Academic
Life
Hebron
School has high academic standards and expectations but, recognizing that
we have students with a range of academic abilities, we seek to
meet a spectrum of needs. The
School’s
Mission Statement contains the following aims:
§
To provide excellent educational opportunities through an academic
curriculum and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
§
To encourage students to strive for excellence and to develop to their
full potential in all areas of their lives.
§
To challenge students to work out the focus and direction of their
lives in preparation for life after school.
To fulfil these aims, we offer an all-round
education at Hebron. We believe that students perform to their best
academically when they are also challenged and interested in extra-curricular
activities (such as drama, music, sport, clubs and outward bounds)
but we recognize a balance is needed between these and their studies. Dorm
Parents and the advisors in the Department of Personal Development (DPD) help students
make right choices in this area. Furthermore,
DPD advisors also arrange interviews for students following their
four-times a year reports, they help students choose their exam
courses and they give advice about university and college applications. All of this is done in a personalised and caring
manner with the best professional advice that is available.
Hebron also has a Learning Support Department (LSD) which caters
for a range of skills and talents. Some
staff in LSD teach English as a foreign/second language (EFL or ESL), to those needing extra help, and we prepare
students for TOEFL exams. Other staff assist students with learning difficulties – such as
dyslexia – and with study skills. This
Department also facilitates programmes to challenge our most able
students, such as the Latin teaching in Middle
School and
extended work programmes in
Junior
School. Most LSD teaching is done on a small group
basis but is often also carried out one-to-one.
The programmes of study at
Hebron follow the English National Curriculum
closely. Further details
about this can be found in the School Prospectus,
from Academic Co-ordinators at
Hebron (Mrs.
Rogers, Junior School;
Mrs. Fairfield, Middle School;
Mr. Bradshaw, Senior School; Mr. Graham, A Level) and from special
booklets on the IGCSE and ‘A’ level courses. What
follows here is a summary but there is some very important information below
about course qualifications.
Junior School (Reception – Standard 6)
There are around 90 students from Reception
to Standard 6. In the early
years (Reception, Std. 1 and Std. 2) there is a
composite
class for up to 15 students with one teacher (plus classroom assistance). Stds. 3, 4, 5 and
6 have their own teachers and are single classes rising from around
15 students in Std. 3 to a maximum of 24 in Std. 6. Whilst
most subjects are taught by one class teacher, some specialists
come in to teach Music, Computing, P.E., Technology
and Domestic Science. Students
study towards the English National Curriculum but with plenty of
input to reflect the history, geography and culture of the Nilgiris
(and India) as well as some topics picking
up on the international mix of students and staff. Some testing takes place each year using material
from the U.K. (NFER
tests and SAT’s, the Standard Attainment Tests).
Middle
School (Std.
7 – Std. 9)
Here students move into
two parallel streams – A
and α – which are mixed ability classes. They also move to having specialist teachers
for each subject. In Std.
7 the two classes have around 15 students in each and this rises
to around 20 for Std. 8 and above. The
programme of study is again the English National Curriculum,
with its emphasis on research, discussion and teaching core themes
(but allowing staff to develop specialist areas). In
Middle School students ‘taste’ a
wide range of subjects including the separate sciences, art,
music, technology, geography, history,
computing,
domestic science, Hindi, French and German – as well as the foundational
subjects of English, Maths and Religious Studies (R.S.).
Senior School (Stds. 10 and 11)
By this stage students have chosen their IGCSE
(International General Certificate of Secondary Education) courses
of between 8 and 10 subjects. English,
Maths and R.S. are compulsory,
as are at least one science, at least one Modern Language and at
least one Social study. All
students sit their IGCSE in R.S. at the end of Std. 10 and many
will also take their Core and Extended Maths then (allowing the
more able students to do Additional Maths in Std. 11). These IGCSE’s encourage
hard work and learning but also coursework, research, practicals, discussion and analysis. They are not rote-learning courses and are
graded A* to E as pass grades (although A* to C are usually regarded
by universities, colleges and employers as the acceptable grades). The public exams take place in May and June
with some resits possible in November. Two U.K. exam
boards are available: Cambridge
(CIE) and Edexcel (London).
Important:It will be apparent by the
time a student completes
Std. 10, and certainly by the time the Std. 11 ‘mock exams’ take
place in February/March, if he or she is going to cope with the
even more rigorous ‘A’ level courses in Stds.
