From the Guardian today:
Peers [led by former Education Secretary Kenneth Baker, above] call for urgent overhaul of secondary education in England – Lords report says there is too much learning by rote and many key Tory changes should be reversed.
The House of Lords report says the education system for 11- to 16-year-olds is too focused on academic learning and written exams, resulting in too much learning by rote and not enough opportunity for pupils to pursue creative and technical subjects.
The committee recommends instead that schools and teachers should be allowed to offer a more varied range of learning experiences, to help pupils develop a broader set of skills that will better meet the needs of a future digital and green economy. It says there should be more opportunities to study creative, cultural, vocational and technical subjects. Pupils should also have the option to take functional literacy and numeracy qualifications that are equal in value to GCSE English and maths.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/dec/12/peers-call-urgent-overhaul-secondary-education-england
The Lords don’t, of course, mention Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence currently being blamed for low Pisa scores, but see this:
If you currently teach in England but are ready for a change, Scotland could be the place for you. It’s as familiar as the rest of the UK but Scotland has an education system that focuses on supporting both teachers and students.
Scotland has no prescriptive national curriculum of specific subjects or timings. Instead, the Scottish Government sets guidelines for learning and teaching allowing schools to make their own decisions on what to teach based around pupil needs and interests.
https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/classroom-differences-scotland-vs-elsewhere
Just what the Lords are asking for?
The above link is worth further reading.
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John, take a look at today’s Herald. “ACEL: Scottish Students Outperform in Literacy and Numeracy”
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Apologies for the length of this post. There are many aspects of the proposals in the new House of Lords report for reforming the 11-16 education system in England that build from Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence and its ‘offspring’ currently under development in Wales. The Lords committee had a long oral evidence session dedicated to learning about recent and current curricular reforms in Scotland and Wales.
See https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/42484/documents/211201/default/
The Lords report states (with my emphasis):
Para 24. ‘Scotland introduced its ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ in 2010. It emphasises interdisciplinary learning, skills development and teacher autonomy. A review of Scotland’s education policy conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), published in June 2021, concluded that while THE CURRICULUM “CONTINUES TO BE AN INSPIRING EXAMPLE EQUATED WITH GOOD CURRICULUM PRACTICE INTERNATIONALLY”, there had been issues with its implementation. These included “misalignment” with THE QUALIFICATIONS SYSTEM, WHICH THEN “BECAME A BARRIER” TO ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN SECONDARY EDUCATION.’
So yes, there have been flaws in the implementation of something ‘inspiring’, something exemplifying good international practice and undoubtedly over something that is inherently complex. But there has been learning for development, as the Lords’ report acknowledges:
Para 25. ‘The Scottish Government accepted all of the recommendations made in the OECD’s review. It then commissioned several further reviews and has already COMMITTED TO INTRODUCING A NEW QUALIFICATIONS BODY AND SCHOOL INSPECTORATE. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills made clear in June 2023 that Scotland’s approach to reform will “be holistic and reflect a clear expectation that all elements of the education and skills system will work together as one single system”.
From the SUMMARY section of the Lords’ report on the need for reform in England: ‘The evidence left us in no doubt of the need for urgent action.
‘Reforms to the 11–16 system initiated by the Government since 2010 have been GUIDED BY AN EMPHASIS ON KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION AND ACADEMIC RIGOUR. Education in this phase NOW PRIORITISES A RESTRICTED PROGRAMME OF ACADEMIC LEARNING, DELIVERED THROUGH A NARROW SET OF SUBJECTS AND TEACHING STYLES. We heard repeatedly that THIS APPROACH FAILS TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF WIDER SOCIETAL AND ECONOMIC SHIFTS.’
‘While it is difficult to predict what jobs will be available when they enter the workforce, digital, creative and technical skills are likely to be in even greater demand. Skills such as collaboration, creativity and problem- solving are also expected to become increasingly important. OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP THESE SKILLS HAVE, HOWEVER, BEEN SQUEEZED OUT OF THE 11–16 PHASE.
‘We were told that the Government’s focus on A ‘KNOWLEDGE-RICH’ APPROACH HAS RESULTED IN AN OVERBURDENED CURRICULUM THAT NECESSITATES NARROW TEACHING METHODS SUCH AS ROTE LEARNING AND ‘CRAMMING’ SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE, particularly when pupils are studying for their GCSEs. There is also little scope to engage with topics beyond the curriculum or apply learning to real-world issues such as climate change, with pupil engagement suffering as a result.
‘Young people also have insufficient opportunities in this phase to develop and apply the essential skills they need to thrive in the future, particularly in literacy and numeracy. Each year, AROUND A THIRD OF PUPILS IN ENGLAND DO NOT SECURE A ‘PASS GRADE’ IN GCSE ENGLISH AND MATHS, which often leads to more limited opportunities in the post-16 phase. A greater focus on other core skills, such as oracy and digital literacy, should be incorporated into the 11–16 curriculum.
