INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

ACS Hillingdon International School expects to be authorised

later this summer to run the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, following its recent formal authorisation visit from the International Baccalaureate. Alan Phan outlines what is involved in making the switch

consider the benefits of alternative qualifications such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). The IB programme offers academic rigour, greater

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flexibility for teachers, and the opportunity for pupils to think independently and creatively. Across the world, nearly 750 schools run the

programme, but in the UK there are just seven IB World Schools currently authorised to teach the MYP. One of these, our sister school ACS Egham, has offered the MYP for 14 years and having witnessed the success of the programme there, we decided to offer it too, drawing on the expertise of many of our staff.

What is the MYP?

The MYP is the younger sibling of the better-known

Union address: Voice

What’s the deal?

As our new Department for Education gets to

work, Philip Parkin looks at what battles lie ahead

SO NOW we are beginning to know what the future course of education in England is likely to be over the next five years – or for as long as the Conservative/ Liberal Democrat coalition lasts. I was amused that The Independent pictured it as a marriage between Cameron and Clegg “until debt do us part” and that a contributor to Radio 5 suggested the coalition should be called “The ConDoms – because it’s quite inconceivable”! Michael Gove, the education minister, has

immediately made his mark on the Department by changing its name to give greater focus to its core purpose. One of the points in our election manifesto was for the creation of a department dedicated to and focused on education – so we support that. In education policy terms, it looks like a score-

draw in the horse-trading that took place before the coalition came into being. The matter of spending still looms over everything and the government’s intention to cut £6 billion from the current year’s budget makes one very fearful of where those cuts will fall. Both parties advocated a “pupil premium”

to follow the more disadvantaged pupils to their schools. The Lib Dems’ policy was that this should be new money rather than a redistribution of existing funding. They appear to have won that one with the money – £2.5 billion according to the Lib Dems – coming from outside the schools budget. Where the savings will be made to fund it isn’t specified. However, the Conservatives’ “free schools”

policy remains in place despite considerable reservations from the unions and others about the funding, viability and desirability of such a policy and its potential effects on the rest of the school

sector in terms of resourcing. I can only hope that, if it goes ahead, it is of minimal significance and impact, when the government understands that although all parents want good schools, most have no desire to set up and run them. However, I’m certain there’s no-one who will

not welcome the Conservatives’ policy on false allegations. Neither can I believe there isn’t anyone who does not want to see a reduction in micro- management from Whitehall, stifling bureaucracy and a slimmed down and more flexible curriculum. But we also want to see action taken to modify the draconian and depressing accountability regime that has so skewed the education system and blighted the working lives of so many teachers. In his introductory letter to staff in the Department

for Education, Mr Gove makes it clear that he intends to bring forward legislation by the end of May to allow more schools to have “academy-style freedoms”. While any government is mandated by the electorate to implement its programme, I hope that it will not be done with undue haste and insufficient time for consultation. We have suffered too much from politicians blindly promoting a political agenda against the best advice of those who have to deliver it. The teaching profession wants a period of stability;

it wants to be trusted by politicians and parents; and it wants the opportunity to have its views heard and listened to. While I fully share Mr Gove’s belief that there is “nothing more important to the fairness of our society and the future prosperity of our country than getting education right”, I have considerably more reservations about some of the ways in which he intends to achieve it. We look forward to going on Mr Gove’s journey

with him through constructive engagement and dialogue. We won’t always agree with what he wants to do, but we’ll be happy to listen to his reasons if he’ll listen to our views. The government’s relationship with the education

unions is similar to the coalition itself – we may have expressed our distaste for each other in the past, but now we have to work together in the best interests of all those involved in education.

