Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

How an Oxfordshire school created its own enriching baccalaureate

How an Oxfordshire school created its own enriching baccalaureate

Wood Green school is pioneering a new approach that aims to reward pupils for debating skills, teamwork and community service as well as academic success
At Wood Green school in Witney, Oxfordshire, a group of year 7 pupils are trying to convince classmates that scientists have taught spinach to send emails. Next door another class is being challenged to speak for 40 seconds, along the lines of Radio 4’s Just a Minute, on the subject “what is under the bed?”

Their peers might be doing a public speaking class, a session focusing on their own health and wellbeing, or taking part in community service or a Duke of Edinburgh award, which all pupils are expected to complete.

The lessons in how to spot fake news, in oracy, debating, teamwork and emotional intelligence aren’t attempts to undermine the Gove-ite traditional curriculum. Pupils at Wood Green do all the expected academic subjects and take public exams such as GCSEs and A-levels.

Many schools offer these enrichment opportunities. But at Wood Green the school’s leadership team is pioneering the idea of assessing pupils’ achievements in all these areas and awarding its own “baccalaureate” as part of a campaign launched this month aiming to radically change the way secondary education is organised in England.

Baccalaureate awards aren’t new. Wales already has one and the international baccalaureate is one of the most successful global qualifications, celebrated for its promise to develop “a broad range of human capacities” and requiring pupils to complete projects in creativity, activity and public service as well as achieving academic success.

Wood Green’s headteacher, Rob Shadbolt, realised he wanted something similar to this for his school years ago after a meeting with local employers and the then local MP and prime minister, David Cameron.

“I asked how the education policy of the government created young people with the skills that these employers wanted. He [Cameron] replied that what employers needed was employees with good maths and English,” said Shadbolt. “Although no one disagreed with the importance of numeracy and literacy, the employers in the room said they prioritised young people who could communicate, work well with others and by themselves, and who showed initiative.

“Turning out grades 4 or 5 in a maths or English GCSE, although important, isn’t enough. Broader opportunities are built into education in private schools. Why shouldn’t every child have that entitlement? This is about social justice as well.”

Shadbolt’s thinking prompted him to join the National Baccalaureate Trust, an offshoot of the Headteachers’ Roundtable thinktank, which came together on Twitter 10 years ago out of frustration at Michael Gove’s “English baccalaureate” idea.

Critics argue that Gove’s Ebacc, which judges schools on how many pupils achieve a good pass in a small number of academic subjects, is nothing like the real thing, and Tom Sherrington, a former headteacher and founder member of the HTRT, has been working with other heads since then to devise a qualification more aligned to the IB than the Gove model.

The national baccalaureate would be a final qualification at 18 and include pupils’ results in GCSEs, A-levels and vocational qualifications, as well as other achievements in the arts, sport, project work and civic activity. Crucially, campaigners believe, this would help to minimise the status divide between academic and technical routes by unifying them under one award.

“Young people’s educational careers are too defined in terms of a collection of exam results, with too little regard for technical education, creative learning, and personal development,” says Sherrington. “So many of those judged to be at the lower end of the attainment range are denied the opportunity to leave school with a fair record of their successes and achievements, however hard they work. We believe a successful education encompasses so much more than this.”

The proposal, which has been subject to a lengthy consultation with professionals, was launched last week on the website Rethinking Assessment, almost 20 years after a similar idea for an all-encompassing diploma at 18, crafted by the former Ofsted chief inspector Sir Mike Tomlinson, was rejected by the then prime minister Tony Blair.

But after the saga of exam cancellations, failed algorithms and controversial teacher assessments during the pandemic, and a growing unease about the extent to which exams dominate the education system, some campaigners are keen to go faster than a new qualification that still includes GCSEs and A-levels.

The Tory MP and chair of the education select committee, Robert Halfon, has proposed abolishing GCSEs altogether and replacing them with a baccalaureate qualification at 18. Peter Hyman, the former Downing Street adviser and now co-director of the Big Education academy trust, has called for a final pupil “transcript”, which would give credits for a range of projects and skills over a pupil’s entire school life.

The Conservative One Nation group also supports the baccalaureate idea and believes it would contribute to the government’s levelling up agenda. The Conservative MP Flick Drummond said she didn’t believe the existing curriculum was fit for purpose.

“We need to have a 14-18 curriculum with one set of exams/assessment at the end, at 18, which would include both academic and vocational qualifications, including apprenticeships, and give young people a wide-ranging portfolio to present to the next stage, whether that is university or work,” she said.

“I am particularly concerned that we are putting so much emphasis on passing exams that are not engaging young people. They should be relevant and useful. By waiting until 18 to assess young people, they will have the maturity to understand the relevance of what they are doing, and we should make sure that vocational qualifications are seen as on a par with academic ones.”

Sherrington thinks the time may not yet be right for the outright abolition of GCSEs. “A baccalaureate is a really good way to talk about exams because you don’t have to talk in binary terms about having them or not. You can include them in a wider award that assesses pupils in other ways. And have far fewer exams that aren’t as high stakes.”

At Wood Green school, Shadbolt agrees that a first stage would be to put a baccalaureate framework around what schools are already doing. “We are crediting all learning and personal development in our school, but we would welcome external accreditation that valued a wider range of attributes, and unified academic and vocational qualifications. A government commitment to this would be such a transformational step forward for schools.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
×