“Gove Brings in Tougher Exams”

Michael Gove is the first Education Minister in history to carry out a policy that is likely to produce a fall in grades. His new policy approach towards education is to make education better by making it harder and he is openly admitting that grades will fall as a result. This is a change from the previous Education Minsters who have pushed for higher grades, even at the expense of less rigorous and thorough education. Gove however does not what the number of people passing to go up as  a reflection of good education, but rather wants grades to reflect the quality and value of education. Gove has emphasised that many students that go into higher education with good grades are often not adequate for higher education study. This reflection has even occurred at GCSE level where the pass rate has been around 98% for a number of years even though internationally the UK’s science and maths scores on league tables are lagging behind many other western countries.

Gove’s proposals are designed to focus on the core subjects being the emphasis of education. At GCSE level coursework is now being phased out, with exams dominating the assessment for the majority of subjects. At A Level Gove’s aim is to involve universities and academics in the process of choosing exam questions, with questions allowing students to demonstrate a greater level of ability.  He is also pushing for stricter regulation of exam boards to prevent them from giving teachers tip-offs about how to succeed in exams. The Education Secretary’s strategy will no doubt have a big impact on restructuring the education system and will reshape league tables for schools right across the country. The biggest impact will be on the students themselves who will now face new pressures and new challenges through their educational life. 

(Sources: Independent, Telegraph)

“Government acts on Youth Unemployment”

Concerns have been rising about the state of youth unemployment, as figures are reaching record high levels. Only recently it was recorded that 20% of young people where out of work.  This is a huge problem for the next generation who are struggling to jump into the job market particularly those who have limited education.   As a result the Government have been seeking to be seen to be proactive in tackling this issue. In the later part of 2011 Nick Clegg announced a £1 billion investment scheme that looked at tackling the issue of youth unemployment. This investment will focus on subsidising companies and organisations that offer work to young people, as well as promoting new polices that focus on work experience schemes. Nick Clegg said the aim of these forthcoming policies is to create ‘hope and optimism’ for young people. At Exam Central we understand how crucial this issue is and we act on the importance of education being the focus for making young people more employable, for when they join the workforce.

(Sources: BBC, Guardian, Redbrick)

Important dates/information for the 11+ Exam

It is essential to understand the key dates and times for applications to grammar Schools in Birmingham, especially with the change of date for the 2012 applicants.  The new date for the 11+ entry exam is now the Saturday the 8^th  of September 2012 for the following Birmingham schools; Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School, King Edward VI Aston School, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, King Edward VI Five Ways School, King Edward VI Handsworth School and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls. The deadline date for sending your application to sit the 11+ Grammar school exam is the  13^th of July 2012.   Application forms are available from the beginning of May and can be obtained from the following website (http://www.kingedwardthesixth.org/apply.aspx).  Please send your application to; The Consortium of Grammar Schools, Applications, PO BOX 15627, B16 6NL.

The Exam itself comprises of two 45 minutes papers covering Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English Comprehension and Maths.  The University of Durham are the Examiners for the papers and will release the marks in early-mid October 2012. Grammar school allocations will be confirmed  by the 1^st of March 2013. Appeals can be made between May and June 2013. The number of places in each school can be seen below:

• Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School, Boys 124 places in Year 7.
• King Edward VI Aston School, Boys, 104 places in Year 7.
• King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, 93 places in Year 7.
• King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, 120 places in Year 7.
• King Edward VI Five Ways School, Mixed, 150 places in Year 7.
• King Edward VI Handsworth School, Girls, 128 places in Year 7.
• Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls, 150 places in Year 7.
• Handsworth Grammar School for Boys, 130 places in Year 7

It should be noted that Handsworth Grammar School for Boys have different testing arrangements to the rest of the Consortium of Grammar Schools in Birmingham. If you need any more information, advice or tuition preparation please  contact us at Exam Central (info@examcentral.co.uk) or visit www.examcentral.co.uk 

For further information about 11+ exams in Birmingham, please see the link below: http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schools/regions/birmingham-walsall-11-plus

(source: Eleven Plus Exams)

Easter Booster Courses

Once again we are  launching  our Easter Booster  courses for students as they prepare for the exams in June and July. Our Booster courses will be taking place at King Edwards Five Ways  School from  Monday 2^nd April to Friday 13^th April (2 weeks). The courses will focus on subject content (exam boards AQA, OCR and EDEXCEL) as well as the vital revision  and exam technique skills that are essential to be successful in examinations  The Booster courses will run for either 2 or 3 days and will cover the following subjects:

• English
• Maths
• Science (Chemistry, Biology & Physics)
• Geography
• History
• French
• Spanish 

We have specialist tutors in each of the above subjects who will be leading the sessions, all of whom are CRB checked and have considerable experience of tutoring individuals and small groups.  Below are some responses from students who attended the courses last year.

 “I feel more confident in writing with writing equations and mechanisms which I was struggling with”

“Really beneficial, content of the course, exam technique, really helpful and good timings of sessions”

“I would definitely recommend this to any student doing  a GCSE exam, it has been most useful revision too that I have ever had”

Look out for more information about our Easter Revision Course on our blog, website, twitter (@ExamCentral) and on Facebook or email at beninshaw@examcentral.co.uk if you have any questions!

Gove wants tougher exams

Michael Gove has set out his new objectives to make the education system better and more effective. He has called for an investigation into education, saying that the Labour Party has made getting good grades too easy and that a new system needs to be put in place. He has put forward promoting more traditional styled examinations where exams take most of the focus as opposed to the current system which integrates examinations with coursework.  He has also proposed that exams are done at the end of the academic year.  He believes that final year examinations should become much more challenging and it should be harder to achieve high grades. The aim of this change will be to help the most talented students to be recognised and to stand out from their peers.

Gove has taken these ideas further by questioning whether pupils are receiving the right type of education and whether it meets the needs of society. He is arguing that the focus needs to be brought back to the core elements of learning, such as Mathematics and Science. He wants there to be an education for students that gives them a solid foundation from which they can build their learning. Gove recently stated with regards to science education; “What [students] need is a rooting in the basic scientific principles, Newton's laws of thermodynamics and Boyle's law".  At Exam Central we are constantly adapting our resources and styles of teaching and learning to fit in with the National Curriculum.  Gove’s latest announcement will mean that it will become harder for students to achieve the top grades.  Exam Central and guide and support students to these top grades using a combination of coaching in subject content and exam skills.  For more information visit our website www.examcentral.co.uk.

(sources: Guardian and Telegraph)