Edinburgh University opens fast-track door

EDINBURGH has become the first university in Scotland to announce it will accept the new Scottish Baccalaureate as a formal entrance requirement.

• Sixth-year pupils who prove themselves with the baccalaureate will gain an advantage over their peers as they will be able to skip the first year of university. Photograph: Jane Barlow

Until now no university has agreed to offer a place on the basis of the new qualification, which had results published for the first time this year.

Pupils who take the science baccalaureate will gain an advantage over their peers as they will be able to skip the first year of university.

The move is likely to prove a relief for troubled education minister Michael Russell, who has been in talks with Scottish universities to convince them of the new qualification's merit.

The Scottish Baccalaureate was an election manifesto pledge of the current SNP government in a bid to encourage young people to take sciences and languages to an advanced level. They are made up of a group of Highers, Advanced Highers plus an interdisciplinary project.

However, it became mired in controversy after many of the pupils who originally signed up, pulled out after discovering it wouldn't help them gain an undergraduate place.

Business leaders have backed the qualification, but just 139 pupils took the exam in its first year last year of the 246 originally signed up.

The overwhelming majority took the science version, with just 19 completing the languages baccalaureate.

Edinburgh is now saying it will consider direct entry to second year for applicants with a strong result in the Scottish Science Baccalaureate on its science and engineering courses.

Professor Mary Bownes, a vice-principal at Edinburgh University, said: "The breadth and depth of study required is ideal preparation for higher education, and lends itself particularly well to the Scottish degree.

"The interdisciplinary project not only enables students to develop many of the study skills they need for higher education, but also provides an opportunity to evidence their interest in, and exploration of, a subject they wish to study at university. Such evidence is sought by universities like Edinburgh in the admissions selection process."

She said the university was delighted that the qualification encouraged the study of sciences and languages with the offer of the entrance into second only available to science students.

She added: "In recognition of the strengths of the Scottish Baccalaureate, where applicants completing the Baccalaureate in Science have already achieved the breadth and level of study required for first year entry, the University of Edinburgh will consider them for advanced, second year entry to related degree programmes in science and engineering.

"This gives suitably qualified students the opportunity to complete their degree in three years rather than four."

Education secretary Michael Russell said he was delighted about Edinburgh's decision.

He said: "The Scottish Baccalaureate is an ambitious qualification, aimed at the highest-achieving of our young people. In time, they will encourage more of our young people to study science and languages subjects at this highly challenging level.

"I am delighted that Edinburgh University has chosen to accept the Baccalaureate as an entry route and I believe those accepted will be better equipped for the different challenges that university life will bring and direct entry in second year could be entirely appropriate in some cases.

"I want to see more universities follow suit and help ensure the new qualification becomes a vital part of Scottish learning."

The Scottish Baccalaureate consists of a minimum of two Advanced Highers and a Higher from a subject list, plus a dissertation-style project chosen by the pupils. It is only available in science and languages at the moment, and plans to expand it to other subject groupings, including social sciences, are on hold until uptake improves.

One of the few election manifesto pledges actually delivered so far by the SNP, the baccalaureate suffered a blow when Scotland's top-performing private school in the qualification announced it wouldn't offer it next year.

George Heriot's in Edinburgh had the highest proportion of top-grade distinctions in the baccalaureate, with four of the five candidates achieving the highest grading.

Headmaster Alistair Hector said: "There is a national disappointment about the uptake of the baccalaureate and it does represent an awful lot of work for staff.

"There are issues to do with methodology and they don't have currency with universities so there is the question: ‘What is the value added?'

"The pupils who did it got an awful lot out of it, but it was a lot of work and we doubt the ultimate worth, so we are not offering it next year."

However, Eileen Prior, director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said Edinburgh's move would help reassure parents at a time when pupils were deciding whether to opt for the qualification or not.

She said: "This is what the Scottish Baccalaureate was designed to be - a route for high-achieving kids to fast-track through their work in sixth year to university. For those parents it is a positive thing that Edinburgh is responding in this way."

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