Tollbar Students Ditch A-levels For Baccalaureate

HISTORICALLY, post-16 schooling has seen many students being given the choice of A-levels or... well, A-levels. However, this has changed at Tollbar Sixth Form College, as young people now try their hand at International Baccalaureate qualifications instead. We sent along reporter ANDY EDGEWORTH to find out what it is all about.

EDUCATION, like all things, is subject to progression and change. Some parts of it remain with steadfast tradition, such as the 11-plus exam in some parts of the country and the awarding of a blue from Oxford or Cambridge.

I was schooled in a very old fashioned establishment, an all-male school, where you were referred to by surname and stood up when a member of staff entered the room. There were no choices in subject, you did 10 GCSEs whether you liked it or not and there was no time for "fancy subjects" like art or technology.

However, since then we have had a change in further education.

AS-levels have been introduced alongside a whole host of other qualifications, which gives people choice.

The critics tell us every year that A-levels are getting easier and that it wasn't "how it was in their day".

Well, it isn't their day and a new and exciting prospect of further education is now on offer for the region's youngsters.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) has replaced the A-level system at Tollbar Sixth Form College this year with the last A-level exams being taken this summer and it bodes for exciting times ahead.

I was intrigued to find out about the system, as even the name stirs a natural curiosity. When I was given an afternoon to visit Tollbar and see first hand the baccalaureate in action, I jumped at the chance and spoke to teachers and students about their first year in the new IB programme.

The IB is studied for two years and is based around three core elements:

Theory of Knowledge.

Creativity, Action and Service (CAS).

Extended Essay.

Within this, students study six subjects, three at higher level, and three at standard.

As well as coursework and exams in each subject, they finish off with a mini dissertation-style essay, on a subject of their choice. All students study English, maths, a language, a science, an arts subject and one other.

Students can pass each subject, but are also awarded an overall grade.

Director of sixth form, Andy Clark said: "All our staff have been trained well for this new system and we feel it offers our students a chance to become well-rounded people, and not just people trained to pass exams.

"With the IB, students get a chance to express themselves and learn to excel both academically and socially, and universities and workplaces recognise the IB as a programme which benefits people for the future."

The CAS side of the programme allows students to incorporate their interest into their studies. They can do anything from table tennis to nail art, and activities have even included a mock legal trial with real judges in Leeds."

Vice principal Heather Boothroyd said: "The CAS gives students a chance to try something different. The activities they do outside the college can count towards it and this allows the students to take part in new things, such as gardening or take part in the beach-clean we carried out. This benefits the students and the community.

"We believe that the students will gain a well-rounded education through the IB and are not just taught to pass exams.

"They also learn valuable life skills."

The IB programme has existed since 1968 and is now operating in more than 128 schools in the UK, although Tollbar is the only centre in the region to offer the programme at present.

Tollbar student Alex Hides (17) said: "We get so much choice and support here. I feel we can always go and ask people for advice or help."

The college also has links around the world, as the IB is a worldwide programme taught in nearly 2,000 schools.

Tollbar has forged links with a school near Gothenburg, Sweden, with the first pupils going on an exchange visit in June.

There are also other links, such as the Lessons from Auschwitz Project, in which two students will travel to Poland and join other baccalaureate students for a chance to partake in seminars and visit the camp.

Another student, Eleanor Stanhope (16), said: "I came here especially for the baccalaureate programme.

"It gives you a more rounded education and a choice to pursue activities outside school which are of benefit to you as a whole, and not just your education."

Having had a brief glimpse into the IB, I certainly would have loved an opportunity to study such a programme.

Education, like anything must move on, and surely this is the future, and it is exciting.

For more information on the International Baccalaureate programme, visit www.tbecib.co.uk.

Article from The Grimsby Telegraph - Tuesday February 24th 2009