Sparkford Road As a country, the challenge is to ensure appropriate vocational routes have equal respect from employers and higher education providers so that the large percentage of 16-year-olds for whom the new GCSEs are still inappropriate or too difficult have something worthwhile to show for their time in school. Petersfield It recommended replacing GCSEs and A-Levels with a diploma covering both academic and vocational pathways, allowing for their combination. Mr Magnus Bashaarat will commence his role as the new Head Teacher at Maida Vale School as of 24 th April 2023. 'True to its roots and founding principles the school places emphasis on collaboration and care for others. GU32 2DG, Reception Our termly magazine covers every stage of your childs schooling, with top education journalists and stellar heads giving you the inside track on what matters in education. Inevitably, the transition has not been seamless and another disruption to the exam system at the moment is the last thing young people and teachers need. Magnus Bashaarat, head of Bedales school in Steep, Hampshire, hit out at a Labour motion to integrate all private schools into the government system The head of a 37,000-a-year private. SO22 4NR. A leading co-educational day and boarding school for ages 13-18, Bedales offers A levels and GCSEs as well as their own Bedales Assessed Courses. Find out more about our school placement expertise here, fromearly yearseducationtopre-prep/prep schoolandall the way up tosenior school,orget in touch with us todayfora consultation with a member of our team. MrBashaarat, whose school's alumni include actor Daniel Day Lewis, presenter Kirstie Allsopp and singer Lily Allen, said Bedales could not become subject to the national curriculum or 'policymakers' preoccupations' with competitive exams, The Times reported. How did Russia lose HALF of its 45,000 elite paratroopers in just seven months? Predictions for the future of GCSE and ALevel gradesfollowing the coronavirus pandemic. She didnt ask to be a refugee and refuses to give up her ght for a better life. By Magnus Bashaarat, Head of Bedales This year's annual HMC Conference was held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. She became a Valkyrie, a chooser of the slain, at fourteen when she saved her school from an attacking frost giant. Magnus Bashaarat, the head of Bedales School, says 'retro-traditional' GCSEs are outdated By Will Hazell Education Correspondent January 26, 2020 6:00 pm (Updated July 10, 2020 4:51 pm) More. The comments below have not been moderated. They stifle creative teaching, and because everyone now has to stay in full-time education, or follow an apprenticeship or training until 18, there is little point to an exam which was introduced at a time when pupils could leave school at 16 qualified, and get a job. With appropriate moderation, this would play to strengths already present in our education system. Discover howBedalesrecruit their studentsincompared toapplying tootherindependent schools. He says: Real-time, three-dimensional contact is irreplaceable, and seeing the reaction and emotion of students in person and the joy when that sacred connection was restored once we opened the school again was incredible. On the flip side, he observes that many of this summers school leavers are planning gap years because the prospect of some undergraduate courses being delivered online in the new university year is so unpalatable. We launched BACs in 2006 as an outward-looking alternative to some non-core GCSEs. Reputation management expert reveals why it doesn't just happen to 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen!' The school (pictured) advertises itself as being 'different' from the schools of its time, having been founded in 1893, Mr Bashaarat, whose school's alumni include presenter Kirstie Allsopp (left) and singer Lily Allen (right), said Bedales could not become subject to the national curriculum or 'policymakers' preoccupations' with competitive exams and rote learning, He called the conversation about integration 'timely and necessary', but added:'We in the UK have an awfully long way to go before schools such as mine might operate in mainstream education without sacrificing everything good that we do.'. Bedales Head Magnus Basharaat has responded to a 'major' consultation conducted by exam board Pearson - Future of Qualifications and Assessment - steered by an expert panel including former education secretaries Damian Hinds, Baroness Morris and Lord Blunkett. Petersfield But Mr Bashaarat condemned the state systems focus on the stultifying effects of competitive examinations and the importance of social background to academic achievement. 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Whatever they choose to do, they work no less hard than on their A-Levels, are subjected to no less rigour and experience a much wider range of assessment methods. He said: Were I to be given the ultimatum, tomorrow, that Bedales be made a state school, and that it should follow the national curriculum and policymakers preoccupations with the transfer of knowledge and disregard for humanities and the arts, I would decline. Magnus Bashaarat, of the 37,000-a-year Bedales in Hampshire, made the claim in the wake of the Labour Party conference voting to "integrate" private schools with the public sector. Get an insight into theBedalesschool environmentand ethos, how it compares toother schools, and the impactthat this has on students wellbeing and learning success. A leading co-educational day and boarding school for ages 13-18,Bedalesoffers A levels and GCSEs as well as their ownBedalesAssessed Courses. We all need to work towards this together. It was Saras rst time on an escalator and, after being cautious at rst, she soon found her feet and was leading her family around the city with condence, When she eventually leaves Lebanon to continue her studies and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, she imagines the cities will be big and beautiful just like Beirut, Ali and Sara have never seen the sea, let alone stood on its shores and played in the shallow water. In addition, all our Sixth Formers complete a rigorous Professional Skills Programme, a course dedicated to teaching the general skills they need to thrive in the workplace. Thats not what employers think is useful, because employers dont want people who are just very good at remembering stuff and writing it out. To build a broader coalition of support for exam reform from like-minded educationalists, politicians and business people, Bedales has played a central role in founding the Rethinking Assessment group. ActorDaniel Day Lewis also attended the school. Rishi Sunak looked like he had won the lottery. You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. Please, The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Courses have been made tougher with extra content, and in some subjects like English Literature there is a greater emphasis on memorising poems and quotations. StickyAdvice,International,Advice,Prep,Senior,Advice, StickyLifestyle,Lifestyle,Lifestyle,Lifestyle, StickySEN,Prep,Pre-Prep,SEN,Advice,SEN,Senior,Advice,Advice, StickyInsight,Prep,SEN,Pre-Prep,SEN,Insight, Insight,Pre-Prep,Insight,Prep,Senior,Insight. At Bedales teenagers still sit GCSEs in five core subjects, but also take four or five of the schools own Bedales Assessed Courses (BACs). Reforms to university admission must proceed without argument, and once this is done there is no good reason for retaining GCSEs. However, they. 