‘Witnesses also told us that the pressure created by the current assessment system has become unsustainable. PUPILS ARE NOW TESTED PURELY VIA EXAMS IN MANY GCSE SUBJECTS. Sitting 25 to 30 hours of exams at the end of year 11 is a stressful experience for many pupils, and THOSE WHO DO NOT EXCEL IN THIS TYPE OF ASSESSMENT HAVE FEW OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS. This exam burden is disproportionate when all young people must now remain in education or training until the age of 18.
‘We are convinced that change must be undertaken without delay and recommend the following priority areas for attention:
• Reduce the amount of content in the 11–16 curriculum, particularly in GCSE subjects. A revised curriculum should enable schools to offer a more varied range of learning experiences, with the aim of promoting the development of a broader set of knowledge, skills and behaviours.
• Initiate a programme of reform aimed at REDUCING THE VOLUME AND LOWERING THE STAKES OF EXAMS TAKEN AT AGE 16. In the shorter term, improvements could be made by INCREASING THE USE OF COURSEWORK OR OTHER FORMS OF NON- EXAM ASSESSMENT, including project-based qualifications.
• Schools must be given greater flexibility to offer the subjects and qualifications that would best serve their pupils, based on A BALANCED CURRICULUM INCLUDING THE STUDY OF CREATIVE, TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL SUBJECTS.’
The Lords’ committee – for some inexplicable reason (!) – did NOT take evidence from Professor Lindsay Paterson, who regular readers of TuS will know as the BBC’s go-to expert on Scottish school education and arch critique of the current educational curriculum in Scotland. Not sure he would be too supportive of the direction of travel being proposed by this Lords committee!
In an oral evidence session on 11 May 2023, the committee heard evidence from Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive of the Independent Society of Musicians, an organisation dating back to 1882 which supports the music profession and advocates for music.
On the nature of the current curriculum in England established by the Tories she said this: ‘I do not think that the DfE (Department for Education) understands what the workplace of the future could look like and, therefore, has not given adequate thought to the content of A-levels and GCSEs, let alone the accountability measures.
‘Personally, I would start again with new qualifications that provide a broad and balanced curriculum, with some kind of accountability measure that has enough flexibility to cater for the child and the teacher—we certainly do not have that now—and which looks to the future.’
She went on: ‘Apparently, in 2022, PISA held its creative thinking assessment and THE DFE REFUSED TO TAKE PART, although Scotland did, along with 66 other countries. IT IS AS IF WE HAVE ENTIRELY SHUT OFF OUR MINDS TO THE CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM-SOLVING, ET CETERA, THAT LIE AT THE HEART OF WHAT A WORKFORCE NEEDS TO DO IN THE FUTURE. I see that as an employer. Youngsters who come through to the ISM often do not have the skills the ISM needs, so I have to spend quite a lot of time developing their resilience, problem- solving and critical thinking. I am just a small employer, and I am sure this happens up and down the land. I would start afresh.’
I believe that the results of PISA’s 2022 ‘creative thinking’ assessment are due for publication in 2024. Look out for them: is it too cynical to suggest that if they show Scottish education in a favourable light they may receive little news coverage?
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Education for 11-16 Year Olds Committee, House of Lords
Transcript of oral evidence, Thursday 11 May 2023
From Olly Newton, Executive Director, Edge Foundation – an ‘independent foundation working to inspire the education system to give all young people across the UK the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to flourish in their future life and work.’
‘It is also important to look across borders. I am thinking particularly of colleagues across Scotland. We do a lot of work across the UK. I DEFINITELY COMMEND THE FOUNDATION APPRENTICESHIPS PROGRAMME IN SCOTLAND TO THE COMMITTEE, and we can provide more information on that. That is for slightly older young people, but the message is absolutely transferable. It is the size of a single A-level or Scottish higher and allows young people to move on to university but, importantly, if a young person moves into a modern apprenticeship, it gives them up to a nine- month accelerated start.
‘IT IS A TRULY NO-WRONG-DOOR APPROACH WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DEVELOPING A SKILL, THEY ARE ABLE TO BLEND ACADEMIC AND TECHNICAL, AND THEN THEY CAN TAKE FORWARD EITHER THE MORE ACADEMIC UNIVERSITY ROUTE OR THE PRACTICAL ROUTE AND GET A HEAD START IN THEIR CAREER.’ (my emphasis)
Education for 11-16 Year Olds Committee
Transcript of oral evidence, Thursday 27 April 2023
From Charles Tracy, Senior Adviser for Learning & Skills, Institute of Physics – speaking on on science teacher retention:
‘We do not have to go far to find a jurisdiction that has MUCH BETTER RETENTION, AND THAT IS SCOTLAND. In Scotland, the equivalent figure is 20% leaving after five years as opposed to 40% leaving in England. There is a big drop in the first year. That is always the case with any new career; people find that it is not for them. But AFTER THE FIRST YEAR, 1% OR 2% PER YEAR ARE LEAVING IN SCOTLAND WHEREAS IT IS 8% IN ENGLAND. One difference in Scotland is that they teach to their specialist subjects and it is timetabled as a specialist subject.’
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