This week, our Senior Education consultants, Sophie Oakes & Daniele Labriola will be in Monaco this week, to meet with families and deliver talks to both parents & pupils at: 

Mougins British International School 
Thursday 2nd March

International School of Monaco 
Friday 3rd March

Sophie holds an established title as a Top Recommended Education Advisor in the world-renowned Spear's 500 guide, and has a long history of supporting international HNW families in their education journey.

Daniele is an accomplished education specialist with over a decade of consultancy and lecturing experience. His consultancy specialisation is focused on higher education, and is also well versed in US and various European educational systems at all levels.

We look forward to visiting Monaco and meeting all those attending our talks.

A British boarding school education is valued throughout the world and the best schools set high entrance standards. Carfax College has many years’ experience in preparing pupils for these highly competitive examinations. Following months of intense preparation, long hours of practice and commendable dedication, not only did our school preparation pupils gain admission to some of Britain’s most prestigious schools, but there is no pupil left without an offer. Even better – 100% of pupils this year received offers from their top school choices!

Throughout their time at Carfax College, our school entrance candidates studied intensely, but have also enjoyed Oxford’s rich cultural and sports activities. Our pupils went to Blenheim Palace, punting, kayaking, to several plays and concerts, organized quiz luncheons, and made invaluable friendships. We want to congratulate all pupils and tutors for their hard work, and wish our extraordinary pupils the brightest future ahead.

During this weekend, Carfax staff from the Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices attended the Schools and Childcare Show Dubai. In partnership with Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), the UAE’s governing body for Education, the Show was a wonderful way for parents to discuss the wide range of educational services Carfax provides from Carfax Private Tutors, Carfax Consultants, Carfax Guardians and Carfax College in Oxford, providing advice on selection, preparation and entrance to some the world’s finest schools and universities. Broadcasting live from the event on Dubai Eye radio station, Eleonora Suhoviy, Carfax’s Principal Consultant, pictured with Dominick Ashe, Senior Consultant, and Director of Carfax Abu Dhabi, Christopher Gyngell, spoke on choosing the appropriate school for your child.

I graduated with a degree in a humanity related field and like many people with a humanities’ degree, not necessarily from Oxford or Cambridge, I initially began to panic. After having spent four years studying highly abstract notions and theoretical ideas and writing long essays, how would I apply these skills to the decidedly less abstract world of gaining meaningful employment? Luckily if you graduate from a good University in the Western world, especially Oxbridge, there are many routes you can explore which will allow you to get a job in the corporate world. Many friends with similar degrees in humanities were also wondering what they wanted to do and were exploring the much worn route of graduating from Oxbridge with a humanity’s degree and going into Law or corporate finance.

Initially I decided to pursue the well-worn route of researching law conversion courses and applying for jobs in corporate finance. The issue? I had little interest in the jobs I was applying for as they did not fit my overall career and life goals. After gentle persuasion from my family and with the ever present anxiety of unemployment an issue, I worked in the management consultancy and banking sector. I gained valuable experience in how these industries work and the sector they deal with. However deep down I knew my passions were for architectural drawing and design and working in the corporate sector would not fulfil either of these passions of mine.

I woke up one day during my time working in banking and decided I could no longer do a job that I was simply doing to make a salary. I spoke with my manager and she was very understanding that I wanted to pursue other career options. Rather than feeling hopeless, I realised I had finally made the decision to drive my own career path and finally pursue what it was I really wanted to do. Given my trials and tribulations with the corporate world and finally realising what it was I wanted to do, the following advice is intended as a rough outline of what I felt most beneficial when I decided to take the plunge into achieving my personal career goals:

Having spoken with many creative individuals who ended up feeling lost in their careers or after graduating I have the following advice for anyone (and I know there are many!) who feel the same way. Above all, do not become trapped in a job or career simply to make money. For the vast majority of people this will not satisfy your intellectual or creative aptitude and simply leave you feeling unhappy and unsatisfied. It is better to gain experience in a field or career you do want to enter which will eventually lead to a well-paid and more importantly, fulfilling job than slogging it out in a job that leaves you uninspired and unfulfilled.

Secondly, do not be afraid to take the plunge into a different job sector that initially means you have to take a cut in your salary or pay. Gaining experience in the creative sector and building up your portfolio – whether in terms of artwork or designs helps you to lay the foundation for entering into a notoriously competitive jobs market to enter.

An often unspoken truth about entering the creative professions is the sense of judgement if you do not choose to enter traditional career paths. This sense of judgement often comes from both family and friend circles and this prevents many people from pursuing their passions and talents because wanting to please your peers and family is also an important aspect of your life. Having the courage to quit your job is a bold step but can ultimately lead to greater career and personal satisfaction.

Finally, and possibly the most unpopular piece of advice I would give is that having a back-up plan is always a good idea. Creative industries such as fashion, design and architecture take many years to penetrate to be successful. It is important to remember that these industries are often not vocational career paths and being able to generate an income on the side can help you support your passions and career choices. Taking the time to learn a skill that can provide a sustainable career on the side is never a bad idea.

