education
• Flexi : Parents can choose how many nights a student will spend at school or at home .
• Full : Students live at school all the time apart from exeat weekends ( designated weekends in each term where students can leave ) and school holidays . This is the most common choice for international families as it allows the parents to live outside the UK .
There are many schools that will have both day and boarding options .
Note guardians : if parents live outside of the UK they will be required to appoint a guardian who is responsible for the child . You can choose a family member or friend , or there are paid guardianship services . As this person will be responsible for attending school meetings and dealing with any emergency situations you need to do your research and make sure they are accredited by AEGIS or the BSA .
Single-sex or co-educational schools Single-sex : schools that have only boys or girls . Co-educational : schools that have both boys and girls
There are schools that are single-sex at some ages and co-ed for others . For example , single-sex until Year 11 and then co-educational in the Sixth Form .
National Qualifications Most schools will have their own assessments or mock exams throughout the academic year but students only take National Qualifications , as determined by the government , at the age of 16 and 18 . GCSE : Qualifications taken by students at the age of 16 ; Years 10 and 11 are usually dedicated to GCSE preparation , although some schools may start in Year 9 . Students usually take around 10 GCSE subjects . English , Maths and Science are compulsory , and students choose from a list of optional subjects which include humanities , languages , creative arts and technology-based subjects . The optional subjects available will depend on the school provision – not all schools offer all subjects . GCSE grades are awarded on a scale of 1 ( lowest ) to 9 ( highest ) and the results will be used to assess whether students can study certain subjects at Sixth Form , for university applications and some jobs will have minimum GCSE requirements . International GCSE : Introduced to enable students from overseas to receive the IGCSE qualification but can also be taken in UK independent schools . There is not a significant difference between the two qualifications and they are viewed in the same way by universities . IGCSEs can be graded in two ways ; A * -G or 1-9 . A Levels : Qualifications taken by students at the age of 18 ; Years 12 and 13 ( Sixth Form ) are dedicated to the preparation . Students will generally take 3 or 4 A Levels and they can choose whichever subjects they wish to , assuming their school offers the subject . Each subject is studied in great depth and some subjects are essential for university courses ( e . g . Maths and Physics to study Engineering ) so consideration needs to be given to one ’ s aptitude for the subject and the university courses they are interested in before Year 12 . A Levels are graded A * -E . AS Levels : One-year qualifications usually taken in Year 12 if a student doesn ’ t want to continue with the subject for 2 years . AS and A Levels can be taken alongside each other – for example , a student might take 3 A Levels and 1 AS Level .
Note exam boards : For GCSEs and A Levels there are several exam boards ( AQA , CIE , Edexcel , and OCR ) that offer the qualifications . Exam boards provide the specification and write the exam papers . Schools will choose which exam board they use for each subject so students do not have a choice . The relevance for students is when they are independently studying and revising – they need to focus on the specification for the right exam board . If you have a tutor make sure you tell them the exam board as soon as possible .
Pre-U : An alternative to the A-Level , the Pre-U is a two-year course with examinations at the end that can be taken alongside A Levels . Pre-U subjects are graded as Distinction ( D1 , 2 , 3 ), Merit ( M1 , 2 , 3 ) or Pass ( P1 , 2 , 3 ).
Note Pre-U last examinations in June 2023 : since the A-Levels were reformed , the Pre-U is no longer seen as a distinct alternative and therefore the decision has been made to withdraw them .
IB : The IB Diploma Programme ( IBDP ) is a two-year qualification taken in Years 12 and 13 ( Sixth Form ) that requires students to take 6 academic subjects across various subject areas . Students will take 3 subjects at Higher Level and 3 at Standard Level . In addition , they take a course called Theory of Knowledge ( ToK ), participate in an independent research project to produce an Extended Essay ( EE ), and engage in extracurricular activities related to Creativity , Action and Service ( CAS ). Each academic subject is graded from 1 to 7 and 3 further points are gained from the components – the highest possible IBDP score is 45 and a minimum of 24 is required to be awarded the diploma .
Jenny McGowan is the Asia Director for Keystone Tutors , one of the UK ’ s leading educational consultancies . Keystone consultants provide families , firms and individuals with comprehensive advice relating to UK independent schools and universities as well as tutoring support .
www . keystonetutors . com
Winter 2020 43