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UK independent schools promote self-sufficiency through ‘life skills’ courses

Sixth form pupils at Truro School in Cornwall will head out into the world equipped to deal with student finance, first aid and car maintenance after completing a ‘Practical Life Skills Carousel’ course last month. Truro is among a growing number of schools in the UK that are adding independent living courses such as financial management, mindfulness, cooking on a budget and cleaning to their offer.

Truro is by no means the first institution to introduced courses targeted at preparing students for life beyond the school gates. 

Demand for independent living courses and the value that they add is tangible explains director of communications at Royal Hospital School, Sophie Braybrooke.

“Many UK schools are recognising that young people need more than just academic guidance and we believe that we should help them to deal with the challenges of modern day life so that they find happiness and success in whatever career path they choose.”

Though preparing students life beyond school through extracurricular courses is “very much part of the British independent school ethos”, Caroline Nixon, general secretary of the British Association of Independent Schools with International Students, said she has seen an increase in cookery and finance courses designed to help students thrive when they live independently.

She has also observed a “new emphasis” on mental health issues and mindfulness, she added.

https://thepienews.com/news/uk-independent-schools-broaden-life-skills-offering/

See also: BTEC Courses

Make pupils take FOUR subjects: Leading headmaster claims extra work 'keeps brain busy'

Pupils who take four A-levels do better than those who take three because they are busier, a leading headmaster has said.

Jonathan Godfrey, chairman of the council of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said that even if pupils are at the same level when they do their GCSEs, those who take four A-levels achieve better grades.

At the Hay Festival of Arts and Literature, Mr Godfrey said: ‘There are students that have huge swathes of time that they are not being taught at all.

 ‘All the evidence suggests that the more subjects people do the better they do in those subjects.

‘Certainly at A-levels there is robust evidence to suggest that students that do four A-levels achieve better and their grades are higher than those who do three, even though they started at the same GCSE level.’

While many opt for the more traditional subjects, such as science, maths and English, Mr Godfrey said he believed employers prefer skills gained from more creative subjects.

He said: ‘Creative subjects should be part of the curriculum. We’ve already mentioned music, art and drama and we know that those subjects generate the skills that employers value more than some traditional subjects.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4567940/Boost-level-grades-Make-pupils-FOUR-subjects.html#ixzz4j7cMEz5Z

See also: A Levels