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Bedales students are celebrating after receiving their GCSE and Bedales Assessed Course (BAC) results with 61.6% of grades 9-7 (equivalent to A*-A). 23% of students achieved at least nine grades 9-7. Of these high performing students, 10 attended Bedales Pre-prep or Prep prior to progressing to Bedales Senior.
Bedales’ unique curriculum means that students take a combination of the school’s own BACs combined with GCSEs in five core subjects. Introduced in 2006, BACs are well established, and involve a broader range of content, choice and assessment methods than the traditional GCSE, enabling students to pursue their interests and talents. BACs benefit from annual external validation by experienced moderators and are recognised as a qualification by universities.
Will Goldsmith, Head of Bedales, commented:
“Congratulations to our students on their excellent results. Their commitment and curiosity have shone through in both GCSE and BAC subjects. At Bedales, we continue to challenge the value of the excessive number of high-stakes exams at 16, and this year marks further progress in expanding our own assessed courses. These are designed to nurture deeper learning and better prepare students for Sixth Form and beyond.
As calls for reform grow louder across the sector, Bedales remains at the forefront - demonstrating what a more thoughtful, balanced and student-centred approach can achieve. In response to the widely reported decline in modern language study across the UK, we are proud to be introducing a new Bedales Assessed Course in Japanese this year to help reinvigorate interest and offer students a fresh, globally relevant option.”
Bedales is developing new Bedales Assessed Courses in the Sciences and Modern Languages as part of its plan to further reduce the number of GCSEs taken by students to two subjects (Maths and English Language). BACs are offered as an alternative to GCSE for increased depth, more active learning and stimulating material, less prescriptive syllabuses and a wider range of assessments including group and individual projects, presentations, essays and portfolios in addition to written examinations.
Bedales students in Block 4 (Year 10) can choose from the following BAC options: Ancient Civilisations; Art; Dance; Design (Product or Fashion); Digital Game Design; English Literature; Geography; Global Awareness; History; Japanese, Music; Philosophy, Religion & Ethics; Outdoor Work; Sports Science; and Theatre Studies.
Recent years have seen a number of reviews into education with a focus on curriculum and assessment. Last month, a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Education to which Bedales contributed, highlighted that “an erosion of intrinsic motivation is at the heart of concerns that the love of learning is being lost in our exam-heavy secondary system”. BACs show other schools and policymakers an alternative that inspires students, motivates teachers, and better prepares young people for further study and work.
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