ACADEMIC RECORD.
How to asses a school's academic record? By the number of
pupils it sends on to universities and other places of higher education?
By its pupils' success in external examinations at 16 and 18?
By the general educational standard throughout the school? By the
achievements of its pupils in later life? A complete picture would
no doubt include all these and other elements, but since the last
two are difficult to assess, I make no apology for dealing largely
with the first two.
The school has consistently sent on to universities a number of pupils each
year varying between a dozen or more in a good year and six or so in a less
good year. The great change that has taken place in recent years is that there
is now a wider choice not only of universities but of other institutions as
well. A quarter of a century ago the choice was confined almost exclusively
to university or teachers' training college. Of those who went to universities,
quite a large proportion chose to go to Bristol. Indeed I can remember when
the school used to play Bristol University at hockey and a large proportion
of the Bristol team consisted of former pupils of the grammar school. Since
the last war there has been a proliferation of new universities and our pupils
tend to look further afield when making their choice. The same period has also
seen a great increase in the number of technical colleges and polytechnics.
Last summer 8 of our 18 year old leavers went to universities, 6 to polytechnics
and 15 to colleges of education.
The changes in the external examinations system during the period of the school's
existence have been no less striking. Quite early in its history the School
Certificate and Higher School Certificate, became established as the examination
for the 16 and 18 year olds respectively and these examinations remained in
force until they were superseded in 1951 by the 'O' and 'A' level
of the G.C.E. Since then we have seen the introduction of the C.S.E. to provide
a rather less exacting test than 'O' level for 16 year old pupils
and more recently various proposals for the reform (so-called) of G.C.E. particularly
at 'A' level. In fact, the whole system of external examination
has been the object of sustained attack in recent years and it has become highly
unfashionable to defend it.
It is instructive to look back at the examination results of some years ago.
In 1950, the last year of the School and Higher School Certificate, the school
entered 50 pupils for School Certificate and 20 for the Higher School Certificate.
In recent years we have regularly had about 100 entries at 'O' level
and between 30 and 40 at 'A' level. The greater number of candidates
particularly at 'A' level, has inevitable meant some dilution in
quality. In 1952, for example, 14 'A' level candidates took between
them 37 subjects and gained 37 passes: in 1953, 14 candidates gained 32 passes
out of 33 subjects taken: in 1955, 25 candidates 61 passes out of 62. We can
hardly hope to rival such results nowadays.
All in all, the school can take pride in its record over the years. It has
always been particularly strong on the Science side, both at 'O' and 'A' level.
Similarly, in some of the Art subjects, such as English and History, its examination
results have been consistently above the average for the country as a whole.
We can claim to have kept abreast of modern developments. In recent years almost
every subject has had its subject matter and teaching methods overhauled. There
have been new syllabuses in the science subject and mathematics, new teaching
methods in foreign languages and so on. The Technical course we introduced
some years ago has bee successful and has sent a steady stream of boys into
apprenticeships both locally and further afield. In a country area, especially,
a grammar school has great opportunities in encouraging the local children
to fulfil their highest potential and to go out with confidence and success
into the wider world beyond. If our school has to some extent succeeded in
this aim, it can look back with satisfaction over its past record. To help
achieving it is certainly one of the most rewarding aspects of a teacher's
job.
E. Beeley.
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