I am now working in marketing in a job I feel an immense sense of satisfaction with and I am able to use my creative personality to enhance my work. The portfolio I took the time to build up helped greatly in securing a job in the market I wanted to enter and I am also writing my own design book on the side. I no longer feel a sense of dread or helplessness in terms of career. It is important to override fears of dejection as these are often greatly overstated and prevent you from achieving your career goals. Marketing in particular is a very competitive industry and something that really shines through is your ability to overcome initial rejection and use your own initiative and creativity to prove yourself. Remember, it is often a long but rewarding road to career satisfaction in the creative industry!

The 5th of October celebrates World Teachers' Day, which honours the hard work and dedication of educators across the world. Founded in 1994, this annual event is devoted to appreciating the vital role of teaching, and recognising that quality education remains the basis for a sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future.

It's also a day to address any issues pertaining to teachers, providing an opportunity to discuss, learn, share and improve the world of Education.

For more information on World Teachers' Day, click here

We are delighted to be supporting World Book Day this year, Thursday 3rd March 2022.

To celebrate this wonderful day, we are offering children the opportunity to enter a 'design your own bookmark' competition - A super fun activity with the chance to win a $50 / €45 / £40 Book Voucher.

To enter, simply draw a creative bookmark and submit your design to enquiries@carfax-education.com with World Book Day in the subject line.

The winner will be chosen at random after the closing date this Sunday, 6th March 2022.

We can't wait to see the entries!

#WorldBookDay

World Book Day® is a charity sponsored by National Book Tokens.

The guidance for boarding school pupils with the right to reside in the UK who live in or are travelling through a red list country has changed with effect from 4th March. For those who do not have the right to reside in the UK the former guidance applies and hotel quarantine will still apply.

Boarding pupils from these countries no longer have to quarantine in government hotels, they can now quarantine at their schools in specially designated areas. Each pupil will have to be collected from the airport by a designated member of school staff. They will then travel back to the school in isolation, where they will then be able to quarantine on the school premises. Pupils arriving from ‘red countries’ will have to isolate for the full 10 days and will not be eligible for the test and early release scheme.

Schools will need to provide a copy of a letter from the Department for Education confirming that boarding school students are covered by an exception and also a letter from the school authorising their return. This letter will detail the arrangements for returning to school including the name of the person who will be collecting the pupil at the airport. This is in addition to the passenger locator form which will need to be completed with the details of where they will be quarantining. https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk

Before travelling all students must have a negative Covid test within 3 days of travelling. They will also have to pay to have tests on day 2 and day 8 of their quarantine. The test on day 2 is to check for any variants and on day 8 is to check that they are still covid free. This can be booked as a travel test package at a cost of £210. https://quarantinehotelbookings.ctmportal.co.uk

Once they arrive at the airport pupils will make their way to the managed quarantine collection point in the arrival hall where the member of staff will be waiting to collect them.

The transport to school needs to comply with social distancing arrangements, eg on a coach three rows of seats between students and the driver, a sitting plan will be produced for test and trace purposes, masks must be worn at all times and sanitiser will be available. There will be no options for stopping en route back to the school.

All ‘red country’ arrivals will be allowed to quarantine together in a covid secure ‘household’. Meals and toiletries will be provided and members of staff looking after the pupils will be suitably protected with PPE and will do regular lateral flow tests and a weekly PCR test.

Pupils will be able to arrive back at school in time to quarantine before school opens or if they can only return just before term begins, they will be able to continue their online learning from the boarding premises.

Schools and families will need to be in regular communication to ensure that all arrangements are clearly in place to ensure the smooth start to the new term.

Covid-19 has had a huge impact on all aspects of education and exams have borne the brunt. Uncertainty around assessment has meant that some education providers have started to give serious consideration to whether testing in the form we know it is fit for purpose at all.

It’s not the first time there’s been uncertainty around the point of exams. When GCSEs were first introduced back in 1988, students had the choice to stay at school until they were 16 or stay on for A-levels. Now they stay until they’re 18 anyway, many argue that GCSEs have needed a rethink for some time. The country’s skills crisis has further highlighted a need for something different.

Time for change

A report called The Future of Education, co-authored by Tory MPs Flick Drummond and Cherilyn Mackrory, advocates replacing GCSEs with academic, technical exams and apprenticeships at 18 and suggests the adoption of a similar system to the Baccalaureate at 18 “but our own British version”.

Others agree that Covid-19 has provided just the opportunity we’ve been waiting for for a complete reform. The TES reported that England’s major exam boards were asked if they could move GCSE and A-level exams online this summer, with sources suggesting that the Department for Education was more receptive to overhauling the idea of pen-and-paper GCSEs and A-levels.

Greg Brooks, emeritus professor of education at the University of Sheffield, told the Guardian last year he was in favour of no centralised assessment until the age of 18 and “a common curriculum for all children until they begin to know what sort of educational and work career would suit them”.

“I have been in favour of GCSE reform for a long time,” says David Ashton, deputy head, academic, at Framlingham College, a boarding and day school for boys and girls aged three to 18 in Sussex.

