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Change in direction for GCSE reform – what’s the plan from here?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Tuesday 12 February 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

Last week, the government announced that it was scrapping its plans to replace GCSEs with an English Baccalaureate. The reversal was announced by the education secretary, alongside curriculum changes. As the dust settles on this change in direction, the spotlight is now on the future form of GCSEs. Michael Gove told MPs that there is still “a consensus that the system needs to change” to address grade inflation, dumbing down and loss of rigour. From autumn 2015, 'new' GCSE courses are set to be launched in English, maths, the sciences, history and geography.

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Internet Savvy, Internet Safe?

By Nicola Hughes, Communications Leader, Wednesday 06 February 2013

Nicola Hughes

According to a recent study, children who view clips of their TV favourites such as Peppa Pig and Sesame Street on YouTube are on average just three clicks away from explicit adult material. A separate study of 24,000 young people found that almost 27% of 7-11 years olds and nearly half of 11-19 year olds had come across something they found ‘…unpleasant…’ in the past 12 months. But how do we protect young people when they are online? Initiatives such as the BBCs new Web Wise campaign can provide excellent resources for both parents and young people. Their Share Take Care campaign helps us all with ideas and suggestions on how to manage our online life.

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Lord Baker’s New Vision for Secondary Education: should pupils specialise at 14?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Wednesday 30 January 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

Former education secretary Lord Baker has proposed a radical transformation of England’s education system in his new book ‘14 – 18: A New Vision for Secondary Education’. According to his vision, pupils should have the chance to specialise at 14 with the choice of 4 pathways at separate institutions, dependent on their strengths and interests. The 4 areas include liberal arts for academic subjects, technical for specialisms such as engineering, sports and creative arts, or a career course where students would specialise in subjects such as plumbing or catering at FE colleges. He believes that pupils should continue to study core subjects such as English and maths until the age of 18, regardless of which route they take.

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The impact of league table reform on vocational education in schools

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Tuesday 29 January 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

According to the findings of the Edge Foundation report, 60% of schools have said that they’ve either already reduced the number of Level 2 vocational qualifications on offer or are planning to do so, due to changes to school performance tables. This is despite the majority of school leaders believing that vocational qualifications are valuable to young people:

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Technical Matters – a transformation of vocational education

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Thursday 24 January 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

A new report, Technical Matters, is calling for a transformation of vocational education, so that high quality technical and vocational studies are given the same prestige as academic qualifications. The report expresses concerns that the Government's increasing focus on academic skills, while welcome, "may not work to the advantage of all students in the education system". Drawing on the 2011 Wolf Review and the Richard Review of Apprenticeships, the latest report suggests that employers should be involved in shaping the content of vocational education so that it’s relevant to the workplace and meets skills shortages. It also recommends that Apprenticeships should be available to pupils as young as 14, but should last 3 years and be as challenging as A-Levels.

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