NUT: 61% of parents oppose scrapping coursework

Commenting on today’s reports in the media about proposed reforms to GCSEs, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“There is certainly a need for a serious debate on the examination system, particularly in light of the school leaving age rising to 18. It is, however, essential that teaching and learning and the voice of the profession inform possible changes to assessment.

“The proposals to get rid of coursework from every core subject apart from science are really not the best way forward. This will ignore different learning styles and will narrow the skills that can be tested through terminal examinations.

“The recent NUT-commissioned YouGov survey of parents showed that 61% believe that getting rid of coursework – leaving solely an end-of-course examination – is not the right decision. This is not what happens at university, so there appears to be no logical reason why it should be so at GCSE or at A-Level. Real life is not about what you can do in two or three hours at the end of a two year process.”

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