Message from the Head of Secondary

A big, thick book full of words and learning and splendid information.  I could make this article entirely about the importance of dictionaries…… - perhaps next time.  Actually, this article is about exams and my wonderful dictionary defines an exam as ''a test of a student’s knowledge or skill in a particular subject which results in a qualification if the student is successful.''  A test of a student’s knowledge or skill…

The centre of our school will transform this week from a hive of Bugsy rehearsals, assemblies, community events and PE lessons into a silent oasis of concentration as our Year 11, 13 and a few Year 10 students begin their GCSE and IB exams in which their knowledge and skills will be tested.  Lots of teachers will spend their time with fingers on lips reminding the rest of the school community to be quiet when they are nearby and students in Year 8, 9 and 12 will look on nervously knowing that it will be their turn soon.

3,000 years ago the Chinese Zhou Dynasty tested their children’s ability in archery – a core skill at that time I suppose.  As modern states emerged all over the globe the notion of an educated class to administer the law emerged and an exam was a perfect way to decide the level at which an individual might enter the civil service.  Modern exams have their origins in such tests.  We need exams to help us understand the amount of learning that has taken place over a period of time and to help an individual establish what their future pathway might be.  There are many ways to assess young people and an exam remains only one way of many, but it is a widely accepted method of establishing an individuals’ ability to learn.  Whether we like it or not, there are times in our adult life when our exam results and qualifications are an indicator to others of who we are and what we are able to do.

So we wish all of our students taking exams in the coming weeks ‘Good Luck!’ but we remind them too that these exams and the academic standards that they reach are only a part of who they are. Their courage, their resilience, their kindness and compassion – these things make up who they are too.  Aim for top grades in the exam hall, and outside it…