Day One

Having resisted the urge for many years to blog, twitter, facebook and generally engage with nu-media, I have finally found a worthwhile reason for doing so - supporting the wonderful students at Archbishop Sentamu Academy who, if the Government's current proposals for the English Baccalaureate are fully implemented, may start to feel that they are in some way "second-rate" in comparison to students from other schools who have been awarded the English Baccalaureate.  


My intention in starting this blog is not to pull apart the Government's case for the English Bac - many others have done so with great eloquence.  (For an excellent, forensic evaluation, see the ASCL response recently submitted to Mr. Gove). Rather, I hope to encourage professionals in education to lobby for a range of Baccalaureates to be accredited, so that all students can aspire to achieve a qualification which caters for their interests, passions, aptitudes and learning styles.  In so doing, I believe that we can continue to raise standards for all students.


Today, I have sent the following press release to all the major quality broadsheets, the TES, the BBC and our local newspaper:


"Archbishop Sentamu Academy deplores the narrow focus of the proposed English Baccalaureate. This reform has been rushed through, not thought through.  It is a straitjacket that will constrain student potential, rather than a structure which will promote broad achievement.  It caters for the interests of the Few, at the expense of recognising the achievements of the Many.

As an academy, we will therefore be developing our own range of baccalaureates, catering for our students’ individual and personal interests and aptitudes.

Each of our own baccalaureates will include a broader range of subjects than that which is offered through the government’s narrow choice.

Each will accredit vocational and enterprise skills, crucial for students entering the workplace.

Our young people will have a range of language qualifications available to them, not just GCSEs.

In short, our baccalaureates will be truly innovative.  We will of course include the government’s proposed English baccalaureate as one option.  However, we will ensure that the gifts and talents of all our young people are recognized, developed and celebrated, and in so doing, will give them the solid foundation they all need for further study and future employment."

I would therefore be interested in hearing from any professionals who would like to join us in the creation of a suite of baccalaureates which will achieve our aims, and support our students in the way they deserve.  

Because I am new to blogging, I have to admit I still don't know how it all works! I hope you can post a comment on the blog, but if you can't, then please email me on andrew.chubb1@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you

Andrew Chubb

Principal,

Archbishop Sentamu Academy