Chris King, headmaster of Leicester Grammar School, has now been announced as the new chair. At least now within our own school campus, re-imagined as a self-governed city state, we have the opportunity to return to that sacred exchange of teaching and learning that seeks to link 'head, hand and heart.' By Magnus Bashaarat, Head of Bedales Weve gone to this retro-traditional view of education where coursework is out because Conservative education ministers dont trust teachers, and its now gone back to heavily cliffedge assessment. You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. Speaking to i, he said: Everyone has to stay at school now post-16, so why do we have an arbitrary terminal examination at 16? The best seat in the house! 'This approach enables students to concentrate on the complex business of learning, developing and becoming their own person.'. Magnus Bashaarat Education Advisor, Consultant, Coach, Mentor Sturminster Newton, England, United Kingdom 199 followers 188 connections Join to connect Spotlight Education The University of. The school says it offers 'more interesting and more demanding' Bedales Assessed Courses, boasting that students 'move on comfortably to university and beyond because they are self-disciplined, are already used to organising their own time, to studying in depth and to mixing and debating with their elders'. are notoriously unreliable, and there is powerful evidence that the status quo does a disservice to applicants from the state sector and disadvantaged families. Discover whichGCSEs,A Levelsand BTECsare available to study atthe school, alongside their ownBedalesAssessed Courses. She is known for Our River.Our Sky (2021), Night Shapes (1999) and Homeland (2011). Credible vocational routes are as important at GCSE as they are later. Magnus Bashaarat, headmaster, Bedales School Alistair McConville, director of learning and innovation, Bedales School Will Goldsmith, director of teaching and learning, Latymer Upper School, London Dame Alison Peacock, chief executive, Chartered College of Teaching Leanne Forde-Nassey, headteacher, The Key Education Centre, Gosport and Havant Academic & Curriculum, A brilliant b side which I consider to be a real forgotten gem. She became a Valkyrie, a chooser of the slain, at fourteen when she saved her school from an attacking frost giant. He has also worked at Stowe as Deputy Head, Eton as a Housemaster and Sherbourne as a Teacher of English and Drama. Magnus Bashaarat, head of the 37,000-a-year Bedales, said he liked the idea of a national education system without the dichotomy between state and independent schools but that Bedales could not be subject to the. Discover howBedalesrecruit their studentsincompared toapplying tootherindependent schools. In an article for The Week Independent Schools Guide (Autumn/Winter 2021), Head of Bedales Magnus Bashaarat discusses educating in the time of COVID and his conviction that face-to-face contact between teachers and students is crucial, and makes the case for assessment reform. GCSEs have passed their sell-by-date. Whatever government decides to do next will require energy, and it would be a waste to expend that energy on heading back to where we were a place that fewer and fewer people were happy being. Petersfield Most significantly, compulsory GCSEs at 16 ensure all children receive a broad curriculum that sets them up for life. We are now working hard to expand this connective approach to learning into the GCSE years. increasingly considered redundant given the raising of the school leaving age to 18, and governments fixation with exams. Magnus Bashaarat, head of Bedales school in Steep, Hampshire, hit out at a Labour motion to integrate all private schools into the government system The head of a 37,000-a-year private. Magnus Bashaarat told i that retro-traditional GCSEs were terribly past their sell-by-date. Crucially, the authors favoured diverse assessment methodologies. T: 01730 300100 The same cannot be said of the state system, however, he said. Discover the reason behind the inception of theschool byitsfounder, John Haden Badley. Magnus is enthusiastic about some of the possibilities revealed by schools migration to online learning for example the shared real-time editing of written work using SharePoint. However, we dont need another change to the exam system in order to achieve this. The demise of the AS-Level freed up time that we have used to develop a programme of teacher-designed diploma courses. The same could apply to any pupil who wasnt planning to go down the university route after school. However, they. Mr Magnus Bashaarat will commence his role as the new Head Teacher at Maida Vale School as of 24 th April 2023. Magnus Bashaarat, head of Bedales school in Steep, Hampshire,hit out at a Labour motion to integrate all private schools into the government system and have their assets redistributed - a proposition that was passed last week at the party's conference. The comments below have not been moderated. Magnus Bashaarat, outgoing head of Milton Abbey [to become head of Bedales], believes that moving away from the nine or ten GCSEs path bears genuinely fruitful results. Magnus Bashaarat is Head of Bedales school . Courses have been made tougher with extra content, and in some subjects like English Literature there is a greater emphasis on memorising poems and quotations. This website uses cookies to improve user experience. She didnt ask to be a refugee and refuses to give up her ght for a better life. It doesnt serve any purpose anymore.. It was Tim's first live gig since lockdown, and he was visibly pleased to be speaking to a real rather than