12/13. A few students may be advised not to attempt
IGCSE (in which case parents will be informed before they enter
Standard 10) but, for those who the school feels will not benefit
from a meaningful ‘A’ level course, notice will be given to parents
at the time of the ‘mock reports’ in March of the Std. 11 year. It
is very likely, too, that a prior, cautionary, indication will
have been given by the December of the Std. 11 year. Parents
and students must understand, therefore, that there is no guaranteed
admission to the ‘A’ level courses. Decisions
will be based both on academic performance and on the student’s
behaviour in school. Occasionally
a student will be given a specific target of grades to achieve
for entry to Std. 12 but it is important to note that as IGCSE
results are not announced by the exam boards until late-August,
term will have re-started for the new academic year and it may be
advisable for some students not to return to Hebron until their
grades are known. As a guideline,
we would normally expect an ‘A’ level student to have 5 subjects
(or more) at grade ‘C’ and above, with at least ‘B’ grades in
the subjects to be studied in Std. 12.
Students intending to pursue degree courses
or further education in Indian colleges might be best advised to
leave Hebron after Std. 11 so
as to prepare themselves in the Indian examination system. DPD staff can advise about this – Mr. Newton
is the person to contact.
‘A’ levels (Stds. 12
and 13)
The full ‘A’ level course
takes two years of study. In Std. 12 students
work towards four AS levels at the end of the year (exams are in
May and June). Each course is the equivalent of 50% of the
full ‘A’ level. The Exam
Boards (CIE and Edexcel) announce the results in the first 2 weeks
of August and they are graded A to E as pass grades. These
grades are then carried over into Std. 13 and go towards the final ‘A’ level
grade – the A2.
At
Hebron all ‘A’ level
students take General Studies as a compulsory
AS course – but sit the exam at the end of Std. 13. Students choose four subjects to do in Std.
12 (see the ‘A’ level booklet for details) and normally drop one
of these when they go into Std. 13. This
means that when a student leaves at the end of Std. 13 they will
have three full ‘A’ levels and two (including General Studies)
at AS level. They are then very well qualified for wherever
they want to study – India,
the U.K., USA, Canada, New
Zealand, Australia, Europe,
etc.! Please note that whilst
it is possible to apply to the USA and Australia with
only AS levels at the end of Std. 12, the other countries above
will only accept A2 (i.e. full ‘A’ levels). However,
it is often preferable to go to the USA or Australia with
A2’s as significant credit is then given – sometimes meaning a
4 year course is reduced to 3 years!
Important: Students entering Std. 12 and 13 are expect to have chosen to stay
at Hebron and
must sign, on the ‘A’ level application form, that they accept
the school’s regulations. We
expect them to behave maturely and respect the school’s rules in
every area. Parents and students must note that entry
to Std. 12 courses does not guarantee continuation in Std. 13. The decision to proceed to Std. 13 will be
based on behaviour and academic performance and realistic expectations
at A2 level. Some indication
to parents may be possible in December of the Std. 12 year but
will certainly be clear following the ‘mock AS exams’ in March
or April. It may be that
a student will be advised to repeat Std. 12 (if his/her age permits). Specific
grades at AS level may be set as a qualifying target for A2 level. Experience has shown that students gaining
a ‘D’ or an ‘E’ at AS level are unlikely to raise their A2 grade
much above a ‘D’ and may fail altogether. Consequently,
whilst we may give a target at AS level of 3 ‘D’s’ we would
expect ‘C’ grades in the subjects being carried on at A2 level. Students who are likely to get less than a ‘D’ grade
at AS level may not be offered a place in Std. 13. Parents and students must also understand that
because ‘A’ level results are not normally released by the Exam
Boards until mid-August, it may be appropriate for a student
to delay his or her return for Std. 13 until the results are known.
In conclusion, we want
the very best for all Hebron students. The
school tries to work in partnership with parents at all levels
to achieve this. It is always sad when a student leaves
Hebron before completing
IGCSE, AS or
A2 level but these decisions are never taken lightly and always
involve much prayer and discussion. In
some instances striving for the best for a particular student
means leaving Hebron and going somewhere
else to further the student’s education. Some
may see this as failure but we like to look on it as a new opportunity
to achieve in a different and more appropriate setting. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate
to contact the Head of DPD (Mr. Newton), an Academic Co-ordinator, the Vice-Principal – Academics
(Mr. Green) or the Principal (Mr. Reid).
Thank you.
Alastair Reid
Principal