the IB in its anniversary year – but what of A Levels? We are absolutely committed to choice. It is relatively unusual to find a school like ours with equal emphasis on A Level and IB. The choice is important to us because different pathways suit different pupils. Each pupil will be given advice based on their learning preferences and their university or career aspirations. Pupils have their own views too – and we listen to them. We will tell a pupil and his or her family if we think they’re making the wrong choice – but of course it is up to them. What do universities think? Both are equally valued. In a wider context, universities take so many people from so many different backgrounds. They’re dealing with the French Bacc, the European Bacc, American qualifications etc – they are very used to a wide range of indicators. There are nuances, though. The IB is good for US and Canadian universities; in the UK, there are universities who particularly like the IB. David Howells, Head of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Bath said at the recent Festival of Education: ‘The University of Bath now has 10% of undergraduates from IB and the offers have been changed to encourage IB applications. The University sees great qualities in what IB brings to students’. Equally, for some subjects, such as Maths, Physics and Engineering, A Level might be an advantage.

dabbled and then moved away from the IB. Perhaps because the School’s own values were shifting and finding an obvious platform in the IB, the growth since those early days has been phenomenal. In May, our biggest ever cohort of 76 pupils – 50% of the year group – took to the exam hall. Why has the IB done so well at Teddies? An interesting point about the way in which the growth has happened at Teddies is that our own pupils are choosing to study the IB. The IB is an international qualification so, inevitably, huge numbers of young people from all over the world who wish to study in the UK opt for the IB so they end up with a qualification they can take to pretty much any university in the world. This is not how the IB has grown here. We put a huge amount of thought, time and effort into helping our Fifth Form make the choice between A Level and IB. Through around 20 different events, meetings or discussions, pupils and their families look at the options on many different levels – through the coaching system, in Tutor and HM meetings, in Careers Education sessions, in individual House meetings, in Head of Year meetings and in briefings from both of us – pupils have every opportunity to understand what’s on offer and to work out where their individual pathway lies.

Shiri Heffetz OSE ‘The IB is diverse, challenging and encouraged me to read on a wide variety of topics. It led me to study in a great university, and to have resilience towards exams intense. It was a wonderful opportunity to explore in the full sense of the word.’ Shiri, who left St Edward’s in 2013, is currently studying for a Masters in Maths and Computer Science at Oxford University. Are you fully committed to both for the foreseeable future? Yes. The Teddies academic ethos is about enabling each individual pupil to navigate their own route. Pupils need to be aware of their own particular challenges and must seek strategies to address them. The coaching process is where this individual attention and guidance comes to the fore. Offering A Level and IB is fundamental to our belief that pupils have different strengths and different aspirations. What will the new Quad Development bring to the academic life of the School? The Development is hugely important – and not just in architectural terms. It gives us an opportunity to embed in physical form aspects of our learning culture. To shape the design, architects met with pupils to understand how they engage in learning. Some like privacy and quiet, some like autonomy, and some are fuelled by the camaraderie of collective working, either quietly, or through debate and discussion. All these learning approaches are catered for in the new Study Centre, Library and Reading Room. There is more than a passing nod to university-style working, and this is deliberate. We are preparing our pupils for the next stage of their education. since the examination schedule for the IB is

Miranda Stewart OSE ‘When I went to Exeter University I remember my head of department asking to shake my hand for having done the IB as he was so impressed. He said it was a better broader education and he always preferred IB students’ attitude to studying. The IB has opened more doors for

me, giving me more choices for my future. In my day to day life, the IB has given me a wider breadth of knowledge (for example, in English we studied six books, some of which were international). It is a great education because it feeds your knowledge in subjects that will help you beyond school like Science, Maths and Languages even if you are not naturally skilled at these.’ Miranda, who left St Edward’s in 2011, works for a branding company in London and continues to practise her art in her spare time.

Read about this year’s IB results on page 11.