The English Baccalaureate

The Importance of Teaching The Schools White Paper 2010 “The English Baccalaureate will encourage schools to offer a broad set of academic subjects to age 16 In most European countries school students are expected to pursue a broad and rounded range of academic subjects until the age of 16. Even in those countries such as the Netherlands where students divide between academic and vocational routes all young people are expected, whatever their ultimate destiny, to study a wide range of traditional subjects. So we will introduce a new award – the EnglishBaccalaureate – for any student who secures good GCSE or iGCSE passes in English, mathematics, the sciences, a modern or ancient foreign language and a humanity such as history or geography.”

Content To achieve the award, students must achieve a minimum of a C grade in: GCSE Mathematics GCSE English Language (Literature is not an alternative for this award) 2 GCSEs in Science subjects ( either Science and Additional Science or two of Physics, Chemistry, Biology) GCSE in History or Geography GCSE in one of French, German or Spanish.

Is it important? The percentage of students who achieve this award will be published for every school. Currently, nationally over 30% of students are working towards the award. In some local schools the top 40-50% of the cohort are compelled to take a suitable combination with inevitable restrictions on what else they can choose. We have not adopted this model. The figure for Sawtry is lower than the national average but reflects our commitment to broad and personalised options programmes at key Stage 4.

Is it important? What we do not know is what “currency” this award will have in an ever more competitive job market and increasingly challenging university admissions system. There are signs that this measure will replace the old ‘5A*-C including English and Mathematics’ benchmark expected by many end users. We believe that the better universities will look favourably on students with these qualifications and may at some point even require them. If so, it cannot be simply ignored by parents and students.

Our advice Choosing this combination is not right for every student and students for whom it is not a good choice should not be pushed into it. Students with aspirations to the best universities should probably think very carefully before not choosing it. Students considering the most popular and competitive university courses such as medicine, law, veterinary sciences etc. should probably think very carefully before not choosing it.

Our advice We have no indication as to whether any local sixth forms or sixth from colleges will make it part of their entry requirement. We will not put pressure on any student to follow or not follow the combination required.