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. I think theyre terribly past their sell-by-date.. If your child is applying toindependent schools, this interview provides a powerful insight into the current independent school climate, and the kind of experiences your child can expect comparedto other education systems. By using our website, you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. By Magnus Bashaarat, Head of Bedales A report which ran in The Times on Monday was difficult reading for arts undergraduates sharpening their pencils and adding more memory to their smartphones ahead of the new university year about to start. In November one head at a girls private school said future generations would look back on them like the Victorian dunce cap. He says: As we see it, the only remaining value in GCSEs lies in informing A level grade predications for the purpose of university admissions. He cares for the stray dogs that visit the settlement and plays with the abundance of stones in the old quarry, Deeb accompanies Sara to buy bread from a small shop run from a neighbours home. GU32 2DG, Reception Bedalesis situated just one hours journey from London, andhas a linked prep school,Dunhurstand pre-prep,Dunannie. I would rather we shut our doors.. The best seat in the house! At least now within our own school campus, re-imagined as a self-governed city state, we have the opportunity to return to that sacred exchange of teaching and learning that seeks to link 'head, hand and heart.' By Magnus Bashaarat, Head of Bedales Sara, 11, is a Syrian refugee living in Lebanons Bekaa Valley in an informal tented settlement. Left behind | Are left-handed pupils being let down? For a reminder of what education might look like in our schools and colleges, we need look no further than the 2004 Tomlinson Report. Lucas suggests that other subjects matter too in helping to facilitate the necessary habits of mind. Mr Bashaarat said the school had been offering BACs for over 10 years and it doesnt mean that there are fewer offers made to university applicants at all. Magnus Bashaarat, of the 37,000-a-year Bedales in Hampshire, made the claim in. Last week the Governor's accepted Magnus' resignation after he spent time reflecting over the summer. While many private school heads have opposed Labour's policy to introduce VAT on school fees and scrap business rate exemptions that come with charitable status, Mr Bashaarat is seemingly alone in championing the importance of having education institutions free of government initiatives. Bedales is the first school to be recognised by UCAS as offering its own GCSE-replacement qualification. GCSEs have been overhauled in recent years as part of exam reforms introduced when Michael Gove was Education Secretary. Crucially, the authors favoured diverse assessment methodologies. Magnus Bashaarat, the head of Bedales - which is famed for its liberal ethos - told i the course would span "sustainability, permaculture, biological science" and "farming ethically and . Magnus explains that the school considers the national curriculum and associated qualification regime to be prescriptive, dull, narrow and inadequate, and points to the growing dissatisfaction with GCSEs, increasingly considered redundant given the raising of the school leaving age to 18, and governments fixation with exams. Sitting on a swing in Beirut, she hopes for a better future built on a good education and psychosocial support made possible by EAA and UNRWA, Sara has dreams of moving to Canada, Europe or the Gulf states where she can study in English and eventually become a doctor. Find out about the ratio of national to overseas students and the range of countries that students travel from to attend. Bedales comprises three schools situated near Petersfield, Hampshire: Bedales Pre prep, Dunannie (ages 3-8); Bedales Prep, Dunhurst (ages 8-13); and Bedales itself (ages 13-18). In our apparent rush to address a perceived weakness with the current system, we should be careful not to overlook its strengths. Bedales is situated just one hour's journey from London, and has a linked prep school, Dunhurst and pre-prep, Dunannie. Magnus Bashaarat 20 August 2020 2:00pm . Start your Independent Premium subscription today. She attends King Acadamy as a sophomore in Dorchester in Boston, but when duty calls, she puts up a cover story to be . Unlike the others, Hadi was the only one born into tent life. Rather, Magnus believes we should build on the re-emergence of teacher assessment drawing upon a range of evidence, resulting from the COVIDpandemic and the cancellation of exams. GCSEs have passed their sell-by-date. We must recognise that it is possible to design a creative and challenging programme for young people around the current exams. However, we dont need another change to the exam system in order to achieve this. Magnus has been Head of Bedales Schools since September 2018. I agree, Undergraduate scholarships, bursaries & awards, Postgraduate scholarships, bursaries & awards, Research scholarships, bursaries & awards, International scholarships, bursaries & awards, Faculty of Business, Law and Digital Technologies research, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences research, Faculty of Education, Health & Social Care, Faculty of Business and Digital Technologies, University of Winchester Bedales has been innovating with its own wider range of assessments since 2006 when it introduced, The full Bedales response to the Pearson consultation can be read, Bedales Prep, Dunhurst takes part in RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch, Curriculum enriching trips at Bedales Pre-prep, History and Philosophy, Religion & Ethics. The full Bedales response to the Pearson consultation can be read here. Mumsnet carries some affiliate marketing links, so if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale (more details here). number: 07222273 Magnus Bashaarat, the headteacher of Bedales School, where pupils sit a core of five GCSEs alongside alternative coursework focused Bedales Assessed Courses, said he hoped . Hear about their school motto, Head, hand and heart, and how this relates to theBedalesapproach to education. The majority of coursework has been scrapped, so assessment is now carried out almost exclusively through examination. It doesnt serve any purpose anymore.. Credible vocational routes are as important at GCSE as they are later. Bedales is the first school to be recognised by UCAS as offering its own GCSE-replacement qualification. However, they are notoriously unreliable, and there is powerful evidence that the status quo does a disservice to applicants from the state sector and disadvantaged families. 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