On Reflection – Preparing for Challenge
Written by Alex Frazer | Head of Bancroft’s
The first half of the Spring Term might be the time in the year when pupils and staff in many schools have to dig deepest into their innermost reserves of fortitude to emerge from the warmth of home and travel through dark and chilly streets to meet their commitments. All that being said, there has nevertheless been a palpable buzz around Bancroft’s to herald the start of the New Year.
Pupils, from the Thirds joyfully sharing their recreational Atrium space, right up to the Sixth Form in their upbeat Common Room, have expressed real pleasure in being back together socially and feeling positively challenged by their academic work and co-curricular activities. Even the Fifth Form, currently focused on their mock GCSEs, have been overheard energetically discussing the content of their exams. The Upper Sixth will be taking theirs next month, and I have no doubt they will be as switched on as their slightly younger peers.
Naturally a huge part of my career has been about helping pupils get ready for exams, but I haven’t actually taken one myself since my university finals 30 years ago this summer. That said, I’ve had a recurring dream at various points over those three decades that for unknown reasons I have been compelled to go back and retake those finals. To some readers, this might suggest a lasting trauma about the experience, though that isn’t actually my recollection at all. I remember pressure, of course, but excitement too, in an ultimately stimulating combination which I am convinced helps a well-prepared pupil whose head is ‘in the game’ produce work in exams which is at least 10% better than they do under normal circumstances – even if that is already very good.
Another of my convictions about exams is they have wider purposes beyond the obvious gaining of qualifications which open doors and maximise options at the next stage, whether from GCSE to Sixth Form, A-level to university, undergraduate to postgrad, professional training or directly into work. One of those wider purposes is a very deep sense of pride at one’s own achievements, perhaps especially those which are harder to come by, in the subjects we may find trickier: I’m as proud of my B at AO Maths, as a non-specialist, as I am of better results in my natural territory of Modern Languages. Another of those wider purposes is proving to oneself that finding resilience and showing grit is both possible and well worth the effort: perseverance, even when the challenge is really tough, will always take us further than shying away would.
Earlier this week I was discussing exam preparation with the Heads of House and rather surprised them by producing a sample of my 1992 A-level revision notes. They asked why I still had them, and I guess the answer is that I’m as proud now as I was then of working hard for my exams and doing as well as I could have expected for myself. I hope all our pupils taking public exams this year achieve results that allow them to feel the same, now and in the future.
