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Friday February 24th, 2023
Welcome to your February edition. In this issue, we’re thinking about choices. How to go about choosing a school once you’ve received several offers of a place. And what to consider when you’re thinking about GCSE options. We’ll also look at courses offered over the Easter break and summer holidays. We hope you’ll find our summary helpful. For bespoke support and advice, tailored to your child, drop us a line to find out more about how we can help.
Some private and independent UK schools will have offered places as early as December. Offers from state schools (including selective grammar schools where relevant) are due the first week of March. Whichever route you’re taking, next month is an important milestone. As well as the state school offers, many independent schools expect places to be accepted or declined by the beginning of March too. So, how to decide? You’ll have already done a great deal of the legwork at earlier stages in the application process. Researching the school’s ethos, environment, facilities, etc. As such, you’re already in a good position to make a choice. But many families say this stage of the process can feel daunting. If you’re unsure which option to choose – or you aren’t happy with any of the options available – do get in touch and we can help you navigate next steps.
Obviously, there are many different factors to consider when comparing and choosing schools. Likewise, there are many different systems of evaluation. The most common is probably the league table, of which there are many! One of our favourites is The Times – ParentPower. You need to subscribe to read it online, but it’s well worth the subscription cost. There are usually separate tables comparing the top 100 schools for GCSE, IB and A Level and Pre-U results.
Most independent UK schools publish the percentage of grades 9-7 at GCSE (equivalent to A*/A), and A*-A/B at A level. But don’t forget that there are several factors you’ll need to consider when you look at league tables.
In smaller year groups, an individual’s grade will have more impact on the overall percentage. For example, a lower A Level grade in a sixth form with only 50 students will lower the overall score more than a similarly low grade at a school with a 300-strong sixth form. So don’t be put off by a lower overall score where you know the school has a small Y12 intake. This smaller-scale learning environment might suit your child better than a large, bustling sixth form that ranks higher in the league tables.
Where schools are ranked by A level results, bear in mind that the numbers of students taking a subject can vary quite significantly. For this reason, looking at ranking by subject can give you a more accurate insight, especially for the more niche subjects where uptake is lower. But then also bear in mind our previous point about group sizes. The smaller the group size, the more disproportionate the effect of results at the upper or lower limits!
Some schools incentivise pupils to take easier, less academic subjects and get higher grades. This can be useful for individuals and for the school, but it does mean that sometimes a school may not be as academically successful as it might seem. Another reason to drill down by subject when considering rankings.
Take care when comparing schools that offer IB and A Level with those that offer A Levels only. In schools that offer both, the A Level rankings can dip because sometimes more academically able students opt for IB over A Level. This is then reflected in the percentage of A or A* grades at A Level, but may not be reflective of the school or its students’ achievements as a whole.
Where previously single-sex schools have begun welcoming girls into their sixth form, this new intake might skew results. Data suggests girls are more academically able at this age, so there may be a jump from that school’s GCSE results and / or a disparity between them and other single-sex schools.
It can be a helpful exercise to separate out A and A* grades. To achieve the latter, a student must demonstrate a real proficiency in that subject. And often, where schools perform similarly taken as a whole (i.e. when ranked by pupils’ percentage of A and A* grades), you’ll see clearer patterns when you compare A* grades alone.
It can be useful to look back (ideally over several years) at the number of pupils securing offers from Oxbridge. But do be aware that this can reflect a school’s selection processes rather than (or certainly as well as) its teaching quality per se.
Something else to remember (how could we forget!) is that without official exams in 2020 or 2021, grades were based on teacher and internal assessments and as such were higher than in a typical year.
Don’t forget that some schools actively avoid league tables. For example, Harrow School, one of the top-rated UK independent schools, doesn’t appear in the rankings. Some schools disagree with league tables on principle, because they believe it can lead parents to decide on data alone, which – for all the reasons we’ve mentioned – can be misleading.
