GCSE exams “dominate” the education system and should be scrapped by the new Government, according to the Tory architect of the qualification.
Former education secretary Lord Baker of Dorking oversaw the introduction of GCSEs while serving as Education Secretary in the government of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.
But he described the level of testing on students as “absolutely absurd” and said that GCSEs should become a “victim” of the curriculum and assessment review announced by the new Labour administration.
Becky Francis, chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), has been appointed by the government to lead the review.
Professor Francis’s review is aimed at ensuring that a child’s background does not prevent them from receiving a high standard of education.
It will also work to ensure young people aged 16 to 19 have access to qualifications and training to prepare them for the workplace.
Lord Baker questioned the future of GCSEs as the House of Lords debated a report which called for the English baccalaureate (EBacc) to be axed.
The EBacc is a set of subjects at GCSE that keeps children’s options open for further study and includes English language and literature, maths, the sciences, geography or history and a language.
Lord Baker said the previous Conservative government “dismissed out of hand” the report when it was presented last December.
Speaking yesterday (Friday 26 July), he told the House of Lords: “We were told that our recommendations to change the curriculum were absurd because the curriculum – which was EBacc and Progress 8 – was the best that had been invented by mankind and as for the assessment system of GCSE, the best examination system in the world, the person who invented it was brilliant.
“I invented it and I now want to scrap it because this is an exam which dominates the whole educational world.
“I spoke to a young student last week who has just done her GCSEs. I said, ‘How many exams did you take?’, she said ‘I took 27 exams, nine in five days’. That is absolutely absurd.
“The GCSE dominates the whole education system and I hope it’ll be a victim of the review that the Government sets up.”
Lord Baker said that it was needed in the 1980s as 80 per cent of children left school at 16, adding: “Now, only 5 per cent leave at 16. The qualification that’s important is what people get at 18.”
The Education for 11 to 16-Year-Olds Committee’s report warned the education system is too focused on academic learning and written exams, with reform “urgently needed”.
The Bishop of Chichester, the Right Reverend Martin Warner, earlier highlighted the importance of performance arts in the emotional development for youngsters.
He said: “One of our leading independent schools, Brighton College, intentionally uses the arts to break down stereotypes of gender and sexual orientation.
“So, for example, a key rugby player can also be the lead in a dance troupe.
“And as we face an unprecedented surge in male violence against women, these performative processes of education that tackle emotional insecurities and unexamined prejudice should find an important place in any school curriculum.”
Replying for the government, Labour whip Baroness Twycross said that the planned review will contribute to its mission to “break down the barriers to opportunity” for youngsters.
She said: “The review will consider the national curriculum and statutory assessment system from 5 to 19 and pathways for learners in 16 to 19 education to drive high and rising standards for every young person.
“Many of its aims, terms of reference and working principles are very relevant to the committee’s recommendations and matters raised by noble Lords in this debate.”
Ebac doesn’t “keep options open”. Quite the opposite! It pushes people into valuing certain subjects and skills over other subjects and skills and tries to force amost everyone into a STEM mould that doesn’t suit everyone or play to their strengths. It sidelines all creativity as second-class subjects. People get through all sorts of trauma in life, or build confidence through expressing themselves by means of art, music etc and this country has a worldwide reputation for music, film TV and games industries but since EBAC decimated arts GCSEs, very few students are able to leave school with A levels in arts subjects, compared to previous decades, and numbers in all these subjects have been decimated at A-level and university as a result. All in the name of returning to some kind of “traditional” education model. Where are the skills needed for life and for living well?
The main problem is the “one size fits all” approach and our failure to acknowledge that we’re not all destined for academia!
Back in 1983, when heads of schools and colleges up and down the country, vociferously complained about O-level elitism, and spoke of champagne parties were it to be overturned for something providing a fairer assessment, the system adopted by Germany, of high quality vocational education running alongside traditional academic education, was not seen as viable.. Despite it offering crossover from vocational to academic pathways, for those later on found suited to this, it was doubtless looked at as another form elitism! So, where are we now?
Our education system is largely dummed down compared to decades gone, with 37.5% of young people going to university compared to 19.2% in 1980, and with massive grade inflation, devaluing the worthiness of a British degree, to the extent that anything less than a ‘2.1’ is often seen as worthless in terms of graduate employment. There’s also the danger of older people’s qualifications being looked at as uncompetitive in the workplace, compared to those with similar ones taken more recently, that are much easier to pass.
It’s about time we acknowledged that not all of us are interested in study; that many of us would be far better suited, and happier, to following a vocational route through education, perhaps leading to highly skilled work as a builder, fitter, service engineer, etc, whilst those with a mich higher level of giftedness in key areas, follow traditional routes through university, to become medical doctors, physicists, chemists, etc.
Bidirectional education makes sense, and if universities are to cater for a target of 50% of young people, then high quality vocational training needs to be offered in its own right, leading to recognised qualifications other than a degree. A BA or BSc should only be awarded to academic subjects where the knowledge and ability needed to pass them is of a very high standard, catering for those with proven ability in these areas. The qualifications awarded would then be worth more than the paper they’re written on, and help to give young people the best opportunity in the workplace, leading to a happy and fulfilling life, rather than ending up on the scrapheap, holding something seen as uncompetitive, leading nowhere, deeply in debt, and a prime candidate for mental illnesses such as depression.
As a secondary science teacher of 30 years, I had to endure the foisting of GCSE sciences on all our students. BTEC qualifications and their like were tolerated for a while, it simply allowed schools to game the system to get a higher pass percentage. There was very little rigour or external contol in the vocational written assessments, but the examination element was totally off the wall regarding the ability of the majority of pupils. GCSE sciences are worse. Not challenging at all for the most gifted in the subjects. Grade inflation sees many perform well, but who have very little understanding of concepts. Hideously difficult and soul destroying for the rest. Totally pointless. The sooner GCSEs are flushed down the pan of history the better.
the lowering of standards by the Labour party – comprehensive schools first established in 1965 Foxhills Leeds –
the journey to a communist state that is being continued by Starmer and his pro muslim supporters. BBC is part of the demise of this country – the woke snowflake liberals led by pro muslim Tim Davie living off the taxpayers forced to pay license fees while spouting propaganda and hiding paedophiles.
I’m really enjoying the quality of the responses around this story. I quite agree there are plenty of useful skills and knowledge that are vital for successful adults that aren’t taught in the current paradigm.
Accounting, budgeting, cooking, first aid, debate, politics, housing, interview skills, etc. And maybe better routes into vocations like the trades would help young people be successful, with a much broader definition of the word.
I totally agree with you, Benjamin 👍👌