Introduction by the editor

At a conservative estimate one pupil in four now either changes or leaves independent school at the age of 16.

The reasons are many.  For some a long stay at one school may induce a staleness which can be overcome by the challenge of a move to another; for parents with children at a single-sex school there may be a wish for them to learn to associate with the opposite sex; for those with children at a day school, a boarding school could help them get used to being away from home.

There may also be matters of subject choices, finance, or location.  Whatever the reason, in part it is recognition of change, the start of the transition from pupil to student. But these factors do not obscure two revolutions which have been taking place in education.

One is in schools. National Curriculum, league tables, the 14-19 curriculum, and the growing popularity of the International Baccalaureate, vocational courses - all continue to be discussed and documented.

The current debate about the exam structure post-16 appears to have broadened into what should happen post-14 and reflects growing doubts not just about the usefulness of GCSE but the new AS/A2 levels as well.  Last year's A level fiasco, which led to the resignation of the Secretary for Education, has continued to undermine the value of A levels in some minds. The erosion of this once highly-regarded exam, the growing debate about what should replace it, plus allegations of politically-motivated university-selection procedures which may penalise the more able pupil, has emphasised the second revolution.

This has being taking place within the home. Increasingly, parents no longer regard GCSEs and subsequent exams as an automatic rite of passage for their children in which they have little say. To them the equation is simple: good exam results = better job prospects.

Indeed such are the pressures nowadays that a degree alone may not suffice; ever more graduates find that when they reach the job market they have not necessarily acquired what employers want. For their part employers complain that the education system fails to provide them with enough satisfactory staff. There may be a need for further studies and qualifications after that, or to diversify to cope with the modern trends in employment.

There is also a growing feeling that something is missing. There is now an awareness that the race to accumulate qualifications (and indeed certificates of every sort) may be at the expense of the breadth and depth of learning essential for later life. On how boys and girls learn and how they are taught, especially in the post-16 years, depend the lively and enquiring minds capable of more than just scratching the surface of life.

However this dilemma is addressed - and many schools and colleges have addressed it - it does not detract from the need to obtain qualifications and other skills. Before the job interviews can begin the right choices of AS/A2 levels, Scottish National Qualifications, International Baccalaureate, vocational course, of degree or other courses, of university or college, must be made.

To these must be added the confidence, character, poise, presentation, attitudes and achievements which, from their own experiences, parents know employers look for.  They know, too, that the foundations of these are also acquired in a few, critical, teenage years. If the options and advantages are greater at another school or college, why not move your child there if you can?

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