Our Pathway (Pre Senior Baccalaureate)
At senior school level, alongside A-Levels there are now several alternative qualifications that students can take including the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) and Pre-U.
Many argue that schools, universities, and pupils have all benefited from the increased options, with the broad approach of the IB suiting some students, and the ability to focus on specific subject areas with A Levels suiting others. There is also a strong argument applying the same principle to public school entrance: a single route, like the Common Entrance Examination (CEE), no longer suits the majority. Pupils can be crammed for a subject but may have little interest or understanding of it.
What is Pre Senior Baccalaureate?
The Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB) is – on the whole – based on the National Curriculum (which in turn is what Common Entrance is based on). The mode of delivery and its emphasis though is different: its approach to the humanities allows considerably more freedom thus encouraging individualised and focused study.
What is important for 10-13-year-olds is developing a passion for learning, not the need to memorise facts to pass a test, not to be able to write a “set” essay, not to parrot 20 capitals of the world.
Best practice within PSB schools enables pupils to produce high-quality work whilst being driven by genuine interest in their subject.
The PSB enables the brightest pupils to fly higher, while ensuring that all pupils are able to show what they can do, not what they cannot do.
PSB at Castle Court
Castle Court has an outstanding reputation for exceeding academic expectations, and the PSB enables Castle Court School to build upon the strong foundation of a knowledge-rich, academically challenging curriculum. Our pupils study syllabuses that are based upon the best of the National Curriculum and other examination boards.
The following pathway helps you to understand the foundational pillars of the PSB here at Castle Court. Many of the attributes - both in the curriculum we offer and character education which we wish to develop in our pupils – are ideally suited for a future-facing 21st century education.
