Will 'Bacca' pass the test as exam and curriculum alternative?

Published on Tuesday 17 February 2009 20:57

IT WON'T be long until the new school curriculum is being taught to all pupils in Scotland. Due to be introduced next year and covering an age group of three to 18 years, the Curriculum for Excellence will also, in four years' time, include new qualifications for teenagers. It will see Standard and Intermediate grades replaced with a new General grade exam.

Highers – long deemed the "gold standard" of Scottish schooling – will remain, but for the first time, a Scottish school is introducing an alternative qualification alongside Highers.

George Watson's College in Edinburgh is seeking accreditation to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB).

The two-year course would form an alternative to Highers and Advanced Highers for its S5 and S6 pupils. If successful, the large independent school would be only the third in Scotland to offer the qualification, and the first also to offer Highers.

Just two other schools in Scotland currently provide the IB: Fettes College in Edinburgh, which offers it as an alternative to A-levels, and St Leonards in St Andrews, which found the IB so popular it dropped the A-level qualifications.

The principal at St Leonards, Dr Michael Carslaw, says the move has seen interest for places at the school soar.

"I'm delighted George Watson's is taking on the idea," he says. "I know pretty much every school has looked at it, but it depends how far they go down the route of accreditation.

"I think the reason George Watson's, like St Leonards, has gone for the International Baccalaureate, is that it really does teach boys and girls how to learn – it is much more than a set of qualifications, and it represents the best aspects of the traditional Scottish curriculum, which is one of breadth and rigour."

With education secretary Fiona Hyslop announcing the introduction of science and languages baccalaureates within the Scottish system later this year, could baccalaureates be the way of the future?

Gareth Edwards, principal of George Watson's, stresses his school will continue to offer Highers alongside the IB.

Before taking the decision, the fee-paying school carried out an 18-month consultation with parents and pupils to gauge the response to the idea as well as the level of interest.

"We have gone into this with our eyes open," Mr Edwards says. "It's not for a couple of years, because it requires a lot of preparation and training, so we've decided not to rush it."

Before being able to offer the qualification, the school must be accredited by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO), which is based in Geneva.

Andrew Bollington, regional director for the IBO, says: "Scotland has a wonderful tradition of high-quality education and we are delighted to see George Watson's College challenging its students with the international focus and challenges of the IB."

Should the accreditation be received, current S2 pupils at George Watson's will choose whether to take Highers or the IB at the end of S4.

In 2011, the school expects around 20 per cent of S4 pupils to opt to take the IB in S5, giving it an intake of 40 pupils.

"We are as wedded to Scottish qualifications as we always have been, but the International Baccalaureate provides a different type of qualification and educational experience," Mr Edwards explains. "We have a lot of youngsters with varying motivations and aspirations and we believe the International Baccalaureate has many virtues. We want to offer the best of both worlds."

Mr Edwards explains the IB will be ideal for pupils who want a general education, while those who want to specialise, for example in science or languages, can take Highers.

He adds: "The International Baccalaureate, because of its philosophy, doesn't allow for that level of specialisation and it maintains a breadth of curriculum as pupils have to do a language and a science within it."

As well as academic subjects, the IB includes an extended essay, lessons in critical thinking and a requirement to do some form of community service.

Mr Edwards is keen to stress his support for the Scottish Qualifications Authority exams.

"I know some independent schools in England felt dissatisfied with the A-level system, but that is certainly not our motivation," he says. "We are great followers of Higher and particularly Advanced Higher, which should be a world-renowned qualification.

"We are just trying to provide the best for our students and we feel we can offer both these systems."

In 2003, the UK Department of Education asked the former chief inspector of schools for England and Wales to investigate reform of the English exams system.

Mike Tomlinson proposed a system of diplomas to replace A-levels, which have long sparked debate as the high number of A passes makes it difficult for universities to distinguish between applicants.

But with an impending election, Labour refused to adopt the policy, despite wide support within education and among headteachers.

Voter nostalgia may have led ministers to believe scrapping A-levels would be an election-losing issue. However, with Scottish Government plans to extend baccalaureates to other subjects and increasing interest across the UK, baccalaureates may one day replace traditional exams after all.