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Haileyburiana is a miscellany of things I got up to as President of the Haileybury Society in 2010 - 2011 and random musings on things to do with Haileybury. Whether you are an OH, a current pupil or parent, a teacher or other friend of the school I hope you will find something interesting here. The blog is no longer regularly updated, but there may still be occasional posts.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Silence Exams!

An examination is always to be feared, for the greatest fool can ask more than the wisest man can answer.

Today is the day of the entrance exams for the lower school and number three son will be sitting his first examinations at Haileybury. The scholarship candidates have been doing their tests on Thursday and Friday. 


I am a great believer in exams. The life skills of being able to marshal the information that you know and bring it to a point and to answer the question which has been set is one which we come across time and time again. Coursework cannot cannot prepare you for the child who says "Well, if God made the world who made God?"


Having said that it is surely true that our children are over examined in today's English educational systems. One of the great attractions of I B is the linear course. That is, that the exams come at the end, just like sitting finals. This is a great attraction to my mind as it allows scope for young people to be able to explore a subject while preparing for the test which comes at the end.


However that may be, good luck to all those who are sitting for the entrance exams this time round.



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