virtual audience. Bedales is the first school to be recognised by UCAS as offering its own GCSE-replacement qualification. He concludes: This year has taught us that many students have fared better when the high-stakes terminal assessments have been replaced by evidence of achievement spread over a much longer time. By continuing to use this website youare giving consent to cookies being used. Were alive to the fact that some of our courses would I think be interesting to other schools to deliver.. GU32 2DG, Reception Bedales is situated just one hour's journey from London, and has a linked prep school, Dunhurst and pre-prep, Dunannie. Magnus Bashaarat | Rethinking Assessment | The Week, Bedales School 'Our students are naturally ambitious and competitive, and build strong relationships with each other and their teachers based on mutual respect; everyone, staff and students, is on first name terms. Rather, the world-class civil engineering department at UCL has shown that undergraduates do not need maths or science at A-Level in order to excel. Published: 14:27 GMT, 5 October 2019 | Updated: 14:33 GMT, 5 October 2019, Magnus Bashaarat, head of Bedales school in Steep, Hampshire, hit out at a Labour motion to integrate all private schools into the government system. Magnus Bashaarat, of the 37,000-a-year Bedales in Hampshire, made the claim in. Now it is a guided drafting and grading process on a shared online space that cannot get eaten by the dog.. Her brothers are now inviting their sister to come and play with them, which is very unlike things are back home in the tent where Saras place is indoors helping with chores, Sara, Ali and Deeb chase the white water on Lebanons coastline. Inside the forest palace 'Putin shares with his gymnast lover and their secret children': Luxury estate Vanessa Bryant settles with LA County for $28,850,000 over misuse of photos from helicopter crash that What does the 1st March say for MY star sign? It will be a privilege to build on Keith's rich legacy and to lead John . He cares for the stray dogs that visit the settlement and plays with the abundance of stones in the old quarry, Deeb accompanies Sara to buy bread from a small shop run from a neighbours home. In November one head at a girls private school said future generations would look back on them like the Victorian dunce cap. Bedales Head Magnus Basharaat has responded to a 'major' consultation conducted by exam board Pearson - Future of Qualifications and Assessment - steered by an expert panel including former education secretaries Damian Hinds, Baroness Morris and Lord Blunkett. Find out whatBedalescandidates are assessed on and how, and at what point before they start school. The Bedales Enrichment Programme is designed to both complement and offer contrast to traditional A-Level choices. I think theyre terribly past their sell-by-date.. In most senior schools, pupils of this age will have many unrelated lessons across a week, where the content within each subject is not linked to other subjects. The subjects are diverse science students might want to act or draw; alternatively they may want to deepen their major disciplinary interest through an extended project. I would rather we shut our doors,' Mr Bashaarat said. Learn what happens once a candidate has a confirmed placefollowing their assessment. Saras family cannot aord to buy luxuries like meat on the $260 per month cash vouchers they receive from UNRWA and therefore their meals only consists of rice, potatoes and salad, Sara is a beneciary of Educate A Child, a programme of the Education Above All Foundation. The educationalist Bill Lucas has written that a focus on STEM subjects at school is not sufficient for would-be-engineers. Sara can see across the Bekaa Valley to the mountains, beyond which is Syria and the distant memories of the old life they had, Sara is keen to leave the tent, which leaks water from the roof when it rains and in the freezing cold winter months the snow drifts in. ActorDaniel Day Lewis also attended the school. He says: Pupils marked work in Year 12 could be used as the basis for an evidenced portfolio of achievement, and this would include results from any internal school exams. Pearson consultation | Bedales Assessed Courses | Rethinking Assessment | Magnus Bashaarat, Bedales School In an article for The Week Independent Schools Guide (Autumn/Winter 2021), Head of Bedales Magnus Bashaarat discusses educating in the time of COVID and his conviction that face-to-face contact between teachers and students is crucial, and makes the case for assessment reform. Bedales. They leave Bedales well-positioned to meet the changing priorities and requirements of todays higher education and work environments, and I would like to see the same for all of our young people. Discover whatisnearby for students to enjoyduring the weekends, and more about the location. For a reminder of what education might look like in our schools and colleges, we need look no further than the 2004 Tomlinson Report. However, they are notoriously unreliable, and there is powerful evidence that the status quo does a disservice to applicants from the state sector and disadvantaged families. All rights reserved. Samirah "Sam" al-Abbas is the demigod daughter of the Norse God of Mischief Loki and the late Alyesha al-Abbas, the half-sister of Alex Fierro, the valkyrie of Magnus Chase and the main female protagonist in the Norse mythology book series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. Magnus Bashaarat, the headteacher of Bedales School, where pupils sit a core of five GCSEs alongside alternative coursework focused Bedales Assessed