Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB)
We are immensely proud to announce that St Columba’s College Prep School has become a member school in the Prep School Baccalaureate group.
We have been accepted as a member to the consortium of excellence and have embedded the framework since September 2021. The decision came after much deliberation and consultation about what was important in education and recognising that we wish to keep some of our excellent initiative, freedom, expertise, and subject specialism but additionally highlight skills that will serve the children well throughout their lives.
The PSB is an assessment model that has at its heart the development of the right values, skills, attitudes, and behaviours required for children to flourish in an ever-changing world. It is centred on lifelong skills that promote a holistic education.
These are the 6 core skills we promote and assess:
- Thinking and learning
- Reviewing and Improving
- Communicating
- Independence
- Collaboration
- Leadership
These new world skills will equip the children for the future and as they develop and eventually go to the workplace, they will be able to think critically and communicate effectively with people form a range of different cultures. It provides a framework for assessment to provide a more individualised and complete record of a pupil’s achievement and is the result of collaboration between several leading UK preparatory schools. The PSB provides a powerful vehicle for prep schools intent on rigorous, high academic standards coupled with a broad and balanced curriculum. The beauty of the PSB programme of study is that it contains many aspects of the curriculum we already deliver, and our reporting system will be adapted to provide a 360 view of our holistic education. An additional benefit is that we will be able to share good practice and ideas with other member successful member schools and see what works well with their children.
We believe strongly in an all-round holistic education that places the child at the centre and helps them reach their potential. The PSB has at its heart the development of the values, skills, attitudes, and behaviours that we believe children need to flourish in an ever-changing world.
Mr. R. McCann, Head of Prep
At Prep 6 they will receive a transfer document tracking their progress and commenting on the PSPQ, which is an independent project completed over 3 months and is audited to ensure the effort and topic are delivered to a high standard. This will provide a full picture of each child as they progress to our senior school. The PSB is about challenging perceptions of what school is for, and helping pupils grow a love of real learning which will follow them through into their senior school experience. More information about the Prep School Baccalaureate (PSB) can be found by visiting their website: www.psbacc.org
Over the coming weeks and months, we will continue working behind the scenes to integrate the best for the PSB programme of study into our existing curriculum.
The PSB is a registered charity and is wholly supported by ISI and IAPS.
