May 27th 2016
There was a lovely feeling of achievement and relief at Moulsford on Thursday afternoon as exams for Years 3 to 7 drew to a close. One of the primary aims of school exams is to familiarise boys with the examination process – we aim for exams to become part of the natural cycle of academic life rather than a significant psychological hurdle for boys to fear and get through.
There is no escaping the fact that children will need to sit a series of exams as they go through school, university and in gaining professional qualifications - media coverage and grade inflation also serve to raise society’s expectations of children to perform at a very high level in public exams. Clearly not all children will achieve a string of A* grades, and neither should they have this pressure thrust upon them. However, habits formed and lessons learned at a young age in approach, attitude and preparation to exams can reap huge benefits as they progress through life.
As much as anything, we feel it is important that boys (and parents) keep exams and their results in perspective. Talking to senior school staff, one of the biggest concerns they have is the mental health and well-being of the boys in their care – pressure to succeed and comparisons with others (now all too easy with ever present social media) are large contributing factors to this trend. Moulsford’s decision to support the charity “Young Minds” at the RAC lunch in November is designed to raise awareness of the issues that your boys may face as they progress beyond Moulsford.
In determining classes for the coming academic year, exams are only one factor we take into consideration. More important to us is how boys have performed over the course of the whole year, and the class in which they are likely to flourish going forward.
With exams out of the way, Year 4 were able to get down to the serious business of taking on Lambrook. It was great to see the whole year group involved, with the front field turned over entirely to cricket – just as it should be! Best of luck to the Year 8 boys who sit Common Entrance exams immediately after half term.
#MPSHeadsBlog