Courses, said he hoped . The school,founded in 1893, advertises itself as being 'different' from the schools of its time. The orthodoxy of deeming some educational subjects worthy (STEM, English etc) and others less so is suspect. The 700-year-old Coronation chair that has been used for the crowning of King Charles has 'jeopardised' the monarchy by meeting European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Do we get our 87p back? By Magnus Bashaarat, Head of Bedales In a recent article by Haroon Siddique in The Guardian, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner expressed concern that Tory education reforms are putting state school pupils at a disadvantage compared to those educated in independent schools. Hear more about the students autonomous, self-directed approach to learning, and how they remain in control of their own academic progress. Magnus explains that the school considers the national curriculum and associated qualification regime to be prescriptive, dull, narrow and inadequate, and points to the growing dissatisfaction with GCSEs, increasingly considered redundant given the raising of the school leaving age to 18, and governments fixation with exams. As well as core curriculum subjects, she is also receiving psychosocial support to assist her with any trauma she may have been exposed to while eeing their homes from the civil war in Syria, Sara and her family visit Beirut on our nal day in Lebanon. considers the national curriculum and associated qualification regime to be prescriptive, dull, narrow and inadequate, and points to the. It recommended replacing GCSEs and A-Levels with a diploma covering both academic and vocational pathways, allowing for their combination. Bedales Senior, Pupils at Bedales Prep, Dunhurst took part in the Royal Society for the, The Spring term may have only started a few weeks ago, but children at Bedales, In a piece published by School Management Plus, Head of Bedales Will Goldsmith, U10/U11 Girls' Hockey v Ripley Court (A), U13 Basketball v Frensham and St Edmunds (H), Lessons from the pandemic - Magnus Bashaarat in The Week, Bedales Prep, Dunhurst takes part in RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch, Curriculum enriching trips at Bedales Pre-prep, History and Philosophy, Religion & Ethics. Privacy Policy. The course has been developed in collaboration with senior figures in business and was launched partly in response to comments from the industry that university graduates were not fully prepared for the workplace. Headteacher Magnus Bashaarat has spurned GCSEs for alternatives that are largely teacher-assessed. Writing in The Times, he said he liked the idea of a national education system without the dichotomy between state and independent schools but that the UK had an awfully long way to go before it was ready to integrate the two systems without sacrificing everything good that we do. Mumsnet carries some affiliate marketing links, so if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale (more details here). At Bedales, we had been less nervous than others of the damage the Ofqual algorithm might be able to inflict on our GCSE results, because . I can understand why some commentators are advocating the abolition of GCSEs but I feel their focus is misplaced. How did Russia lose HALF of its 45,000 elite paratroopers in just seven months? Bedales, which counts Daniel Day-Lewis, the star of There Will Be Blood, and Kirstie Allsopp, the Channel 4 property presenter, as former pupils, had stuck pretty faithfully to the idea that school should be a preparation for life rather than simply work, he said. Last week the Governor's accepted Magnus' resignation after he spent time reflecting over the summer. Keith Budge - the longest serving Bedales headteacher with the exception of its founder John Badley - is to step down after 17 years at the helm next summer. He criticised the Labour motion but also criticisedthe 'unholy triumvirate' of Boris Johnson, David Cameron and Jacob Rees-Mogg for making 'the Eton brand toxic'. We ask the heads of two leading schools, is it time to abolish GCSEs? It was backed by the shadow chancellor John McDonnell. Get the latest news straight to your inbox. GCSEs have been overhauled in recent years as part of exam reforms introduced when Michael Gove was Education Secretary. E: admin@bedales.org.uk, Accessibility | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Cookies Policy | Privacy | Contact Us, Bedales Schools | Website Design by Oyster. He has also worked at Stowe as Deputy Head, Eton as a Housemaster and Sherbourne as a . The head of a private school has said he would rather close down than see it become part of the state system. leaving thousands of young people feeling let down by a government and Education Secretary who had . 'GCSEs are no discriminator. Magnus Bashaarat, head of the 37,000-a-year Bedales, said he liked the idea of a national education system without the "dichotomy" between state and independent schools but that Bedales. We encourage our staff and students to be enterprising in all they do and we maintain close ties with regional employers. Here at William Clarence, we haveunparalleledexperience supporting students and their familiesfrom all over the worldin their independent school applications, and helping students achieve their desired placement. I support the ongoing reforms: the overriding effort to further raise standards is a laudable one. If your child is applying toindependent schools, this interview provides a powerful insight into the current independent school climate, and the kind of experiences your child can expect comparedto other