When deciding your child’s future, a big question is how to educate them. Education is, after all, the biggest gift you will ever give your child. If you are able to send your child to a private school, why then should you choose the Cambridge curriculum?

Simply put, it is better.

To qualify the above statement, let us use the example set at Mountain Cambridge School (MCS) here in Hartbeespoort. A school curriculum needs to prepare learners for University and future life. Our alumni prove this every day. Those that choose to go to university have shown that they are flourishing in their chosen studies. The most common reason they give, when asked why, is that the grounding they received whilst at MCS was more than adequate for their first year. In most subjects they had already covered a large portion of their first-year content whilst in school.

The Cambridge curriculum truly prepares them to be university ready by covering relevant content at a high enough level to cope in the first few years of university. Additionally, the emphasis on student-led classes and the “I do, I understand” philosophy utilised at MCS gives the learners the skills needed to become independent learners.

A school curriculum also needs to be stable and benchmarked. The international Cambridge curriculum has been around since 1864 and has only grown from strength to strength throughout time. It could be said to be the golden standard of international benchmarking, with schools in more than 160 countries around the world. This gives schools everywhere the comfort in knowing their education will be recognised and validates throughout the globe.

At MCS, the international comparison runs even deeper. For every Checkpoint (Grade 6 & 8) exam series run, MCS has achieved above world averages in English, Mathematics and Science. 11 consistent years of proof that their education methods work. When comparing IGCSE (Grade 10) and
AS (Grade 12) results against the world, most of the subjects are also above world average, an amazing achievement.

Compared to other Cambridge schools in South Africa, MCS holds its own with some of the biggest names in the country. The MCS’s average A level results, the highest certificate the Cambridge curriculum offers, are outstanding. 92% of all A level symbols achieved are an A or higher, compared to some of the most prominent schools in the country with published statistics of between 34% to 51%.

So when asked why you should choose the Cambridge curriculum, the response should be “why not?”. Once you have chosen the most stable, and internationally benchmarked curriculum, then choose a school that has a proven track record of excellence.

Marc Bailey

Headmaster of Academics | Deputy Head of MCS Online