T H E N E W E B A C


‘The new English Baccalaureate will put an end to schools aiming to maintain their


league table status simply by putting their students through non-academic


qualifications’ claims the government


The newenglish Baccalaureate certificate is causing much debate within the secondary sector. Ray Barker, director, BesAoutlines the various views on this new qualification and discusses potential implications.


English Baccalaureate (eBac) stemmed from the government’s concern that there had been a ‘dramatic collapse’ in the number of pupils taking GCSEs in traditional academic subjects including English, maths, science, foreign language and humanities. This, in turn, they felt would increasingly affect the UK’s global economic position in the future. The decision came at the time


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of the announcement of the results of the PISAranking, which emphasized the need for a review of the core subjects in England. This highly anticipated annual ‘Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)’ showed that once again the UK had slipped further down the world ranking in maths, reading and science to 25th position.And it is certainly true that a ‘baccalaureate’ system is operated by many European andAsian countries who are now positioned above the UK in these international league tables.


UK education ‘stagnant at best’ Speaking at the EducationWorld


Forum in January 2011,Andreas Shleicher, head of the PISA programme at OECD, said that the picture for the UK was ‘stagnant at best’. “Many other countries have seen quite significant improvement,” he added. The new English Baccalaureate


has its advantages for the Department for Education.As stated by the government, it will put an end to schools aiming to maintain their league table status


The introduction of the new


by simply putting their students through ‘non-academic’ qualifications such as the intermediate GNVQ in ICT, which is measured to be the equivalent of four good GCSE passes, despite only requiring the teaching time of the maths GCSE. It is also a straightforward


signal to head teachers that this government wants every child to have access to a balanced and rigorous curriculum. Employers expect good communication skills and a standard of maths and science and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has continually stressed the need for change if we are the become a more economically successful society. However there are many


reservations. The majority of objections were based on the speed with which this new umbrella qualification has been introduced. Schools’ performance in the autumn is already going to be measured by the number of children who attain the new certificate although it was introduced after they took the exams. This is therefore perceived as a ‘retrospective’ assessment move. Naturally many feel this is an unfair measure of success, with teachers suggesting the government has moved the ‘goal posts’without warning.Many young people have studied hard for a range of qualifications but now will find it impossible to reach the standard of the eBac simply because they made their choice a few years ago. It also causes many management


issues for secondary schools in how they organise their curriculum, teaching day and assessment regime. In fact many secondary leaders are saying that it will ‘skew’ the way schools work. In a resent focus group at BESA, secondary leaders told us that they were having to reconsider what was being taught and how they


Technology in Education No.185 September 2011 10


proficiency in art and the creative subjects – and more importantly vocational and technical subjects? Will they be seen as ‘less qualified’? Equally, students who have selected to study religious education (not one of the ‘humanities’ on the list) will now be seen to be less successful than those studying a language or even geography. The feeling at our recent focus


Ray Barker, director of BESA, the education sector’s trade association which acts as the conduit between the DfE, schools and suppliers, looks at the effect this is having on the sector.


could manage these core subjects – often without key staff or time or space in school. The status of subjects in school has now been changed. This means that the importance of other subjects has declined – in terms of value and number of lessons. For the good of their students and their future they will have to do this – even though they know it is not the best thing for student performance in all cases. Also, because pupil numbers were going to be a big issue in the future (and so funding) schools would be looking for their ‘unique selling point’ to attract parents and students (especially if they did not have to follow a particular specialism any longer). Heads would need to demonstrate the value of their school as a marketing exercise, and eBac results would be a major factor. Schools are also questioning the


value now placed on the subjects not included in the Baccalaureate. The coalition government positioned it as offering a ‘broad, rounded curriculum’ but what about students who have a


group was that although the government talks about local choice and autonomy, these measures will all be about outcomes (linked to the new Ofsted framework). The ‘retro-tables’ linked to the EBac will be key to curriculum change. ‘Schools are being forced to play a different game,’ one leader commented. iGCSEs are changing the nature of teaching as well, with no coursework and the perception that ‘they are easier to pass’. Despite the government’s view


that it offers a broad curriculum, what all teachers will stress is that education surely is about being able to live a constructive fulfilled life and contribute positively to society. It is not just about getting students to university. We all appreciate the


government’s view of a need for higher standards in our education system, we all want the UK to regain our leading position in the PISAranking and we all respect the need for core skills in everyone’s life, regardless of their future career but there are clearly aspects of the new Baccalaureate that need refining.We also, all keenly await the details of the primary curriculum review to understand how primary schools’ curriculum will be adjusted to support students as they move towards the new English Baccalaureate.


Circle No.E4 ’ Check out our website: www.technology-in-education.co.uk


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