p.6 news 12:Page 6 8/12/09 12:47 Page 6
News
Leading countries guarantee more,
better academic education
E
very 16-year-old should study a core of five deficiency” compared to other countries. Countries economic growth
academic GCSEs according to a new report by such as France and Germany have been by enabling people
the independent think tank Reform. The study finds strengthening the academic core of their curriculum. to move between
that academic study beats vocational learning in The Government’s “pupil guarantee”, to be occupations. In
terms of personal earnings, economic growth and introduced in the new Children, Schools and contrast, vocational
social mobility. The next government should Families Bill, misses the point. Students need core qualifications lead to occupational segregation,
safeguard the quality of GCSEs by taking control of academic study of a guaranteed breadth and depth where different people become concentrated in
standards away from central quangos and handing rather than the broad pledges on behaviour and different jobs, irrespective of their actual abilities.
it to groups of university academics. choice of vocational study in the new legislation. Policymakers have made attempt after attempt
The Reform report, Core business, finds that The next Government must propose three key to create effective pre-16 vocational routes despite
England is almost unique among major developed reforms. Every 14-16 year-old should study a strong their repeated failure. Schools are incentivised to
countries in its narrowness of academic study at age academic core consisting of English, maths and push students into these routes due to league table
16. 16-year-olds in England must sit exams only in three other academic subjects from the sciences, “equivalence”.
English and maths. In eight of the ten biggest languages, history and geography. University Only 0.2 per cent of individuals progress from
developed economies, 16 year olds must sit four, academics and school Heads of Department must non-academic routes into higher education.
five or six academic qualifications. The idea that a take control of GCSE standards from Ofqual and The Government has attempted to compensate for
large proportion of the population cannot cope the Qualifications and Curriculum Development the academic deficiency with “functional skills”,
with academic study is a very British prejudice that Agency (QCDA). The Government should stop saying that these should be “at the heart of the 14-19
simply does not exist in competitor countries. asserting the false equivalence between academic phase”. But these are designed to provide everyday
Academic qualifications are now much more and vocational qualifications. competencies in numeracy, literacy and ICT and lack
valuable to students than their vocational Reform’s report will be launched at an event on academic rigour. Ofqual anticipates the highest tier of
equivalents. Research shows that successful study of Tuesday 1 December to be addressed by Michael functional skills in maths to be equivalent to the
GCSEs adds 15 per cent to average earnings, while Gove MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, expected average attainment of a 14 year old.
vocational qualifications deliver no benefit at all. But Schools and Families. Dale Bassett, Senior Researcher at Reform, said: “For
25 years of education policy, under successive The report’s key findings are: three decades governments have pushed more and
governments, have pushed English children towards School league tables should be changed to more school children into poor quality vocational
vocational learning, despite this evidence and measure attainment only in the academic core. This routes, on the unfounded assumption that they just
despite the repeated failure to introduce robust will ensure that, while pupils retain the opportunity can’t handle academic study. Other countries
vocational qualifications. to pursue vocational or practical options alongside, understand that only a strong academic core can help
The report includes new analysis by leading there will no longer be an incentive for schools to social mobility and guarantee our future economic
English, maths and science academics comparing encourage them to do so at the expense of success. It’s time for England to catch up.”
the standard of academic GCSEs with equivalent academic education.
qualifications in Canada, Germany, France, Japan 70 per cent of elite graduates on the Teach First
and the United States. It finds that while English scheme feel that their school encouraged pupils to
GCSE is of a comparable standard, England’s maths choose courses that would benefit the school not
and science exams suffer from “a clear aversion to the pupil. trianglertdale.bassett@reform.co.uk
academic rigour”, showing “a noticeable intellectual Academic qualifications improve general trianglert020 7799 6699
UK drops into relegation zone of world education tables
T
he UK has dramatically slumped to the bottom are seeing those percentages increase. looking like they will over take us.”
of international education tables. In the past 12 UCU believes a real cross-party consensus is The study analysed tables of the percentage of
years it has been overtaken by countries such as needed if the UK is to avoid the indignity of full-time and part-time students aged 15-19 in
Portugal, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Korea, becoming a country with first-world aspirations but public and private institutions and students aged
Ireland, Greece, Hungary and the Czech Republic. third-world levels of participation in education. UCU 20-29 in OECD countries in 1995 and 2007. Key
The news comes on the day the University and is starting that debate with the formation of the findings included:
College Union (UCU) launches a cross-party group in Make Education Count Westminster network that 15-19 year-olds
Westminster to put UK education back on the map. will bring together key players from across the In 1995 the UK was ranked 19th out of the 30
UCU analysis of the percentage of young people in political divide including MPs, peers, local politicians, OECD countries with 72% of 15-19 year-olds in
education has revealed that the UK has slipped from unions and other key stakeholders. Universities and education – the same proportion as America – and
the comfort of mid-table into the relegation zone of colleges are worth £87bn a year to the UK economy just 2% below average. However by 2007 the UK
the table for developed countries. The countries with and the union believes that more must be done to only had 71% of 15-19 year-olds in education and
the lowest percentage of young people in education ensure that all young people have the opportunity was down to 26th out of 30, ahead of only Mexico
in the developed world are now Turkey, Mexico, the to benefit from them. and Turkey as data was unavailable for Japan and
UK and Luxembourg (figures for Japan and Canada UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “This Canada.
were unavailable). The remaining 24 developed shocking analysis brings home just how much the 20-29 year-olds
countries have a higher percentage of young people UK has to do if it wants to remain a key player in In 1995 18% of 20-29 year-olds in the UK were in
in education than the UK. the new global knowledge economy. We cannot education, 12 years later (2007) the figure had, like
Of equal concern is the fact the countries in the rely on our proud history when it comes to for the 15-19 year-olds, dropped by 1% (down to
‘second tier’ - partner countries of the Organisation educational achievement or innovation. We have to 17% for 20-29 year-olds). The drop, coupled with
for Economic and Co-operation and Development face up to the fact that we cannot remain a first- other countries’ improved participation rates, meant
OECD - Israel, Russia, Brazil, Chile, Estonia and world country with third-world levels of that the UK has dropped from a mid-ranking 15th
Slovenia also have a higher percentage of participation in education. Other developed out of 30 in 1995 down to 25th out of 30 in 2007.
young people in education than the UK countries are pulling away from us and the
and, like the rest of the developed world, developing nations are catching up and trianglertdashley@ucu.org.uk trianglert020 7799 6699
6
Visit NEC at the BETT Show
Stand E90
December 2009
Grand Hall Olympia, 13-16 January 2010
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68