education systems. Bedales has been innovating with its own wider range of assessments since 2006 when it introduced, The full Bedales response to the Pearson consultation can be read, Bedales Prep, Dunhurst takes part in RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch, Curriculum enriching trips at Bedales Pre-prep, History and Philosophy, Religion & Ethics. Inevitably, the transition has not been seamless and another disruption to the exam system at the moment is the last thing young people and teachers need. He said: Were I to be given the ultimatum, tomorrow, that Bedales be made a state school, and that it should follow the national curriculum and policymakers preoccupations with the transfer of knowledge and disregard for humanities and the arts, I would decline. Bedalesis situated just one hours journey from London, andhas a linked prep school,Dunhurstand pre-prep,Dunannie. She dreams of having a nicer home, She spends almost all her time in the tent when not at school: her brothers Ali and Deeb wont let her play football with them, Hadi, 2, is taught some basics of English by Sara to prepare him for enrolment into an UNRWA school when he is 6. At Bedales we have been offering our own Bedales Assessed Courses (BACs) alongside GCSEs for many years; they are recognised by UCAS and liked by universities and employers alike. Thebank that won't pass on rate rises unless you ring and ask:Just one of the ruses greedy lenders use to Meghan Markle was 'hugely disappointed' by life in the royal family and as a 'global superstar' she 'hated More snow and ice could batter Britain next week: Met Office warns Arctic blast from Greenland could send Shamima Begum and other British women who joined Islamic State and are being held in Syria will 'ultimately' Is YOUR lifestyle good for your heart? This should be the focus, rather than once again unsettling young people with talk of further tinkering with exams which have only recently been reformed. In our apparent rush to address a perceived weakness with the current system, we should be careful not to overlook its strengths. Get an insight into theBedalesschool environmentand ethos, how it compares toother schools, and the impactthat this has on students wellbeing and learning success. I would decline, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. The problem is that secondary level education has failed to keep pace with the vision and ambition of universities such as these. To build a broader coalition of support for exam reform from like-minded educationalists, politicians and business people, Bedales has played a central role in founding the Rethinking Assessment group. Hear about their school motto, Head, hand and heart, and how this relates to theBedalesapproach to education. In addition, all our Sixth Formers complete a rigorous Professional Skills Programme, a course dedicated to teaching the general skills they need to thrive in the workplace. Registered Company no. Petersfield Last week the Governor's accepted Magnus' resignation after he spent time reflecting over the summer. These are the five different single 'types' on the dating scene - and why knowing your personality is the Theatre issues trigger warning for production which 'involves the handling of a cooked egg'. The Bedales Enrichment Programme is designed to both complement and offer contrast to traditional A-Level choices. Lucas suggests that other subjects matter too in helping to facilitate the necessary habits of mind. Magnus Bashaarat criticised a Labour motion to integrate private schools He is head of famously progressive 37,000-a-year Bedales school in Hampshire Former pupils include Daniel Day Lewis,. Name of Head: Magnus Bashaarat Address: Church Road, Steep, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 2DG Sitting on a swing in Beirut, she hopes for a better future built on a good education and psychosocial support made possible by EAA and UNRWA, Sara has dreams of moving to Canada, Europe or the Gulf states where she can study in English and eventually become a doctor. Myriam Abbas. 'True to its roots and founding principles the school places emphasis on collaboration and care for others. Magnus is interesting and energetic and, together with his wife Camilla, will be a wonderful addition to the Bedales community." Magnus Bashaarat commented: "I am looking forward to joining Bedales and developing the school's impressive contribution to education. number: 07222273 And Magnus Bashaarat will take over at the start of the autumn term, in September 2018. Bedales Head Magnus Basharaat has responded to a major consultation conducted by exam board Pearson Future of Qualifications and Assessment steered by an expert panel including former education secretaries Damian Hinds, Baroness Morris and Lord Blunkett. To read the full article, click below, with thanks to The Week Independent Schools Guide. all private schools become part of the state system. It was Saras rst time on an escalator and, after being cautious at rst, she soon found her feet and was leading her family around the city with condence, When she eventually leaves Lebanon to continue her studies and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, she imagines the cities will be big and beautiful just like Beirut, Ali and Sara have never seen the sea, let alone stood on its shores and played in the shallow water. Predictions for the future of GCSE and ALevel gradesfollowing the coronavirus pandemic. Only in this way, he argued, can young people be prepared for the 21st century labour market, and I could not agree more. Reputation management expert reveals why it doesn't just happen to 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen!' Sara wants to be able to contribute to a society by becoming a doctor to help others, Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Syrian refugee in Lebanon: Education is the foundation of my dreams, Private school head 'would rather close down' than become state school, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off and extra perks with Booking.com Genius membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 15% off selected items using this eBay voucher code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. The full Bedales response to the Pearson consultation can be read here. Sounds like there's a scandal there somewhere! Academic & Curriculum, By continuing to use this website youare giving consent to cookies being used. