NUT: Exam reforms clearly being rushed
Commenting on the Government and Ofqual’s responses to the Education Select Committee’s report on qualification reform in England, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:
“The Government’s response to this report fails to address the issue of the teaching profession not having sufficient involvement in the development of a new system for 14-19 education. Reforms are consistently being introduced without proper consideration of what is already working.
“The timetable for reform is clearly rushed. New A-levels to be introduced from 2014 will put undue pressure on teachers and schools.
“Even the exams regulator has warned that the E-Bacc reform timetable is cause for concern. There are genuine misgivings across the profession that the E-Bacc will leave many pupils unmotivated and uninterested in education.
“It is so important that we recognise achievement in vocational as well as academic subjects. Excluding subjects from the E-Bacc such as music, IT and Design & Technology as well as vocational courses is very short-sighted. Schools also should not be measured as successful or otherwise on the narrow basis of five set subjects.
“The NUT believes that the proposal to franchise subjects to awarding bodies in the E-Bacc must include a risk assessment on how this will impact on existing GCSEs, A-levels and the viability of entire examination boards.
“The suggestion that universities want to have ownership of A-levels has been roundly rebuffed by Universities UK amongst others. The NUT believes that examination reform should be based on a thorough consultation of all concerned parties, including teachers.”
END pr173-2012
For further information contact Caroline Cowie on 0207 380 4706 or 07879480061
-01.png){kind=spacer}