At the beginning of things at Haileybury, before there were even Houses, there were the 'Reds' and the 'Blues'. Their colours still survive in the rugby shirts of Trevelyan and Lawrence. One was the Modern Side, learning Science and Mathematics; the other was the Classical Side, focussing on the disciplines of the ancient languages and history.
The history of academics has been of the diversification of the curriculum. Even as late as the time I was at school it was unusual for anyone to mix arts and sciences at A Level. I was one who bridged that gap a little bit as I took Maths alongside English, RS and History.
At the turn of the 21st century Haileybury was in the vanguard of English schools to offer International Baccalaureate courses to the VI form. The IB, which has been available since 1999 extends pupils over a range of subjects chosen from six groups. In addition there is a course on the Theory of Knowledge, an extended essay and a programme of 'Creativity, Action and Service' to encourage the application of knowledge.
By designating three subjects as 'Higher Level' there is scope for the intensive study which is the attraction of A Level but without the exclusivity that this can bring at a relatively young age.
There is a very clear explanation of the mechanics of learning six subjects and how IB works on the Haileybury website here.
This year has seen excellent results from the IB cohort. The IB offers a points based scoring system, out of 45. The full details are here, but congratulations to all those who did so well.
Spare a thought for the A Level students who face the long wait for their results next month.
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