Best ever Bedales GCSE performance at top grade

PETERSFIELD, U.K. - Aug. 26, 2014 - PRLog -- Bedales celebrated impressive exam results on GCSE results day with 61% of the grades awarded at A* or A. Unlike any other school, Bedales students tailor their studies by taking core subjects as the more challenging IGCSEs and the majority of their other subjects as the school’s unique GCSE alternative, Bedales Assessed Courses (BACs). Only a small number of subjects use GCSE. All three qualifications use the same A*-G grading system. This year’s cohort achieved 35% A* grades, higher than any of their predecessors since the current curriculum was started in 2008.

The content of BACs is broad and stimulating offering cross curricular opportunities that are suited to a wide variety of teaching and active learning styles. Internal assessment includes a mixture of written assignments, presentations, projects and performances, together with terminal examinations as appropriate. Bedales is the first school to be recognised by UCAS as offering its own GCSE-replacement qualification.

Eight Bedales students achieved a minimum of nine A* grades, with two of those achieving 11A*s and three achieving 10A*s (see below). Five of the eight students were taught at Bedales Prep, Dunhurst, before progressing to Bedales senior school and sixth form.

Isabella Anderson from Bishops Stortford achieved 11 A*s: Bedales Assessed Courses in Art, English Literature and Theatre; IGCSEs in French, Mathematics and Triple Award Science; and GCSEs in History, Latin and Italian and 1 A in IGCSE English Language.

Chloe Zhao from Guangdong Province, China achieved 11 A*s: Bedales Assessed Courses in Art, Design, Geography and Philosophy, Religion and Ethics; IGCSEs in English Language, Mathematics and Triple Award Science; and GCSEs in HistoryandChinese.

Emily Swettenham from Winchester achieved 10 A*s: Bedales Assessed Courses in Art, English Literature, and Philosophy, Religion and Ethics; IGCSEs in English Language, French, Mathematics and Triple Award Science; and GCSE History and 1 A in Bedales Assessed Course in Design. Previously attended Bedales Prep, Dunhurst.

Patrick Newlands from Steep achieved 10 A*s: Bedales Assessed Courses in Classical Music and Philosophy, Religion and Ethics; IGCSEs in English Language, French, Mathematics and Triple Award Science; and GCSEs in Computing and Latin. Previously attended Bedales Prep, Dunhurst.

Clare Denning from Wimbledon achieved 10 A*s: Bedales Assessed Courses in Art, Philosophy, Religion and Ethics, and Outdoor Work; IGCSEs in English Language, French, German, Mathematics and Double Award Science; and GCSE History.

Rori Abell from Liphook achieved 9 A*s: Bedales Assessed Course in Outdoor Work; IGCSEs in English Language, French, Mathematics, Triple Award Science and Chinese; and GCSE Latin and 1 A in Bedales Assessed Course in Design. Previously attended Bedales Prep, Dunhurst.

Eve Allin from Liss achieved 9 A*s: Bedales Assessed Courses in Art, English Literature and Theatre; IGCSEs in Mathematics, Double Award Science and Spanish; and GCSEs in History and Latin and 1 A in IGCSE English Language. Previously attended Bedales Prep, Dunhurst.

Robyn Whittaker from Henley-on-Thames achieved 9 A*s: Bedales Assessed Course in English Literature; IGCSEs in English Language, French, Mathematics, Triple Award Science and Spanish; and GCSE Latin and 1 A in Bedales Assessed Course in Art. Previously attended Bedales Prep, Dunhurst.

In total 29 students (from a cohort of 89) achieved a minimum of nine grades A* or A, over half of whom were educated at Bedales Prep, Dunhurst prior to progressing to Bedales senior school.

Commenting on the students’ achievements, Keith Budge, Headmaster, Bedales Schools said:

“Congratulations to our students on their excellent results. The Bedales curriculum is now mainly a combination of the more challenging IGCSEs and Bedales Assessed Courses, with only a few GCSE options. This makes our students’ performance even more impressive, particularly as over a third of all grades were A*. Bedales Assessed Courses offer more stretch, challenge, collaboration, independent working and choice, which we believe fosters our students’ high levels of motivation and learning. This unique approach is proving to be both a better platform for A Level success and for gaining access to the more demanding universities..

Bedales Assessed Courses are externally moderated and recognised by UCAS. Bedales’ unique curriculum is built around a group of five compulsory subjects: IGCSEs in English Language, Mathematics, Science (Double or Triple Award) and a Modern Foreign Language (the 2014 cohort was the first to take IGCSEs rather than GCSEs in English Language and a Modern Foreign Language). This ensures both that the full range of core skills is covered and also that the minimum requirement for much of higher education is met. Students then choose from other options, which include up to five BACs from a total of 11 courses on offer that include subjects such as Ancient Civilisations, History (the 2015 cohort will be the first to take the BAC rather than GCSE) and Classical Music, an additional IGCSE Modern Foreign Language or GCSEs (e.g. Latin or Computing).

The overall combined GCSE/IGCSE /BAC pass marks in 2014 were:

A* - A: 61%

A* - C: 95%

As Bedales students study a combination of three different qualifications, the figure quoted is a combined statistic for GCSE, IGCSE and Bedales Assessed Courses. No other school studies this unique combination of qualifications. Data is provisional.