Are A levels dying?
September 2008 marks the launch of the Cambridge Pre-U, the vocational 14-19 Diploma and the new specification A levels. However, most private schools will refuse to consider the Governments flagship 14-19 Diploma qualification. Professor Alan Smithers, a leading education expert has opined that he does not expect academic standards to improve with the 14-19 Diploma’s introduction, even going so far as to say the qualification is a ‘disaster waiting to happen’. Schools minister, Jim Knight, reportedly attacks these claims and asserts there is backing for the Diploma.
At this time all independent sixth form colleges are continuing to offer A levels and / or the International Baccalaureate. None have yet committed themselves to the Pre-U, but we would expect this to happen in 2009. There are only about 12 independent schools starting to offer the Pre-U in September 2008, but these include top boarding schools like Eton, Harrow, Charterhouse and Winchester, which makes it highly likely that other schools will follow. One of the top 5 independent boarding schools, Charterhouse will offer Pre-U subjects in September 2008 and is also aiming to offer the International Baccalaureate in due course. www.pre-u.info carries an article on the Pre-U by Charterhouse’s Assistant Head, Andrew Turner.
We envisage that the A Level will remain the mainstay curriculum in sixth form colleges for the next few years, but the shift away from A levels by independent schools is bound to influence them to follow a similar path.
