A private school head has hit back at inferences that its students are being forced to remain at school.

Bermuda High School (BHS) Head of School Roy Napier said a recent TV broadcast on the Bermuda College's university preparatory programme for students with GCSEs had implied some private schools were forcing students to remain for two years beyond GCSEs and were not allowing them to graduate.

But Mr. Napier said in Bermuda, the current educational structure, both public and private, provides for 13 years of school.

In the public system, this involves four years at the Senior School Level S1 to S4, said Mr. Napier, but at BHS and some other private schools, there is a similar structure, but the educational programme is quite different.

He said: "Thirteen years is required in public school and 13 years in private school, the difference is in the content of programme, not the length of the programme.

"To suggest that private school students are held hostage is ludicrous."

At BHS, GCSE examinations are completed in Year 11 (S2) followed by the two years of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (S3 and S4).

"In fact, in the last two years at BHS, students are challenged to meet and exceed world standards in education," he said.

"BHS is proud to have pioneered the International Baccalaureate Diploma, bringing a new level of excellence that is widely recognised as the premier educational programme for university entrance."

He said two other private schools in Bermuda have followed a similar pattern, with students completing GCSE/IGCSE in Year 11 (S2), to be followed by a two-year programme leading to university entrance through the IB Diploma (at Warwick Academy) or the Advanced Placement programme (at Saltus Grammar School).

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