Common entrance “antiquated” – Colin Baty
In a recent blog, Head of Bedales Prep, Dunhurst, Colin Baty, suggests that prep schools should see the passing of Common Entrance as an opportunity to depart from the subject/knowledge-based curriculum, and to embrace educational approaches and content that are better attuned to modern lives and working orthodoxies.
He says: “Education at that age should be about having fun and developing a love of learning, but at its worst teaching to Common Entrance can feel more like preparation for GCSE. I don’t believe that getting children of this age to jump through such hoops is good for them. Evidence around adolescent mental health suggests that we should exercise caution, and I am far from convinced that the prize is worth the tears that I have seen.”
Colin also believes that Common Entrance is an antiquated way by which to select, and favours instead an admissions process that helps the school to learn about each child. He says: “In this way, we form a view on how they might contribute to the life of the school, and whether the school, in turn, can give them what they need. Available data and schools talking to each other can help parents and schools alike make good decisions for children’s futures.”
The full blog can be read here.