“Remote learning at GCSE has been a powerful reminder that pupils can be autonomous learners and less reliant on teachers than involved by traditional approaches to learning.”

Ashton also believes that remote learning has also shown us the advantages of continuous assessment, which is meaningfully embedded in day-to-day learning. This, he says, “is a more accurate assessment of a pupil’s learning as opposed to a series of terminal examinations which test stamina and memory, as much as anything.”

One report advocates replacing GCSEs with academic, technical exams and apprenticeships at 18

Guide Education founder Leon Hady is resolute: “Exams are no longer fit for purpose,” he says, adamantly, “They were always about short-term retrieval rather than skills.”

Hady believes skills have changed and exams no longer reflect this. “They were a system which did for many years work for colleges or universities. Asking for answers on a piece of paper allowed them to scale. However, now with technology applicability, teamwork and communal skills are far better than being able to remember something short term.”

Another clear problem with exams is that teaching can inevitably become too exam-focused, says Carl Morris, principal of Oxford independent school Carfax College. “There are plenty of arguments both for and against exams, but what’s clear is that they’re not the only metric by which to measure academic ability.”

Morris believes the prescriptive nature of exams lends itself to reciting and regurgitating learned information rather than developing other key skills such as curiosity and independent learning and research.

What the introduction of a teacher-assessed grading system has shown us is that we are not ready for the alternative

“However,” he says, “what the introduction of a teacher-assessed grading system has shown us is that we are not yet ready for the alternative.

“Many schools put together robust systems in order to compile portfolios of evidence for their students and yet many students still suffered. Exam boards tried to resolve the issues of inflating grades and teacher bias by implementing an algorithm but that didn’t work either, and ultimately had to be dropped.”

However, until there’s an alternative, says Morris, “I believe that exams are currently the best assessment tool we currently have and do work for the majority of students. While there will never be a one-size-fits-all solution that will benefit every student, perhaps teacher-assessed grades could be integrated as an alternative for students who struggle with exams, to replace access arrangements such as extra time or using a laptop.”

Some say paper-based exams are now impractical

So, what is the alternative?

It’s clear that old-school, content-laden, rigid instruments don’t have the flexibility necessary to manage the uncertainties in today’s fast-paced digital world, says Robert Harrison, education strategy director at ACS International Schools.

“Paper-based, syllabus-driven exams stand out as impractical and increasingly irrelevant. The stress they add for students and teachers when they’re given – not to mention when they’re not – compromises confidence in the system and creates unhealthy pressures on wellbeing.”

Instead, Harrison suggests, schools need to adopt a more holistic approach. ACS International Schools offers the International Baccalaureate’s (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) at two of its schools in the group.

Paper-based, syllabus-driven exams stand out as impractical and increasingly irrelevant

In the MYP, courses that are less amenable to assessment by examination use externally moderated or examined coursework. On-screen examinations offer multiple ways for students to show what they’ve learned across a range of assessment formats.

MYP eAssessment focuses on the application and transfer of conceptual understanding across unfamiliar contexts, “the gold standard of education”.

Harrison adds: “Web-based examinations make secure, non-school-based administration possible and the digital literacies that teachers develop as they prepare their students for assessment are a key washback effect.

“There are still good arguments for rigorous assessment before students leave school. There’s nothing wrong with ‘teaching to the test,’ so long as it’s the right test.”

Could online exams be commonplace in the future?

Another way

“Our world is in crisis and it needs the problem solvers, creative thinkers, innovators, collaborators and those with the courage to think outside of the box,” says Johanna Urquhart, principal at Lomond School in Scotland.

“Within examination models that are based on learning key words, memorising passages and following an exam ‘formula’, pupils are not rewarded for creative, critical or original thinking.”

Pupils in England choose which areas to specialise in from a young age and typically only study three A-levels in the last two years of school.

Although the curriculum stays broader for longer in Scotland, pupils sit external exams every year for the last three years of their school career, so the focus becomes more on the assessment rather than the learning. Urquhart believes this means “less focus on some of the valuable skills that are so important”.

A combination of different curriculum models is what is required to ensure that the skills and strengths of each young person are supported

Any teacher knows that no two pupils are the same, “therefore a combination of different curriculum models is what is required to ensure that the skills and strengths of each young person are supported rather than undermined – whether traditionally academic or not”, says Urquhart.

Lomond School have recently been given authorisation to deliver two IB programmes in addition to an HNC in Business, alongside its existing SQA provision. This makes it the first school in the world to offer this combination of curriculum choice, offering the flexibility and choice Urquhart, and many of her peers, believe is essential.

The IB career-related programme with an HNC in Business will be unique to Scotland and comprises a mix of academic courses from the IB Diploma Programme alongside a career-related study and work placements.

“We now feel that we have a curriculum for everyone,” says Urquhart, “that will prepare our pupils with the skills, qualities and world-renowned qualifications needed for the future.”

However they are (or aren’t) restructured, ultimately, what’s most important, says Morris, “is that we do not hold exams up as the ultimate purpose of education, and the only framework from which to teach, but rather a tool to measure progress.