State pupils to be offered 'elite' exams for first time

Published on Sunday 12 April 2009 22:06

AN ELITE school qualification is to be made available in the Scottish state sector for the first time from August.

Motherwell College in North Lanarkshire will become the first institution outside the independent sector to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) in Scotland, in a significant move which opens up the IB to a broader range of students.

Only three schools, all fee-paying, offer the IB, a two-year diploma which is an internationally recognised alternative to Highers or A-levels. They are the International School in Aberdeen, which serves children of foreign oil workers, Fettes in Edinburgh, and St Leonards in St Andrews.

Last month, The Scotsman revealed George Watson's College, in Edinburgh, will be the first school to offer the IB alongside Highers if given accreditation by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO).

Hugh Logan, principal and chief executive of Motherwell College, admitted the IB, which has wide-ranging subject matter and aims to develop rounded individuals with a world view, was "a challenging qualification".

Mr Logan said the IB was a real coup for the institution: "The fact it is only in three private schools at the moment was one of the principal reasons I wanted to do it.

"If, as is very widely acknowledged, this is the best post-16 educational qualification available then why shouldn't kids in Motherwell, in other parts of North Lanarkshire and indeed beyond that, be able to access it?

"It's about making a programme, which historically in Scotland has only been open to private school pupils, available to all students on an open-access basis – ordinary kids."

Highers, he stressed, would continue to be offered for those the IB did not suit.

Mr Logan added: "It's a tough qualification. It requires a certain aptitude and attitude among students."

Applicants will be selected for the course, which has been three years in development, through interview. They will be able to apply for financial assistance through bursaries or the Educational Maintenance Allowance, and can opt to take it as a residential course.

Mr Logan added: "This has not been an overnight decision. We should be offering the IB in Scotland and, at the moment, particularly in the west of Scotland, it is not offered, so this will fill a very important gap."

In August, 30 teenagers will start the course and another 30 will be enrolled for the following year.

Lorraine Cowan, college IB co-ordinator, added: "It gives us the chance to offer a very prestigious qualification to students who couldn't afford private school."

St Leonards School in St Andrews found the qualification such a success that it has dropped A-levels and now only offers the IB. Headteacher Dr Michael Carslaw said the qualification was viewed very positively by universities as it provided more information than Highers or A-levels. He said: "It is fantastic news that Motherwell will be offering the IB which offers real breadth and depth."

Qualification offers breadth of study and personal development

FOUNDED in 1968, the International Baccalaureate Organisation is based in Geneva and has offices all over the world.

It promotes skills in young people to help them understand more about themselves and other cultures. Among its aims is to help create a better, more peaceful world.

The two-year pre-university course covers languages, the arts, individuals and societies, mathematics and computer science and experimental sciences.

This breadth of study is attractive to students who are not keen to specialise, particularly in England, where teenagers often take just two or three subjects at A-level.

Dissatisfaction with the A-level system, and its inability to distinguish between the top-performing students, has led to a greater interest in the IB in England than Scotland.

IB students also develop personal skills by helping in communities, working with people less fortunate or on international projects – as it carries a key component of 50 hours of community service.

The IB is recognised by universities in 124 countries and is offered by 167 schools in the UK, with another 184 interested. It is in 2,517 schools in 132 countries, followed by more than 683,000 students.

For more information go to www.ibo.org.uk.