NASUWT: Comments on select commitee report on the English Baccalaureate
Commenting on the publication of the Education Select Committee’s Report on the English Baccalaureate, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, said:
“The Education Select Committee’s damning indictment of the English Baccalaureate, and the manner of its introduction, confirms what the NASUWT has been saying since it was introduced, namely, that it is wholly inappropriate, overly prescriptive and does not suit the needs of young people or potential employers in the 21st Century. It is a classic example of the relentlessly elitist approach of the Coalition to education.
“Important subjects such as music, art, RE and IT have not only been downgraded but those who teach them are facing redundancy.
“A recent NASUWT survey found almost 15% of schools had teachers of non-E Bacc subjects who were facing the threat of redundancy with many, many more considering restructuring to give more curriculum time to E Bacc subjects, squeezing other subjects out.
“The Education Select Committee admonishes the Secretary of State for Education for introducing the E Bacc without consulting teachers and other key stakeholders but failure to consult is par for the course. The Secretary of State is a repeat offender.
“The fact that he has announced and is pursuing the implementation of the EBacc makes a mockery of the curriculum review he has commissioned and renders the whole exercise a waste of public money.
“It will remain to be seen whether this critical Report gives the Secretary of State even pause for thought let alone cause him to change course.”
ENDS
Stuart Gannon
NASUWT Press Office
Tel: 020 7420 9681
Mobile (and out of hours contact): 07966 198894
Address: 5 King Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8SD
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