Media Release for Wellington College

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Under&strict&embargo&until&00.01&hrs,&Fri&20th&March&2009& & WELLINGTON&COLLEGE&MOVES&TO&IB&MIDDLE&YEARS& PROGRAMME&IN&PIONEERING&BREAK&FROM&GCSES& & Wellington!College!has!today!become!the!first!British! independent!school!to!offer!the!IBO's!Middle!Years!Programme!

(MYP)!for!13A16!year!olds!as!an!alternative!to!the!GCSE.! !

The!MYP!A!the!IB!programme!for!the!GCSE!years!A!will!be! introduced!at!Wellington!from!this!September.!The!move!makes!

Wellington!the!first!British!independent!school!to!challenge!the! stranglehold!of!the!GCSE!system!and!national!obsession!with! external!exams!for!this!age!group.!! !

Anthony!Seldon,!Master!of!Wellington!College,!said:! !

"We!are!very!excited!by!this!move.!We!are!already!teaching!the!

International!Baccalaureate!in!the!Sixth!Form!in!tandem!with!A! Levels!so!it!is!a!natural!step!for!us!to!offer!this!outstanding,! proven!programme!to!our!pupils!in!Years!9A11.! !

"The!IB!MYP!is!genuinely!rigorous!and!is!externally!monitored!by! an!independent!international!body!whose!reputation!for!quality! is!recognised!around!the!world.!That!means!it!is!free!from! government!interference!and!grade!inflation.!We!are!moving! away!from!the!treadmill!of!endless!examination!and!learning!by! rote!in!favour!of!courses!which!stimulate!children!and!put!the!

excitement!and!challenge!back!into!learning.!Children!are!taught! to!think!for!themselves,!and!thinking!skills!are!a!core!ingredient! of!the!IB!MYP.!Trust!is!restored!to!teachers!because!it!is!they!who! design!the!courses.!It!is!a!much!better!preparation!for!university! life!and!for!the!world!of!work!outside!the!school!gates!A!a!world! which!is!increasingly!international.! !

"Britain!does!not!need!a!single!national!exam!at!16;!exams!have! been!sucking!the!blood,!the!humanity!and!the!flair!out!of!schools.!

The!IB!MYP!puts!the!life!back!into!learning.!! ! !

"We!are!supportive!of!the!move!by!some!schools!to!offer!IGCSEs! but!the!fact!remains!that!they!share!much!of!their!DNA!with!

GCSEs,!on!which!they!are!based,!and!retain!many!of!their! problems.!The!IB!MYP!offers!not!an!evolution!but!a!revolution!in! our!approach!to!education."! !

The!decision!to!offer!the!IB!MYP!at!Wellington!has!been! welcomed!by!parents,!teachers!and!leading!Universities.!! !

Geoff!Parks,!Director!of!Admissions!at!the!University!of!

Cambridge,!commented:!"The!proposed!changes!must!be!to!the! benefit!of!Wellington's!pupils!educationally!and!that!should!then! benefit!them!in!their!university!applications.!It!seems!clear!that! for!many!pupils!the!current!(standard)!education!provision!in! years!9A11!is!decidedly!uninteresting,!uninspiring!and! unchallenging.!A!mixture!of!the!IB!MYP!and!IGCSEs!should! provide!a!much!more!engaging,!stimulating,!stretching!and! generally!satisfactory!experience."! !

Dr!Seldon,!an!advocate!of!the!need!to!bridge!the!divide!between! independent!and!state!schools,!believes!the!IB!programme! provides!new!opportunities!for!schools!to!extend!links!across!the! two!sectors.!! !

Dr!Seldon!concluded:!"Although!we!are!the!first!British! independent!school!to!take!this!step,!we!are!confident!that!many! others!will!follow!as!its!advantages!become!clear!and! disenchantment!with!the!GCSE!grows.!Just!as!the!IB!Diploma!is! spreading!through!the!independent!and!maintained!sectors!in!the!

