Collaboration key to success - Pearson Edexcel Manager tells school heads

Schools offering Pearson Edexcel curriculum have been urged to move away from competition and instead, embrace collaboration in order to fully benefit from the programme.

West African Regional Development Manager for Pearson Edexcel, Gabriel Sowah Mensah, who made the call, emphasised that collaboration was key to growing the Pearson community and enhancing the educational outcomes for students.

Pearson is the world's leading education company and the UK's largest awarding organisation. They partner with schools globally, offering world-class globally recognised qualifications.

Pearson Edexcel delivers a consistent learning experience for students aged 3 to 18 through curriculum from early years, primary, lower secondary, international GCSE and International A level in international schools following the British curriculum. 

Also, Pearson offers a range of curriculum support resources, tools and services including training, professional development, print and digital teaching resources.

Speaking at this year’s Annual Principals Forum and Awards Ceremony in Accra, Mr Mensah emphasised the importance of collaboration, saying: "Pearson can, but you are the practitioners. You are the ones working with the curriculum every day, seeing how it impacts your learners. So, collaborate," he charged them.

Forum

The event is held annually for school heads across the country who offer the Pearson Edexcel curriculum. 

Its purpose is to foster idea-sharing, provide updates on curriculum developments, facilitate networking, and recognise students who have excelled in their exams over the previous year. 

This year’s event was themed: "Collaboration, Growth, and Community," and was attended by notable personalities including the former Dean of the University of Ghana Medical School, Prof. Margaret Lartey, and Regional Development Manager for East Africa, Marvin Owiti.

He highlighted that the Pearson curriculum had long been a champion of idea exchange, which was one of the key reasons the programme had grown to become the world's largest education company and the UK's biggest exam board, with over 10 million assessments conducted annually.

"Another key aspect of collaboration that Pearson has worked hard to promote through our training programmes is the exchange of ideas," he said.

Reflecting on the first Outstanding Pearson Learner Awards (OPLA) event held in Ghana, he recalled the moment when the global winner was announced, saying, "the reaction from all of you that day told me something powerful. 

“It showed that we are all rooting for each other. The spontaneous standing ovation, the cheers and the conversations that followed, made it clear that everyone was celebrating the success of others,” he said.

Sharing their experiences, the Assistant Head of Oakbridge International School, Mrs Antoinette Asante, shared how partnerships with schools both locally and internationally had positively impacted teaching and learning at her school.

The Administrator of Sunflower School, Mrs Alberta Kye-Sasu, praised the Pearson curriculum for its child-centred approach and the benefits it had brought to students with special needs at her school.

Awards 

A total of 25 students from nine schools were recognised for their outstanding performance in exams across various subjects during the summer. 

The awards were presented in categories such as Best in the Country, Best on the Continent and Best in the World.

These awards aim to inspire students and celebrate the value of their experience within the Pearson education system.