We always recommend a broader consideration of all that a school can offer. It’s important to think about the environment in which your child will thrive. This might include smaller class sizes, a mix of remote and in-person learning, mixed intake (i.e. co-ed), as well as all the extracurricular opportunities that can foster skills and breed success. None of this shows up in the league tables’ academic performance data – but it is all crucial to helping your child achieve their full potential at school and beyond.
With our in-depth knowledge of the UK’s top independent schools, we can suggest the best matches for your child. If you choose to work with us, we’ll ask your child to sit some short tests in maths, English and sometimes science or other subjects. Then we’ll compile a personalised selection of schools, ranked with the same A/A* percentage in GCSE and A-Levels that other league tables use, that will suit your child’s strengths (the test results enable us to ascertain their ability to meet schools’ varying entry criteria).
But beyond the academic attainment, we’ll also advise you about all the other aspects of education – from facilities, to teaching styles, to class size and school location – that could influence your decision. Get in touch for a no-obligation chat today to see if we can assist.
This is the term when Year 9 pupils start selecting the GCSE subjects they’ll study in Years 10 and 11. Some, such as English language, maths and science, are compulsory. Others (typically 4 subjects) are up to you! It’s exciting to start shaping your own academic future – but can seem daunting as it is the first real chance you may have had to do that.
Don’t forget that GCSEs are designed to keep your education as broad as possible, while starting the process of specialising in some areas. If you have a career path in mind, then it can pay to work backwards and think what subjects you’ll need at A Level to access the university courses you’ll be applying for.
For example, if you’re planning on taking a medical degree, and your school offers separate science courses at GCSE, it makes sense to sign up for these. If the law is your calling, then a modern foreign language and an essay-based, analytical subject such as English literature or history could give you a good grounding. If you’d like to specialise in psychology and you’re good at maths, maybe statistics could be a good option if it’s offered at your school. If engineering’s your thing, focus on physics if you can, or an engineering GCSE if that’s an option.
If you’re not sure about a career path yet, choose the subjects you enjoy most and that you’re good at. Keep your options open, because there’ll be plenty of time to make more choices and specialise later.
Get in touch if you’d like to discuss GCSE options and next steps.
If you’re wondering how to fill the holidays with fun, cultural, educational experiences – here are some options!
In this competition for 12 to 17 year olds, teams of mixed cultures and mindsets pit their wits against one another, researching, discussing and debating a topic, creating action plans and delivering presentations, then producing a promotional video supported by a final pitch. Topics are chosen from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), identified as key focus areas for securing a better shared future together as ‘Global Citizens’.
There’s plenty of time to unwind too, with a disco, fashion show, murder mystery event, Easter egg hunt, and trips to famous historical and cultural cities and landmarks. You can choose from two beautiful venues, both steeped in educational history: Rugby School and Cheltenham College.
Contact us to find out more and make a booking.
These residential language courses suit all levels of English, with one- to three-week programmes for children aged 8 to 17 in the British Isles, Italy and north America.
You can choose from UK university venues in London, Dover, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Midlands and Yorkshire, Italian hotels in Umbria or Tuscany, or colleges and universities across the USA and Canada. You can even book a one-week ‘college on a cruise ship’ experience!
Packages include 20 lessons per week (15 hours), an MLA TASKtime eBook to use and take home, plus discos, Karaoke, sports days and excursions each week.
Get in touch to explore more and book a stay.
Until next time…
“ Regency Education helped all three of our boys get into a wonderful school where they now thrive. ”
“ REGENCY EDUCATION WAS ABLE TO HELP US WITH EVERY STEP OF THE SCHOOL APPLICATION PROCESS ENSURING THE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF OUR CHILDREN. AN INVALUABLE SERVICE. ”
“ REGENCY EDUCATION WAS ABLE TO HELP US WITH EVERY STEP OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS ENSURING THE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF OUR CHILDREN - AN INVALUABLE SERVICE. ”
