6/30/2008 7:41:00 AM
The Guardian 30 June
Leading private schools are refusing to adopt the government's new diploma qualification because it is too complex, confidential reports seen by the Guardian reveal. The independent schools' decision to opt out comes despite a number of incentives offered by ministers, and may damage state-educated pupils' chances of getting into the best universities. A separate report by academics at London University's Institute of Education warns today that the diploma risks worsening the divide between vocational and academic education, as private schools increasingly opt for a new range of academically elite qualifications, including the international baccalaureates and the Cambridge University Pre-U. Qualifications such as the Pre-U are designed to prepare students for the top universities, many of which have yet to endorse the diploma. The Department for Children, Schools and Families last month held a private seminar for independent schools that had expressed an interest in the diploma. The reports of that seminar reveal the efforts that the department has made to lure private schools into the diploma programme. They include private schools being offered a special "associate" or "observer" status, to join one of the consortiums of state schools and colleges which will deliver the full range of diplomas, as well as offers of state funding for training teachers. The report says that it is important for the "credibility and reputation" of the new diplomas that they are offered by private schools. However, a second report on the reaction of delegates from private schools - which are understood to include Wellington College and Brighton College - said they had identified "obstacles and difficulties" to joining, which included the question of funding for the scheme.Guardian
Curriculum / Quality Assurance | Independent/ Private Sector
E-mail a friend |
del.icio.us| Bookmark|
Permalink |
Comments
(0) |
Post RSS