‘WHY WE’RE DITCHING GCSEs’
WHILE teenagers stress over GCSE and A-level exams, one group of parents are sending their children to a school in Cardiff where they won’t take any.
They say tests and exams have become too stressful and they don’t want their children to have to narrow their learning by dropping subjects at age 14 for GCSE choices.
Instead they are sending them to the Cardiff Steiner School which is opening its first upper school in September this year, extending classes to pupils aged 13 and 14 who will be able to stay until they are 18 working towards the internationally recognised New Zealand Steiner Certificate.
Instead of being tested and taking exams over four years for GCSE, AS and A-levels, pupils follow a broad, assessed curriculum, including a compulsory modern foreign language from the age of six.
Their progress is monitored by assessment, and although there is some formal testing, it happens less often and later, explains Jenny Grewal from the school, whose three sons attend and will take the certificate.
Pupils do not specialise until they are over 16 and subjects are taught across the curriculum.
A recent boat-building project combined maths, science, history and literature skills.
Ceri Pepper from Caerphilly enrolled daughter Jade, 11, into the school last September because she became so stressed by tests in primary, she feared she would not cope in secondary.
“She is a different girl since coming here. She is not timid or shy and is learning. She is thriving,” Ceri said.
“I’m not worried about her not getting mainstream qualifications. I have every confidence in this school.”
Ross Broadstock and his wife Zheng-Ping from Tonteg, opted for Steiner 18 months ago after dropping a friend’s child there and being impressed by how happy pupils are.
They began to question the value of training son Arnie, eight, for maths tests each week and helping six-year-old twins Leon and Xavi with word cards every night in their mainstream primary school.
“Every evening we were coaching Arnie to win,” said former exhibition co-ordinator and artist Ross.
“Him and his mate were top of the class. They were just learning to win and we thought if it started this young they would have a gut full by the time they were older.
“I researched and realised the exam and test system is designed to measure schools not educate pupils.
“I was worried to hear they won’t do GCSE or A-levels. You worry as a parent you are closing doors. Am I stopping my children doing what they want in life by taking this decision?
“But from my own experience doing A-level physics, chemistry and maths, I realised doors are closed by having to specialise young. I went to the London School of Economics to do a science management degree because my choices were narrowed to science age 14.”
Lucy Seago, from Cardiff, has a 14-year-old daughter doing GCSEs at mainstream high school in a curriculum which she says has bored and stressed her. She has sent younger daughters Lily, seven, and Ella, five, to Steiner so they won’t have to take exams and for what she says is a broader education which is not about teaching to the test.
The former NHS manager, now director of Cardiff Salad Garden community project, said: “I don’t think you can have a rounded education without subjects like history.
“My older daughter had to drop history, PE, music and drama at 14 because she only had three choices for GCSE subjects.
“I feel sorry for my older daughter that she now has two years of GCSE exams in years 10 and 11. You feel they are learning to do tricks. I feel it is hot housing and you lose choice.
“What excites me about Steiner is it teaches children when they are ready to learn.”
Former Steiner teacher and now Steiner special educational needs co-ordinator Jeremy Nowell, said assessment was rigorous and the curriculum is balanced.
Jeremy, who has also taught GCSE maths and English, said: “In Steiner assessment is brought into teaching.
“We do have tests from time to time when students are ready for them. Rather than a test, students might have to do an assessed project like map making which shows they can use trigonometry in an applied sense.
“The map might be assessed and there might be a trigonometry test which looks quite conventional.”
All of the parents are concerned about growing stress and mental health issues among teenagers which they believe is caused, or not helped, by the stress of endless exams.
“I am not blaming mainstream teachers or schools but I think there is a fault in the system,” says Ceri.