)
Bedales recently featured on BBC South Today and the BBC News website in a report exploring alternatives to traditional GCSE assessment and the future of education for young people.
The coverage focused on Bedales Assessed Courses (BACs), the school's distinctive qualifications for students aged 14–16, which have been running alongside GCSEs for two decades and are recognised by UCAS. The news report examined growing national conversations about assessment, curriculum breadth and the pressures associated with high-stakes examinations.
BBC journalists visited Bedales to learn more about how BACs enable students to demonstrate their understanding through a combination of projects, investigations, creative work, presentations and examinations, rather than relying predominantly on final exams. The report also featured students discussing their experiences of the courses and the opportunities they provide for deeper learning, greater independence and sustained engagement with their subjects.
Speaking to the BBC, Head of Bedales Will Goldsmith highlighted the school's aim of providing a balanced and challenging curriculum that allows students to take greater ownership of their learning. He explained that the combination of GCSEs and BACs gives students both academic rigour and opportunities to develop creativity, critical thinking and practical skills. BACs are designed to assess students over time, reflecting many of the ways people are evaluated at university and in the workplace, where long-term projects, independent thinking and effective communication are highly valued.
The feature formed part of a wider discussion about assessment reform in England and the importance of preparing young people not only for examinations, but also for university, employment and life beyond school. Bedales was presented as an example of a school that has spent many years exploring different ways to assess learning while maintaining high standards and strong outcomes for students. The school believes that rigorous assessment can take many forms and that students should have the opportunities to demonstrate what they can do across a broad range of skills and experiences.
The BBC also visited our local partner school Bohunt, whose staff shared similar concerns about the limitations of high-stakes examinations and the importance of developing a broader range of skills in young people. Their inclusion helped demonstrate that conversations about assessment reform are taking place across both the independent and state sectors.
Bedales was delighted to welcome the BBC to the campus and is proud that its long-standing commitment to educational innovation is contributing to a national conversation about how best to help young people thrive.
Read more about BACs here.
)
)
)