Key Stage 5

So with BTEC, and vocational courses in the picture do you see that as a not a threat but do you see perhaps schools looking at that going well we can run a BTEC instead of a level because a BTEC is going to be more applicable we think to our students but also we might we might see a bigger reduction in distinction and distinction styles because from my experience it's a lot easier to get a distinction and distinction star given the nature of its coursework based i mean what do you think do you think it's going to be a level music will be impacted on that or do you think actually just wouldn't really have an impact at all?

So I suppose I should start by saying I don't know an enormous amount about the vocational qualifications at Key Stage 5.

So the school I worked in ran music A level and technology A level and as a pair I think that those are give you a really great broad education that does set you up well for further work in music in a lot of different situations obviously with the music tech you do have the recording and production side of it there and now that they have been split apart they were quite similar before 2018 and now they've been split apart you've got two very different qualifications giving you different but complementary skills so i think that they that there is a uh a huge value there now i think the i suppose the the a level not music a level but the a level brand in itself is is such a strong, positive for so many schools that they will want to run A-levels and that will in some ways be a protector of music as an A-level.

But in terms of some schools choosing different routes which are the best routes for their students, the most important thing is that there are route to good courses at Key Stage 5, in particular because the existence of those courses supports the existence of the music teacher in the school, who then supports the musical culture of the school.

So I think, you know, I, you know, And the only positive I see is more people being able to engage in music in some way at Key Stage 5.

But I think the existence of music A-level will in some ways be buttressed by the strength of the A-level brand in itself.

Yeah, I mean, they're very fair points.

And I'll give you an example.

We've just had to take the computer science of the Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 curriculum because we can't recruit.

Design has only just come back on because after two years we've managed to find a teacher.

So, you know, on paper all of this sounds great.

I've worked across the UK and the UAE.

I predominantly focus on Key Stage 5 and entryways for post-16 education.

okay great stuff so just to kick us off with then um you know time and time again even as an educator when i think back to you know my time um at school and i'm sure it might be similar for you like you'll get to a point whether it's the end of the academic year or someone will come in and do careers and they'll ask students you know what do you want to be when you grow up Do you think that type of sort of questioning is like too much pressure on kids? Do you think we should stop asking kids what they want to be when they grow up, when we don't have an idea of what the future and what the economy and the career field looks like for them?

Yeah, I think there is a lot of pressure for students to really kind of identify what they want to be when they're older.