Pre-Senior Baccalaureate
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 succeed and flourish in an ever-changing world. Children are encouraged, recognised and celebrated in their achievements, and directly prepared for the next step of their educational journey.
The PSB at St Neot’s is a course that seeks to assess a pupil’s achievement across the two year period of Year 7 and Year 8. A final summative document accompanies the transfer to senior school and offers a 360 degree description of a pupil’s progress, abilities and attitudes.
Assessment is tiered to ability and designed to build self-awareness and self-esteem alongside the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Senior schools are looking not only for evidence of academic achievement but also wish to know about what are often called the “soft skills” such as independence, communication, collaboration, resilience, reflection, and leadership to name but a few. These skills are integral to PSB at St Neot’s and thus form an important part of a teacher’s planning and assessment throughout the course. We believe these skills will best equip a pupil for the demands of the world in the 21st century.
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Curriculum
Mathematics, English, French, Latin, Science, History, Geography, Religious Education, Art, Design and Technology, Computing, Music, Drama and PE are all assessed in the PSB at St Neot’s.
The content of the curriculum has been certified by senior schools to ensure rigorous and appropriate academic standards. Any updates or changes to the curriculum are always validated by senior schools, as well as being subject to the Independent Schools Inspectorate inspection cycle.
The aim of PSB at St Neot’s is to produce stimulating, relevant and modern programmes of study that will engage the pupils over two years; preparing them academically, technologically, personally, socially, culturally and spiritually for the next stage of their education.
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Core Skills
Independence, communication, collaboration, reviewing and improving, and leadership are integral to life at St Neot’s and pupils are expected to act in accordance with these fundamental values and principles. The skills and attributes that underpin these values are actively promoted, tracked and monitored throughout the PSB course. Pupils in Years 5-8 are assigned a PSB mentor and meet weekly to reflect on their use and application of the core skills across the curriculum. In Year 7 and 8, pupils evidence their use of the core skills by creating an online reflections portfolio.
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Assessment
Throughout PSB at St Neot’s assessment will be both formative and summative.
Units of work are assessed on completion and in some cases continuous assessment is appropriate. Paper based tests, orals, presentations or debates are all equally valid.
Formal examinations are held in Year 7 and Year 8 in some subjects. Assessments and examinations are moderated for subject content, standards and consistency by the PSB group and associate senior schools. For each subject, 40% of the final grade will be accrued in Year 7 and 60% in Year 8.
Mathematics, English, French, Latin, Science, History, Geography, Religious Education, Art, Design and Technology, Computing, Music, Drama and PE are all assessed in the PSB at St Neot’s.
The content of the curriculum has been certified by senior schools to ensure rigorous and appropriate academic standards. Any updates or changes to the curriculum are always validated by senior schools, as well as being subject to the Independent Schools Inspectorate inspection cycle.
The aim of PSB at St Neot’s is to produce stimulating, relevant and modern programmes of study that will engage the pupils over two years; preparing them academically, technologically, personally, socially, culturally and spiritually for the next stage of their education.
Independence, communication, collaboration, reviewing and improving, and leadership are integral to life at St Neot’s and pupils are expected to act in accordance with these fundamental values and principles. The skills and attributes that underpin these values are actively promoted, tracked and monitored throughout the PSB course. Pupils in Years 5-8 are assigned a PSB mentor and meet weekly to reflect on their use and application of the core skills across the curriculum. In Year 7 and 8, pupils evidence their use of the core skills by creating an online reflections portfolio.
Throughout PSB at St Neot’s assessment will be both formative and summative.
Units of work are assessed on completion and in some cases continuous assessment is appropriate. Paper based tests, orals, presentations or debates are all equally valid.
Formal examinations are held in Year 7 and Year 8 in some subjects. Assessments and examinations are moderated for subject content, standards and consistency by the PSB group and associate senior schools. For each subject, 40% of the final grade will be accrued in Year 7 and 60% in Year 8.