Faculty key in hunt for Btec and academic study mix

A private school in Yorkshire believes it has been able to achieve this through the creation and expansion of its own “faculty” which enables students to study a range of Btec courses alongside more traditional academic subjects.

Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate Foundation is based on a country estate, near Harrogate and York.

It has five schools operating within the one site at Thorpe Underwood.

Like many independent schools it has its own pre-prep kindergarten for youngsters up to the age of three and a preparatory school for children up to the age of 10. Once pupils reach the age of ten they go onto the Kings Magna Middle School until they are 14.

Pupils are then split between two separate 14-to-19 schools which operate side-by-side.

Queen Ethelburga’s College is focused on traditional academic subjects at GCSE and A-level while Queen Ethelburga’s Faculty delivers a broader range of courses including Btecs where pupils’ work is based on going coursework rather than end of year exams. In 2012 the faculty celebrated its most successful year with record exam results and a positive inspection from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).

Almost 90 per cent of its GCSE students achieved five A* to C grades and 78 per cent of A-levels were graded B or above. Just over 90 per cent of students achieve a distinction at Btec.

Another success for the faculty was almost all students went to their first choice of university which included Russell Group members: Imperial College London and University College London. Queen Ethelburga’s headmaster Steven Jandrell said: “For a long time this country has been bedevilled with the idea that only traditional academic qualifications have value but the success of our students in the faculty shows that this is not the case.”

By running two schools side-by-side with different styles of curriculum he told the Yorkshire Post they were allowing a broader mix of pupils to flourish.

Although the schools are registered separately and appear as two schools on Independent School Council league tables, the pupils wear the same Queen Ethelburga’s uniform and are regarded equally within the school.

The faculty was set up in 2006 with a small number of students but has grown steadily to now have around the same number of students as the college.

When pupils reach the end of year nine as 14-year-olds they choose between Queen Ethelburga’s college or faculty. Although the faculty offers a range of Btecs these are mainly in academic rather than vocational subjects.

The main difference between the two schools is the pace at which pupils learn and the way in which they are assessed.

Both routes see the students sitting English, maths, science and ICT courses and all students are expected to do PE and personal development courses.

Students going into the college are expected to study a modern foreign language and either history or geography as compulsory subjects. Pupils are “fast tracked” through GCSE courses in one year rather than two allowing them to take extra subjects in the final year of their GCSEs. The faculty allows pupils to do a range of GCSEs over two years rather than one as well as choosing from a range of Btecs including in sport. music and performing arts. After the age of 16 faculty students then combine Btecs with A-levels while those in the college focus mainly on A-level subjects. Another key difference between Queen Ethelburga’s College and the faculty is the extra help provided to students.

Pupils in the faculty are expected to meet regularly with a mentor and they can also sit an advanced mentoring and study skills class aimed at making them better at independent learning and managing their own time.

Queen Ethelburga’s attracts a high number of overseas students including many who join at 14 years of age. One of the key reasons for choosing the faculty for some students is the extra support for pupils who have English as an additional language. In the faculty’s recent ISI report it says: “Those with English as an additional language quickly assimilate English language skills and this opens the gateway to their broader learning.”

Head of Faculty Kevin Oldershaw said: “Because young people can shape their courses to meet their own needs the faculty can be all things to all people.”