The Chronicle January 2020

18 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

What you need to know about Pathways and Perspectives All pupils will take GCSEs in English Language, World Literature, Maths and Double Science. Pupils will choose a further GCSE in a Modern Foreign Language. Pupils will choose one Pathways course and one Perspectives course, and then a further Pathways course plus an additional GCSE OR two additional GCSEs. Pathways courses are: Applied Science; Art; Design and Entrepreneurship; Drama; Jewellery; Music; and Sports Science. Perspectives courses are: The Ancient World; Big Ideas; Classical Languages; Global Societies; and History. Optional GCSEs are: Ancient Greek, Classical Civilisation, Geography, German, History, Music and Religious Studies. The new courses will be accredited by the University of Buckingham. They will be graded 9-1, with results published alongside GCSEs. For full details, read the Middle School Program course guide available under the Academic tab on the school website.

Lara Davidson, Eloise Baker and Evie Gowen

What do teachers think about the change? MA: They are very excited about the new courses. There will be elements of the canon they need to cover in certain areas, but we, as a school, are giving them the freedom to change direction in the middle of a course because there’s a particular topic or development they want to cover. There’s nothing more stimulating for a young person than being taught by someone who cares deeply about their subject. We have some very gifted people at Teddies with extraordinary things to share and, currently, there’s no forum in which they can do so. MF: I often find myself saying, ‘Yes, this is interesting, but for goodness’ sake don’t write about it in the exam.’ I know for a fact, as an examiner myself, that it won’t be recognised in the marking criteria and it will essentially waste time in the exam. It is important that pupils are examined in a wide range of subjects at the age of 16, not least as a way of consolidating what they have learnt up to that point. That is what GCSEs are for. However, we know that taking, say, 10 standard GCSEs is neither necessary nor, in some cases, desirable.’ BARNABY LENON, CHAIRMAN OF THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS COUNCIL

MA: If we believe in true education, that more knowledge is better, what does it say about our system if essentially we’re saying to our pupils: confine your knowledge for the sake of an exam? It’s not uncommon for the most interested pupils to miss points in an exam because they can’t help themselves and they write about what interests them. There are people who are very good at sitting exams but there are other kinds of intelligence for which it is harder to gain recognition. The danger is that someone who’s willing to conform is going to be celebrated over someone who could change the world.

GCSE Top Grades

Top performing pupils in last summer’s GCSE exams were Pim Kanthamanon, Alexander Barrington Brown, Isabella Sheppard-Capurro, Jack Gore, Lily Helling, Roman Tinkov, Thomas Turner, Tiggy Jones, Abi Drennan, Eliza McCrum, Kunal Barman, Izzy Rees and Oscar Ross