By Magnus Bashaarat, Head of Bedales In a recent article by Haroon Siddique in The Guardian, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner expressed concern that Tory education reforms are putting state school pupils at a disadvantage compared to those educated in independent schools. Get an insight into theBedalesschool environmentand ethos, how it compares toother schools, and the impactthat this has on students wellbeing and learning success. 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. All rights reserved. Magnus Bashaarat is Head of Bedales school . 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. 08131068 - Website by versantus.co.uk, Sign up for our newsletter for the latest School Admissions Industry News, UK School Application Consultancy and Support, Find out more about our school placement expertise here, Green Park House, 15 Stratton Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 8LQ. considers the national curriculum and associated qualification regime to be prescriptive, dull, narrow and inadequate, and points to the. 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 Samirah "Sam" al-Abbas is the demigod daughter of the Norse God of Mischief Loki and the late Alyesha al-Abbas, the half-sister of Alex Fierro, the valkyrie of Magnus Chase and the main female protagonist in the Norse mythology book series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. leaving thousands of young people feeling let down by a government and Education Secretary who had . Catherine Lough. I would rather we shut our doors.. Steep The head of a private school has said he would rather close down than see it become part of the state system. DISCLAIMER: I hereby declare that I do not own the. The latest Tweets from Magnus Bashaarat (@MagnusBashaarat) Tweet with a location. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. Private schools have been so far restrained in their criticism of the motion, choosing to focus on the work they do to justify their charitable status through offering bursaries to poorer pupils and collaborating with state schools. I'm sure everyone appreciates how challenging the last 18 months have been for everyone, especially teachers. She attends UNRWA-funded Jefna school where she is top of her class and regarded as the brightest child in the school by her teachers, Sara helps her mother Fatima around the house watering the pot plants, washing the concrete oors and helping to prepare the meals in the kitchen, Behind the family tent is an old disused quarry where the Bedouins sheep graze the hard thistle plants. SO22 4NR. increasingly considered redundant given the raising of the school leaving age to 18, and governments fixation with exams. Learn what happens once a candidate has a confirmed placefollowing their assessment. 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. Magnus Bashaarat, of the 37,000-a-year Bedales in Hampshire, made the claim in. Magnus Bashaarat Education Advisor, Consultant, Coach, Mentor Sturminster Newton, England, United Kingdom 199 followers 188 connections Join to connect Spotlight Education The University of. In most senior schools, pupils of this age will have many unrelated lessons across a week, where the content within each subject is not linked to other subjects. I'm sure everyone appreciates how challenging the last 18 months have been for everyone, especially teachers. Appointed August 2021 Committee Finance and Resources I support the ongoing reforms: the overriding effort to further raise standards is a laudable one. 'GCSEs are no discriminator. Bedales. I suspect that the authors might like what we are doing at Bedales, first, through the introduction of BACs (Bedales Assessed Courses) as an alternative to GCSEs, and now with the introduction of the Enrichment Programme for Sixth Formers. Discover howBedalesrecruit their studentsincompared toapplying tootherindependent schools. 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We ask the heads of two leading schools, is it time to abolish GCSEs? BACs encourage collaboration, and the significant decision-making power they grant to students results in good learning. Now it is a guided drafting and grading process on a shared online space that cannot get eaten by the dog.. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. We would like to express our gratitude to our current Head Mr Steven Winter for his hard work and dedication in helping found MVS. Whatever government decides to do next will require energy, and it would be a waste to expend that energy on heading back to where we were a place that fewer and fewer people were happy being. With appropriate moderation, this would play to strengths already present in our education system. A leading co-educational day and boarding school for ages 13-18,Bedalesoffers A levels and GCSEs as well as their ownBedalesAssessed Courses. I pray Rishi Sunak succeeds so as HENRY DEEDES: Wowee was he pumped! Thebank that won't pass on rate rises unless you ring and ask:Just one of the ruses greedy lenders use to Meghan Markle was 'hugely disappointed' by life in the royal family and as a 'global superstar' she 'hated More snow and ice could batter Britain next week: Met Office warns Arctic blast from Greenland could send Shamima Begum and other British women who joined Islamic State and are being held in Syria will 'ultimately' Is YOUR lifestyle good for your heart? Learn more about how many nights of the week students stay at the school, and what happens during the weekends if students dont go home. Discover the reason behind the inception of theschool byitsfounder, John Haden Badley. However, they. Sydenham High School on navigating change, The King Alfred School on real-world learning. A large number of students change school at 16, and to proceed without any qualifications would not be helpful for the next establishment they enter, whether this is a school, a Sixth Form college or a further education college. New HMC chair Headteacher Magnus Bashaarat has spurned GCSEs for alternatives that are largely teacher-assessed. Oscar Cainer reveals all. I would rather we shut our doors,' Mr Bashaarat said. Discover whichGCSEs,A Levelsand BTECsare available to study atthe school, alongside their ownBedalesAssessed Courses. 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. Dont get me wrong: I thoroughly embrace the principle of making education more relevant to the modern workplace and I agree that the role of schools is to prepare young people for jobs that dont exist yet. She didnt ask to be a refugee and refuses to give up her ght for a better life. A vocal critic of GCSEs, Mr Bashaarat has previously called them a high stakes pub quiz. GU32 2DG, Reception GCSEs have been overhauled in recent years as part of exam reforms introduced when Michael Gove was Education Secretary. The problem is that secondary level education has failed to keep pace with the vision and ambition of universities such as these. School should be a preparation for life, rather than a job, Mr Bashaarat insisted. 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. Magnus Bashaarat, headmaster, Bedales School Alistair McConville, director of learning and innovation, Bedales School Will Goldsmith, director of teaching and learning, Latymer Upper School, London Dame Alison Peacock, chief executive, Chartered College of Teaching Leanne Forde-Nassey, headteacher, The Key Education Centre, Gosport and Havant Rishi Sunak warns MPs they can't trust 'Mr 2nd Referendum' Keir Starmer on Brexit in meeting with backbench DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Rishi Sunak's vaunted Brexit deal could be a landmark achievement, Rishi's deal gives Brexit a second chance. He said GCSEs should be scrapped by the Government altogether, but added that in the meantime private schools were slowly moving away from the qualification. 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 says: As we see it, the only remaining value in GCSEs lies in informing A level grade predications for the purpose of university admissions. all private schools become part of the state system. Find out whatBedalescandidates are assessed on and how, and at what point before they start school. In contrast, our Diploma has been designed to enable pupils to make exciting and innovative links between subjects through a series of enquiry projects and themes. Weve gone to this retro-traditional view of education where coursework is out because Conservative education ministers dont trust teachers, and its now gone back to heavily cliffedge assessment. The 700-year-old Coronation chair that has been used for the crowning of King Charles has 'jeopardised' the monarchy by meeting European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Do we get our 87p back? At Bedales we have been offering our own Bedales Assessed Courses (BACs) alongside GCSEs for many years; they are recognised by UCAS and liked by universities and employers alike. This is a way of learning that better reflects life and the workplace: after all, in our adult days we do not have one hour of Maths followed by one hour of Languages and so on. 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. Applying to independent schoolscan vary significantly depending on whichinstitutiona child is hoping to attend, and the process can be both complex and stressful. 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.'. E: admin@bedales.org.uk, Accessibility | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Cookies Policy | Privacy | Contact Us, Bedales Schools | Website Design by Oyster. Doing away with GCSEs could mean thousands of young people leaving school without qualifications, which would be a deeply retrograde step unless there was a viable alternative. 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