Pre-Senior Baccalaureate

We are evolving our academic and holistic provision at St.Edmund’s, by partnering with the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB).

Teaching insights and research have taught us that children need a curriculum which places as much value on core learning skills as it does on the acquisition of knowledge. This means that children need to not only learn how to pass exams but to also develop character traits which enable them to be good communicators, mentally flexible and resilient – attributes which will help them to thrive in life academically, socially and professionally. The PSB provides a framework to support us in developing, in our pupils, these vital skills that they will need in their future lives.

In 2023, pupils in Form 7 and Form 8 are working within the framework of the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB) for the first time with PSB replacing Common Entrance at 13+.

The PSB programme of study provides pupils with a flexible curriculum to help prepare them for the challenges of life as young adults academically, personally, socially, culturally and spiritually. It does this by actively developing and tracking knowledge, skills and attitude.

Most importantly, the PSB enables us at St. Edmund's to incorporate the full range of our academic programme into a formal assessment framework. This means that our pupils are now able to receive external accreditation for their excellent work in subjects including Classical Civilisation, Food Technology, Design Technology, Computer Science, Sports Science, and PE. The PSB helps better guide our pupils towards making the right choices for their GCSE options, which they choose towards the end of Form 8.

Dr Roberts is the school’s designated ‘PSB Leader’. Please do not hesitate to contact him with any questions about PSB at St. Edmund’s. (n.roberts@saintedmunds.co.uk)