Newsletter Brighton & Hove High School GDSt
Issue 6 October 2015
Dear Parents and Girls,
You may have read in the press last week that Deloitte has changed its selection process so recruiters do not know where candidates went to school or university. According to a report from the BBC, the company hopes to prevent “unconscious bias” and tap a more diverse “talent pool”. For next year’s recruitment round for 1,500 graduates and school leavers, an algorithm will consider “contextual” information alongside academic results. It will take into account disadvantages such as attending an under-performing school or coming from a deprived area. There will be a “university-blind” approach to selection, so that the name of the university attended will not be known. The move by Deloitte is the latest in a wave of changes by graduate recruiters wanting to look beyond academic results. Ernst and Young has scrapped a requirement for school leavers to have the equivalent of three B grades at A-level or graduates to have an upper second class degree. The accountancy firm will remove all academic and education details from its application process. PricewaterhouseCoopers earlier this year also announced that it would stop using A-levels grades as a threshold for selecting graduate recruits. None of this means, of course, that we need not bother about academic qualifications. These are still considered by the majority of employers as a reasonable indication of whether a candidate has the required capability and competence and they remain the only currency for entry to higher education in this country. However, what it does mean is that, clearly, academic qualifications alone will not be enough for success in today’s job market: it has never been more important to have a flexible and diverse range of skills to accompany them. Schools have a responsibility to prepare students for this new approach to recruitment. One of the things we have been doing at BHHS over the past four years is our Temple Project Qualification (TPQ) for Years 7 to 10. Brainchild of Mrs Ashdown and Mr Sherwood, it is a voluntary project which is part of our school’s enrichment programme. Based on the Sixth Form EPQ, the TPQ is designed to encourage and develop skills of organisation, problem-solving, prioritising, communication and both creative and critical thinking. I was delighted to be present at this year’s prize giving for the project and I hope you enjoy reading about the projects in more detail elsewhere in the newsletter. The standard of the girls’ work was superb. On this evidence, the UK’s ‘talent pool’ looks deep! Congratulations to all the girls who took part. Have a good weekend. Jennifer Smith
dates
Monday 19 - Friday 30th HALF TERM; Monday 2nd November Whole School assembly; Hullabaloo choir, 6:309:45pm; Tuesday 3rd German students visit; Y12/Y13 Photography trip to Shoreham port; Rotary Club mock interviews (Sixth Form); Wednesday 4th Y13 University admissions tests; Thursday 5th Senior Maths Challenge; th
Friday 6th Guild Collection; Y12 Student Voice; Y12/Y13 Psychology trip to UCL; Theatre Workshop, 4:30-9:30pm; Saturday 7th Theatre Workshop