Exam. Changes Bring Complications

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31659, 20 April 1968, Page 19

Exam. Changes Bring Complications

The introduction of single-subject school certificate this year will have several complications according to the headmaster of Shirley Boys’ High School (Mr C. V. Gallagher).

Mr Gallagher presented a three-page report to the school’s board of governors, outlining the implications to the school of introducing the new system. He said in his report that the requirement of at least 50 per cent for a subject pass would mean that some pupils who formerly passed school certificate would perhaps not be able to progress to the sixth form under the new regulations. There would be complications with subjects where a pupil had perhaps passed two subjects successfully and whose other marks were sufficient to allow him to go to the sixth form. “This would mean pupils required to pass four or five subjects for University Entrance would face difficulties,” Mr Gallagher said. The core requirements of the new prescription for School Certificate could mean that some pupils taking engineering and woodwork may have to change their course. “The knowledge that achievement will be less for so many is a real problem; 11 per cent who previously would have gained School Certificate will now have only a

single or two-subject pass” Mr Gallagher said. “A change between schools would be almost impossible for a pupil sitting School Certificate. At present it is possible to change with reasonable ease but under the new prescriptions, it would be almost impossible because of the differing nature of subject combination from school to' school,” he said. Several other problems encountered in single-subject passes were enumerated by Mr Gallagher but he said he agreed with one of the principles of the new prescription set out by the Education Department that it would allow for a broader based education that would not measure the calibre of leavers entirely in terms of examination successes.