• Philip Parkin is general secretary of Voice. Visit www.voicetheunion.org.uk/electionmanifesto

ITH GCSE grade results increasing year-on-year, some educationalists have questioned the value and rigour of the qualification. As a consequence, more schools are beginning to

An international alternative

6th-form qualification the IB Diploma. The MYP is designed for children between the ages of 11 and 16. In common with all IB programmes, it aims to nurture critical-reasoning skills, an enquiring mind and to

develop the whole person and set up attitudes which will lead to lifelong learning, international respect, and responsibility. In curriculum terms, the MYP consists of a

thorough study of eight subject groups: humanities; technology; mathematics; arts; sciences; physical education; language A (language of instruction/ mother tongue); and language B (additional modern foreign language). To this extent, it is not so different to the range of

subjects that a GCSE student might follow. However, where the MYP does differ is in the emphasis it places on developing connections between the disciplines, so that pupils learn to see knowledge as an interrelated and coherent whole. The concept of interrelatedness is nurtured through

five areas of interaction which overarch specific subjects: • Approaches to learning. • Community and service. • Human ingenuity. • Environments. • Health and social education.

How is the MYP assessed?

At the end of each term, students receive marks and a level is awarded for each criterion. From this information a final grade of 1 to 7 is awarded, which in some cases can be “converted” to an equivalent national grade. At the end of their MYP studies, students can receive

a certificate awarded by the International Baccalaureate Organisation. The student’s individual learning journey is also recorded in a “transcript” which provides a valuable record of their achievement. The MYP places value on the learning process

itself, rather than on a final examination result. As fewer children leave school at 16, education pre-16 has become more about the “learning journey” than achieving a suite of qualifications at age 16. The vast majority of IB MYP students will progress

to post-16 qualifications such as the IB Diploma. At middle years level, the IB does not set or mark examinations; rather it provides external moderation to validate schools’ internal assessment standards, based on different criteria for each subject. There is also an emphasis on self-assessment and peer-assessment within the programme. This is a rigorous process based on published criteria or “rubrics” to identify a child’s progress and development.

Can any school make the switchover?

In theory, any school can make the switch to the MYP, but in practice it is not a quick process and it involves considerable investment in both resources and teacher training. There is a rigorous three-phase authorisation

procedure which is conducted by the International Baccalaureate Organisation before a school qualifies as an IB World School: • Feasibility study and identification of resources: the

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school makes an in-depth analysis of the philosophy and curriculum, and identifies the resources needed to deliver it.

• Trial implementation period: the school puts in place all the processes and resources needed to deliver the programme, including the training of teachers. The school must then implement the full programme for at least one year.

• School visit: at the end of the trial period, a delegation appointed by the International Baccalaureate Organisation visits the school and evaluates the school’s capacity to deliver the programme. If the outcome is positive, the school becomes authorised to offer the programme and attains the status of IB World School.

Post-authorisation, the school’s delivery of

the programme is evaluated by the International Baccalaureate Organisation after a further four years and then every five years. In addition, teachers are encouraged to engage in an ongoing process of professional development including attending IB workshops and conferences.

Feedback and why we chose the MYP

Despite the long haul to achieve formal authorisation, I believe that the MYP provides the best preparation for students going on to post-16 education, university study and future employment. The International Baccalaureate Organisation’s

research has shown that children who have followed the MYP programme tend to perform better in the IB Diploma, achieving a higher pass rate and higher points score. As our school is offering the IB Diploma already, it seemed like a logical extension to introduce the MYP. And it is not just international families who find

the qualification appealing. The Robertson family in the UK were seeking a positive alternative to GCSEs for their 14 year-old son Nick. His mother, Louise, has been very impressed by the programme. She said: “I like the fact MYP is a curriculum designed to promote international understanding and to provide academic rigour with breadth rather than specialisation. Nick can specialise when he gets to university: before then, the IB gives him a firm educational base. “For Nick the IB is the challenge he needed that

just GCSEs did not offer. He is taking fresh subjects including design technology and is enjoying a higher level of maths. The major opportunities offered are that the children do truly think globally, and culturally they learn to be considerate and to celebrate the differences. I have a more modern young man.”

SecEd

• Alan Phan is middle school principal at ACS Hillingdon International School in Middlesex.

Further information

• For more information about the IB MYP, visit www.ibo.org/myp

• For more information about ACS International Schools, visit www.acs-england.co.uk

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