GCSE congratulations...and new Game Design course

Bedales is celebrating high levels of achievement following the publication of GCSE results. This year also marks the tenth cohort to leave the school with the innovative GCSE-alternative Bedales Assessed Course (BAC) qualification, and sees the introduction of a new course in Digital Game Design.

Students at Bedales study a unique combination of three different qualifications: IGCSE, GCSE and BACs, which were introduced over a decade ago to offer more interesting and demanding courses in a range of arts and humanities subjects.

This year’s high achievers included:

Daisy Flint† – gained nine 9/8 grades (equivalent to A*), including IGCSEs in English, Mathematics and Double Science, a GCSE in French and BACs in Design, English Literature, Philosophy, Religion & Ethics and Theatre Studies. Daisy is a former pupil of Bedales Prep, Dunhurst.

Bryn Bidwell-Richards – gained nine 9/8 grades, including IGCSEs in English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Spanish GCSE and BACs in Design, History and Outdoor Work. Bryn also achieved a grade A in Music GCSE and an Additional Maths FSMQ.

Ella Peattie – gained nine 9/8 grades in IGCSEs in English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, GCSE Latin, and BACs in English Literature, Philosophy, Religion & Ethics and Theatre Studies. Ella also achieved a grade 7 in GCSE Spanish and the Additional Maths FSMQ.

Three other Bedales students also achieved the equivalent of at least nine A* grades.

Head of Bedales, Magnus Bashaarat, commented: “Congratulations to our students. Almost half of them achieved an average grade 7 or A, which is extremely impressive and demonstrates the depth and range of achievement. Our students have the opportunity to choose unique combinations of subjects, such as Global Awareness and Outdoor Work in addition to more traditional academic subjects, and also enjoy a wide range of assessment methods, academic stretch and project work. This prepares them well for onward Sixth Form study.”

Bedales retains a compulsory core of five I/GCSEs (English, Mathematics, Double or Triple Award Science and a Modern Foreign Language), while also offering BACs as an alternative to GCSE for increased depth, more active learning and stimulating material, less prescriptive syllabuses and a wider range of assessment methods.

Students can choose from the following BAC options: Ancient Civilisations; Art; Dance; Design (Product or Fashion); English Literature; Geography; Global Awareness; History; Music, Philosophy, Religion & Ethics; Outdoor Work; Sports Science and Theatre Studies.

The school is introducing a new BAC in Digital Game Design this year to inspire the next generation of programmers and designers. The unique course will take an interdisciplinary approach and students will be writing and realising their own creations. To coincide with this, Bedales has signed a new partnership with Digital Schoolhouse, the not-for-profit programme sponsored by the UK game industry that supports computer science and coding through play-based activities in primary schools. From September, Bedales will offer workshops for local primary schools, enabling children to get to grips with machine learning through a range of apps.

Other Bedales students achieving at least an average grade 8 (equivalent to A*) included:

• Molly Montagu – five 9s, three 8s; two A/7s
• Ray Loasby – two 9s; four 8s; one 7
• Gulliver Dickinson – four 9s; three 8s; one 7; one 6
• Eloise Cooper – five 9s; one 8; two 7s; one 6
• Ossian Sydow Elias – six 9s; one 8; two 7s; one 5

Additional students who achieved at least an average grade 7 (equivalent to A) included:

• Charlie Abbott† – two 9s; five 8s; three 7s
• Lucas Jameson Fenwick – three 9s; four 8s; one A/7
• Holly Marsden† – three 9s; four 8s; two 7s; one 6
• Yueyi Luo – three 9s; three 8; two 7s; one 6
• Claude Barker – two 9s; four 8s; four 7s
• Maddy Upton – two 9s; four 8s; four 7s
• Anais Crowther-Wilkinson – three 9s; two 8s; three 7s; one B
• Jess Sainsbury – seven 8s; three 7s
• Caitlin Nugent – one 9; four 8s; three 7s; one 6
• Felix Duguid – one 9; three 8s; four 7s; one 5
• Berit Pill – one 9; three 8s; four 7s; one 6
• Jacob Heneghan – three 9s; three 8s; one 6; one 5; one 4
• Izzy Cullen – one 9; five 8s; two 7s; one 5
• Frederick de la Guerra – one 9; three 8s; four 7s; one 6
• Tallulah Priestly – one 9; four 8s; two 7s; one 6; one 4
• Sam Wheeler† – three 8s; six 7s; one 5
• Charlotte Land – one 9; two 8s; four 7s; two 6s
• Alec Grew – seven 8s; one 7; two B/5
• Edward Marshall-Smith – two 8s; six 7s; one 5

Note results are provisional and subject to review.