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Private schools have been so far restrained in their criticism of the motion, choosing to focus on the work they do to justify their charitable status through offering bursaries to poorer pupils and collaborating with state schools. Steep The school (pictured) advertises itself as being 'different' from the schools of its time, having been founded in 1893, Mr Bashaarat, whose school's alumni include presenter Kirstie Allsopp (left) and singer Lily Allen (right), said Bedales could not become subject to the national curriculum or 'policymakers' preoccupations' with competitive exams and rote learning, He called the conversation about integration 'timely and necessary', but added:'We in the UK have an awfully long way to go before schools such as mine might operate in mainstream education without sacrificing everything good that we do.'. By using our website, you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. He MUST seize it, starting with the Budget, writes ANDREW NEIL. Actress: Our River.Our Sky. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. New HMC chair They stifle creative teaching, and because everyone now has to stay in full-time education, or follow an apprenticeship or training until 18, there is little point to an exam which was introduced at a time when pupils could leave school at 16 qualified, and get a job. Unlike the others, Hadi was the only one born into tent life. In 2016 former Education Secretary, Lord Baker decried the squeezing out of creative and technical subjects in our schools, and alongside the usual curricular suspects, argued that young people should study a technical subject such as design and technology or a BTEC, and a creative option such as a GCSE in art or drama. Since then she has faced many adversaries with her friends and has won with their help. Mr Bashaarat also said the unholy triumvirate of Boris Johnson, David Cameron and Jacob Rees-Mogg had made the Eton brand toxic and that the number of prime ministers coming from the same school was a legitimate concern. Dont get me wrong: I thoroughly embrace the principle of making education more relevant to the modern workplace and I agree that the role of schools is to prepare young people for jobs that dont exist yet. However, many heads including some in private schools have said the GCSEs fail to provide a well-rounded education and put too much pressure on students. I pray Rishi Sunak succeeds so as HENRY DEEDES: Wowee was he pumped! 2023 Zest Media Publications Limited All Rights Reserved 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX | 0207 704 0588 All rights reserved. Disingenuously, ministers have dismissed this history as a progressive aberration.. Another private school head has added its weight to a growing independent school campaign pushing for GCSEs to be replaced with broader, alternative courses. look back on them like the Victorian dunce cap, 25 years after the MMR vaccine autism fraud, we're still dealing with the consequences, Rishi Sunak's new Northern Ireland Brexit deal should be end of Boris Johnson, Tory MPs say, Cotswold town tells swimmers not to use 129-year-old bathing spot due to sewage pollution, Aristocrat and boyfriend arrested on suspicion of manslaughter as police search for baby, If the Northern Lights will be visible from the UK again tonight, and tips for seeing them, Climbdown after SNP attempt to ban media from 'safe space' hustings events, 'Dubious egg sandwiches in windowless rooms': Inside Rishi Sunak's secret Brexit negotiations, Quinta Brunson's brilliant Abbott Elementary lives up to the hype, Mariupols deputy mayor reveals what life is like now in Ukrainian city occupied by Russians, Graham Potter is just the fall guy for Todd Boehly's aimless Chelsea plan, Predictions of a housing crash have been mounting now we face something even worse, 9 retro UK seaside resort towns having a 21st-century renaissance, from Margate to Morecambe, If Jeremy Hunt fails to extend energy bill help this spring, the Tories will pay a heavy price, The DUP has accidentally become the most effective promoter of a united Ireland, The i Podcast: Patrick Strudwick reveals how chemsex enables exploitation, violence and death, Do not sell or share my personal information. He says: As we see it, the only remaining value in GCSEs lies in informing A level grade predications for the purpose of university admissions. I'm sure everyone appreciates how challenging the last 18 months have been for everyone, especially teachers. Magnus concludes: As we consider a world no longer dominated by the threat of COVID, we must aim higher than simply returning to what we knew. Whatever they choose to do, they work no less hard than on their A-Levels, are subjected to no less rigour and experience a much wider range of assessment methods.