In establishing Rugby School’s second international sister school, it was perhaps natural that we would emulate the academic traditions of the original founding UK school in packaging up a “British curriculum” of (I)GCSEs (at age 16, at the end of Year 11) and A-levels (at age 18, at the end of Year 13) for our Japan-based pupils. However, offering a formal, externally-assessed curriculum that is so distinct from almost every other internationally-facing school in Japan has helped identify us as a school that is not just intent on securing the best academic grades for our pupils, but one that is committed to offering the best educational experience, which will give our pupils a springboard into fulfilling and unique careers and vocations in the future.
The Most Popular Examination Worldwide for 14-16 Year Olds
At RSJ, pupils in the Middle School (Years 10 and 11) study a curriculum that offers breadth and depth of study, usually leading to examinations in ten subjects at International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) level. The IGCSE is an international version of the compulsory school examinations in England and Wales and is also the most popular examination worldwide for 14-16 year olds. We think the Middle School years are a formative period for stoking pupils’ academic curiosity and developing their adaptability to intellectually challenging programmes of study, which will be ideal preparation for advanced study at age 16+. As such, pupils study a score group of subjects that includes English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and typically one Modern Foreign Language, with teachers who know them well guiding them in their choices for their remaining three subject options.
The Power of the IGCSE
The qualifications, awarded on the basis of terminal examinations at the end of Year 11 and coursework in some subjects, are an official way-marker in a pupil’s academic journey (recorded on any transcripts that higher education institutions request). However, more than that, they recognise the learner skills and characteristics that pupils must demonstrate to succeed in balancing the demands of a number of diverse and varied subjects – skills and characteristics which we believe pupils also need to be able to flourish in their future study and adult lives.
What is the A Level Curriculum?
As pupils move into the Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13) at RSJ, they are given the opportunity and satisfaction to take even more control of their academic pathway and choose three (or possibly four) subjects that they wish to pursue at an advanced level: “A-level”. We see the final two years of school education as the time when, through their experiences and the professional relationships they have with our teaching staff, pupils are given the confidence to identify their intellectual strengths and passions and set the course of their academic aspirations.
A Globally-Renowned Qualification
A-level courses are globally-renowned for being academically demanding, and success requires a willingness to be scholarly and creative, curious and critical, determined and ambitious, to develop ideas independently and collaboratively – all the hallmarks, in fact, that we hope to spot during the admissions process and then nurture through a pupil’s time at RSJ. It is not surprising, then, that universities worldwide see A-levels as ideal preparation for rigorous academic study at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
The A Level Advantage
Unlike the IB, A-levels are stand-alone, subject-based qualifications. In comparison with IGCSEs up to age 16, the smaller number of A-level courses taken allows pupils to focus on a potentially narrower range of academic subjects where they will develop a considerable depth of knowledge within them. Each course is designed to promote a high level of knowledge and intellectual competence in that specific academic subject. Crucially, there are no restrictions on the combination of subjects a pupil chooses to study at A-level.
Flexibility, Rigour, and Inspiration
A set of three A-level courses allows a pupil to choose narrow, synergistic subjects if they wish or to choose disparate subjects if they prefer. Pupils may already have a university and/or career path in mind and wish to develop very specific skills in preparation for this; other pupils may be less certain about their future path. This freedom of choice at age 16 allows pupils to keep doors open for their next steps, while directing their time and energy towards skills and subjects that they enjoy the most and are, therefore, more likely to see moulding their future selves. The principle of inspiration, rather than compulsion, is what makes our A-level programme stand out from other post-16 options.
When pupils join us at RSJ, they become surrounded by a team of people who are as ambitious for their futures as they are. This is why aspiration is one of our school values and why we believe that the academic pathway we offer enables our pupils to not be less than what they can be.
If you would like to learn more about our IGCSE and A Level Curriculum, please register below for our next Open Day – where we will share more about how our school delivers academic excellence to pupils from ages 11-18.
