At Kibble, all subjects taught lead to National Qualifications in third and fourth year. This is to ensure that each pupil’s particular skills and abilities are recognised both at Kibble and in their future lives. Depending on the subject and stage that each pupil is at, qualifications are either within the Higher Still framework or at Standard Grade level.
Higher Still Qualifications were introduced to enhance the existing exam system and provide a more detailed profile of each pupil’s strengths.
At Access 2 and 3 all assessment is completed by school staff and there are no formal externally marked exams. At both Access levels, most subjects offer three individual units which can be completed individually or taken together as a “cluster” of units. This structure also applies to the Intermediate levels; however, pupils can opt to sit an external exam and achieve an award. These awards are graded A to F with an A indicating the highest level of attainment.
The table below shows equivalent qualifications at Higher Still levels, Standard Grade and the English GCSE system. Intermediate 1 with an external exam is comparable to a Standard Grade at General level, for example. Shaded boxes indicate the qualifications available at Kibble.
| Higher Still Framework | Standard Grade | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Access 2 | ||
| Access 3 | Foundation Level (5/ 6) | GCSE (F/ G grades) |
| Intermediate 1 | General Level (3/ 4) | GCSE (C/ D grades) |
| Intermediate 2 | Credit Level (1/ 2) | GCSE (A*/ A /B grades) |
| Higher | AS Level | |
| Advanced Higher | A Level |
In addition to subject awards, the Higher Still framework allows pupils to build up core skills in area such as Problem Solving through the study of individual units in different subject areas.
It is expected that when a pupil finishes fifth year at Kibble, their qualifications will include a range of awards at Access, Intermediate and Standard Grade.