Graduating from Signature Schools
The Bermuda Signature School Diploma
The graduation requirements - the Bermuda Signature School Diploma - will demonstrate to employers that holders of the Diploma have the necessary experience, skills, knowledge, values and relationships to take up jobs or apprenticeships in their chosen profession or trade, and contribute to the requirements for entry into colleges and universities.
The graduation requirements reflect The Bermuda School System’s vision for learning and begin to give more emphasis to learning that is more flexible, personalized and relevant, and enable students to have more choice in what they learn.
Graduation requirements are changing to demonstrate what young people know and are able to do when they graduate from Signature Schools
How the new requirements work
Credits
To graduate from the Bermuda Public School System and earn the Bermuda Signature School Diploma, students will need to obtain a total of at least twenty four (24) credits. 24 credits are the minimum for graduation, but students are encouraged to be ambitious, to reach beyond that minimum, and for some university courses and careers it will be essential that they do. Credits must come from a blend of core credits from academic subjects and courses that all students take, credits from Signature Learning Programmes, and elective credits that can be drawn from any of the core areas, additional Signature Learning Programme credits, or areas such as dance, art, drama or visual arts.
Additional requirements
To graduate with the Bermuda Signature School Diploma students will also need to obtain a cumulative Grade Point Average (G.P. A.) of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, though it should be noted that many universities require a GPA of greater than 2.0.
Internationally recognized qualifications in English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science are also required so that those with the Bermuda Signature School Diploma have the opportunity to enter employment or further and higher education internationally as well as in Bermuda. Students will have the option to earn international certification from any approved board such as AQA, Edexcel, City & Guilds and/or IGCSE.
Students will also need to obtain an international certification in Employability Skills and an internationally recognized Digital Competency Certificate.
Learner profile
The final component required for students to graduate with the Bermuda Signature School Diploma is a Learner Portfolio. An increasing number of employers and universities are placing less and less reliance on qualifications and more and more on demonstrations of what students have done and can do, as well as what they have learnt. The portfolio will include; a Learner Profile, a personal learning plan and progress, and a list of qualifications and awards accumulated, including any micro-credentials that have been accredited by the Department and that students have obtained. This portfolio will also capture students’ involvement with community and business partners along with feedback received from them.
