A top London private school, Latymer Upper School, has decided to develop their own qualifications in place of all GCSE’s except for Maths and English.
The new qualifications will be taught from 2027, meaning pupils starting year 7 in September 2024 will be the first to take them.
The qualifications have been developed in consultation with a number of top employers who have highlighted critical thinking, resilience and collaboration as the most important skills for students to develop. They will be assessed by vivas, group work activities, presentations, online assessments, project based learning, fielding questions and some written exams.
Ian Emerson, deputy head at Latymer Upper School told The Times Newspaper that “teenagers would be stretched to the equivalent of a grade 10 and beyond and also better prepared for A-levels with the new qualifications.”
The school is said to be inspired by findings from a recent report from The Times Education Commission which has recommended to the UK government that GCSE’s need to be completely overhauled to better prepare students for future employment.
The rise of Artificial intelligence (AI) means future generations need to develop their ‘human skills’ and move away from robotic learning required by GCSE’s.
Bedales, a private school in Hampshire, is another school that has decided to teach alternative qualifications to GCSE’s and other private schools are expected to follow. Maths and English are the only GCSE’s to remain in place at Latymer Upper School and Bedales due to being a requirement of some employers.
HBA London thinks the development of new qualifications in place of most GCSE’s is a positive move for students. The demanding GCSE exam schedule puts far too much pressure on young people and isn’t the best way to prepare students for further education. However, the retaining of Maths and English GCSE’s is essential to prepare students for A-level, IB and university degrees. Maths and English remain vital skills that students need to master to succeed in their future.