Up again

As predicted on this blog, last week, the pass rate at A level was up yet again and - also as predicted - there's the usual chorus of those who argue the examinations are becoming easier. Actually, they're not, but there are a host of reasons why the grades are getting better, most related to the teachers' remarkable capacity to use the examination system. And there's no doubt that some subjects are easier than others, and that a lot more of those subjects are now available.

However, what matters is not - as some might think - the overall results but what they mean for those getting their GCSE results next Thursday.

While GCSEs in themselves are not particularly difficult exams to pass for those with a reasonable intellect and good study habits, the better and brighter year 11 students will have noticed something interesting happening between January and May this year. Their teachers will have become far less distant, far more encouraging and positive and even - in some cases - downright friendly. So why the change?

It's simple. Jobs depend on being able to attract the better students back into the sixth form - years 12 and 13 in newspeak - and teaching for many teachers becomes a far more interesting and enjoyable task when working with those students who actively want to be in school, rather than being forced to attend. However, this being a cautionary tale, it's extremely important for bright year 11 students to realise that almost all teachers will encourage them to return only to their own school to study, which may well not be in their best interests. In fact, we'd go further and say that potential FE candidates should always seek objective and impartial advice as to which school to attend for their A level studies.

One impartial indicator is the results of each school or college at A level, so it makes a lot of sense to find out what these are, before committing to a future course. Of the three big state schools in Colwyn bay and Llandudno, only Eirias lists any results, which reveal that a staggering 57% of the school's A level students gained As or Bs and bucking the national trend, students achieved a particularly impressive percentage of A/B results in science subjects, led by 100 per cent pass rate in Further Maths, Maths (88 per cent), Chemistry (81 per cent) and Physics (77 per cent).

GCSEs are merely a stepping stone - and not a particularly difficult one - to the real life-changing examinations: A levels. It makes a lot of sense to get the choice of which school to attend for your sixth form spot on, as an error in that could have undesirable consequences later. Bigger schools can offer more choice in subjects, since the larger the sixth form, the more options there are for the time tablers. Making a move away from your friends and the school and teachers you've known for five years is never gong to be easy, but it could be the best decision you ever make.

So - before you get your GCSE results, here's what you should do:

• Find out exactly what the A level results for all the local schools or colleges were
• If you can't find them out easily, ask yourself why you can't. Schools who don't publish their results or percentages always have reasons, but it's your future that matters so if they're not published, it might be wiser to look elsewhere.
• Find out exactly what subjects and what combination of subjects you can take at all the schools; that information should be on their websites.
  
• Find out what percentage of their A level students get to universities; that's also a very important factor, since it tells you how good they are at helping you out.
• Finally, talk to your friends and see what information they've found out. Remember - facts and not promises are what you need before making such a critical decision. Once you've decided, if you want to switch to another school or the college, give them a call to make sure they can accept you.

Remember - your future is what matters, and you generally only have one chance to get this next bit right. Don't take a chance - take impartial advice.