Sixth!Form,!so!we!believe!that!the!IB!MYP!will!grow!in!popularity! for!pupils!aged!13A16."! !

For!more!information!on!the!IB!MYP!at!Wellington!College,!please! see:!www.wellingtoncollege.org.uk/myp! !

For!media!enquiries,!please!contact:! !

Sarah!Jane!Marshall!or!Jonathan!Hill!on!0207!233!9444! !

Notes&for&Editors& & 1. Wellington!College!is!a!coAeducational!independent! boarding!and!day!school!for!pupils!aged!13A18!in!

Crowthorne,!Berkshire.!It!was!founded!by!Queen!Victoria! and!Prime!Minister!The!Earl!of!Derby!in!1859!as!the! national!monument!to!the!Duke!of!Wellington.! !

2. Wellington!College!has!a!reputation!for!introducing! innovative!educational!ideas.!In!2006,!Wellington!became! the!first!school!to!introduce!'happiness!lessons'!to!the! curriculum,!in!conjunction!with!a!team!at!Cambridge!

University.!In!2008,!Wellington!became!the!first!British! school!in!this!country!to!introduce!the!"Harkness!method"! of!teaching!in!which!students!sit!round!an!oval,!boardA room!style!table!and!take!greater!responsibility!for!their! own!learning.!Later!this!year,!Wellington!will!become!one! of!the!first!independent!schools!to!open!its!sponsored!

Academy.!! !

3. The!IB!MYP!is!one!of!three!programmes!offered!by!the!

International!Baccalaureate!Organisation!(IBO),!which!is!

renowned!for!its!high!standards!and!academic!rigour!all! over!the!world!A!a!reputation!it!has!sustained!for!over!35! years.!As!an!independent!international!body,!the!IBO's! qualifications!are!free!from!government!meddling!and! have!proved!immune!to!grade!inflation.!For!more! information!on!the!IBO,!please!visit:!www.ibo.org.! !

4. Wellington!College!introduced!the!IB!Diploma!Programme! alongside!A!levels!in!2008.!In!the!first!cohort,!fortyAsix! students,!or!25%,!opted!for!the!IB!Diploma.!This!will! increase!to!35%A40%!in!the!next!year!of!intake.!Nearly!

180!schools!from!both!the!independent!and!state!sectors! in!the!UK!are!now!authorised!to!offer!the!IB!Diploma!and!a! large!number!have!expressed!an!interest!in!starting!it! from!September!2010.!The!IB!Diploma!is!available!in! around!2000!schools!in!130!countries!worldwide.!For!a! list!of!schools!in!the!UK!offering!the!IB!Diploma,!please! visit!the!website!of!the!International!Baccalaureate!

Schools!and!Colleges!Association!at:!www.!ibsca.org.!! !

5. The!IB!MYP!is!the!intermediate!version!of!the!IB!Diploma! and!is!for!pupils!aged!13A16.!Seven!schools!from!the!state! and!international!sectors!in!the!UK!are!currently!offering! the!MYP!and!several!more!are!actively!preparing!for!it.!! !

6. The!IB!MYP!will!be!offered!to!all!pupils!from!Year!9!to!Year!

11!(age!13A16)!at!Wellington!College!from!2009.!Since! some!Higher!Education!courses!and!some!employers! currently!require!GCSEs!in!Maths!and!English,!all!pupils! will!take!IGCSEs!in!these!two!subjects.!The!IB!MYP!is! flexible!enough!to!enable!pupils!to!take!IGCSEs!within!its! framework!without!posing!any!extra!workload.!! !

7. IB!MYP!pupils!will!still!be!given!the!option!of!taking!up!to!

9!GCSEs,!if!they!wish!to!from!within!the!MYP!curriculum! framework.!This!ensures!that!the!ultimate!decision!rests! with!parents!and!pupils.!!