As we enter a new academic year, it’s worth reflecting on this year’s GCSE results and what they mean for technical and vocational education.
Newspapers reported a decline in overall outcomes; it was the biggest year-on-year drop since GCSEs began in 1988. There are a number of reasons for this.
In particular, there’s been much discussion about how 16-19 year olds re-sitting English and maths have contributed to the decline in grades. The number of students achieving a C or above for this group is a mere 35.9%. This is perhaps unsurprising, as colleges are ill-equipped to deliver high quality teaching of these subjects in the numbers required, and struggle to recruit specialist teachers. In addition, these learners could be unmotivated, having already failed to achieve the desired grade.
The overall drop in grades can be attributed to the impact of Progress 8 and the Ebacc. As more learners were entered onto GCSEs in history, geography and sciences, the grades in these subjects saw a decline. This was to be expected, as we all know that not all pupils have an interest or aptitude for the subjects, and many are more suited to learn in a vocational way. It seems that schools have already recognised that the Ebacc is not suitable for all; language entries are declining, which suggests that schools are prioritising Progress 8 over the Ebacc. By not entering pupils for a language, schools can maximise their Progress 8 scores by counting humanities and sciences as the three EBacc subjects.
Of course, there’s no problem with making Ebacc subjects available to all, but the stated target of 90% of pupils studying it is potentially damaging. These results show that by narrowing the curriculum, pupils are set up to fail in subjects that are not right for them. It also contributes to a decline in creative and technology subjects.
It seems clear that if schools are to give pupils the best chance of success, they need a mixed offer. Whilst some learners will thrive by studying the EBacc, others will be more suited to taking other subjects, and studying technical qualifications such as NCFE’s V Certs.
We’re optimistic that schools will continue to do the right thing for their pupils. We hope the government recognises the patterns of behaviour behind this year’s results, and relaxes its drive towards academic routes and the Ebacc, in recognition of the fact that we must help learners to take the route that’s best for them.
