'Choice narrowed' by English Bacc

13 July 2011 Last updated at 14:55 GMT By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent Will the English Baccalaureate toughen up standards - or restrict choice? Pupils are having their options "narrowed" and "distorted" by the English Baccalaureate, a meeting at the House of Commons was told.

The meeting, called by Labour's Andy Burnham, heard some pupils who had begun their GCSEs were being switched mid-course to baccalaureate subjects.

A teachers' union warned schools were cutting non-baccalaureate subjects.

An education department spokesman said the English Bacc "opens up" academic subjects to a wider range of pupils.

Mr Burnham, the shadow education secretary, said choices about the importance of different subjects should not be "decided on a ministerial whim".

GCSE options

The English Baccalaureate - or "E Bacc" or "English Bacc"- sets out a new league table measurement for secondary schools in England, based on how many pupils achieve a good GCSE in English, maths, two sciences, a language and either history or geography.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "The English Baccalaureate opens up academic subjects to tens of thousands of pupils who wouldn't get the chance to study them otherwise.

"The E Bacc is not compulsory - it leaves plenty of room for further study and categorically does not stop schools offering subjects outside it. Our White Paper made clear that it is 'only one measure of performance and should not be the limit of schools' ambitions for their pupils'."

But critics have complained of unintended consequences, with schools chasing this new target and limiting support for subjects outside the baccalaureate.

Dave Peck, from the Curriculum Foundation, told the meeting there were schools where pupils who had already begun their GCSE courses were being switched into baccalaureate subjects.

There were other schools introducing "twilight classes" to increase the proportion of pupils reaching this benchmark, he said.

This was being driven by the pressure on schools to perform well in league tables, he added, rather than the interests of pupils.

In response to this, an education department spokesman said: "It is simply wrong for anyone to be shipped from one course to another midway through their studies."

But Mr Burnham said: "The danger is, it puts the interests of the school above the interests of the individual."

The NASUWT teachers' union said it had invited responses from its members about the impact of the E Bacc - and among those who had replied, 43% had said their schools "had put in place plans to restrict the degree of choice pupils are able to exercise over subject options".

The teachers' union members reported a reduction in provision of art, music, religious education (RE), citizenship, drama and personal, social and health education (PSHE).

'Freedom of choice'

Peter Hall Jones, also from the Curriculum Foundation, said the English Baccalaureate would "distort" the focus of teaching in many schools.

There have been particular complaints about the absence of religious education from the subjects that count towards the English Baccalaureate.

Jonathan Romain, representing the Accord coalition of faith and humanist groups, said there was a "mantra of freedom choice, but the reality is the narrowing of choice".

Mark Chater, from the Citizenship Foundation, said there was a "troubling contradiction" underlying the English Baccalaureate.

He said there were two things wrong with the new measure: "It's not a baccalaureate and it's not English."

He argued it lacked the breadth to be a genuine baccalaureate - and that prescribing subjects from the centre was against the grain of English education.

It was "Napoleonic", he said, and warned of a "catastrophic" impact for some subjects.

University places

Shadow Schools Minister Kevin Brennan said this was about delivering political results rather than academic benefits - and that it would allow the government to claim a "success story" when English Baccalaureate scores increased.

"Schools will steer resources and children into these subjects, whether it is appropriate for them or not. More pupils will take these subjects."

Last week the government highlighted research that showed pupils who had achieved the English Baccalaureate were much more likely to continue to higher education - and were much less likely to be "not in employment, education or training" or so-called Neets.

The government argues publishing English Baccalaureate figures will encourage a wider availability of these tougher academic subjects to pupils, particularly in poorer areas.

There have been claims some schools have inflated their exam performance by putting pupils into "softer" subjects, which have been of less value to individual pupils when they leave school.

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Schoolboy's game aids English classes

27 June 2011 Last updated at 15:52 GMT Crawford Johnston with the grammar cards he designed at primary school A pupil from Peterborough has created a game that is being used in English lessons at schools across the city.

Crawford Johnston initially designed the Creative Writing Magic Money Cards to help him understand English grammar.

The cards explain concepts such as the use of paragraphs and terms such as onomatopoeia.

"Money" points are allocated to each card and pupils are encouraged to use as many as possible to increase their winnings.

The onomatopoeia card explains it is related to "words that make the sound".

It cites examples including "the sausages sizzled in the frying pan" and lists other onomatopoeic words including slosh, thud and squish.

'Fun and competitive'

Crawford was still at primary school when he came up with the idea for the grammar cards.

One of the creative writing grammar cards designed to help children with their English lessons

"I thought it was an idea that was just going to work for me, to help me revise for exams," he explained.

"I didn't want to make it boring because then people would switch off.

"I wanted to make it fun - like a game - making it competitive so that children want to do it, rather than thinking that it's just another lesson."

The cards are intended for pupils aged nine to 15 and are tailored to fit in with Key Stages two and three of the National Curriculum.

Jonathan Lewis, assistant director of education and services at Peterborough City Council, confirmed that he had arranged for the cards to be distributed to all primary schools in the city.

The Johnston family hopes the success of the game will lead to it being used in more schools around the country.

Crawford, who is now 13, said he was excited by the prospect that his game might be used at other schools.

"If it's going to be used around the UK, it's fascinating. It's really something," he said.

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English Bacc music GCSE warning

24 May 2011 Last updated at 13:03 GMT By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent Musicians warn that GCSE music will suffer from its exclusion from the English Bacc It could become "impossible" for young people in England to study music GCSE, if the English Baccalaureate is kept in its current form, a professional body for musicians says.

Music is not included in the proposed English Bacc list of GCSE subjects.

And the Incorporated Society of Musicians is writing to the schools minister to say teachers are reporting the subject is being "squeezed out".

An education department spokesman said funding for music was being protected.

A final decision on the shape of the English Bacc, for the 2012 league tables, is expected from ministers in the next few weeks.

'Almighty shock'

But Incorporated Society of Musicians chief executive Deborah Annetts said teachers had already reported a drop in pupils taking music GCSE and one school where it was no longer on the curriculum.

The English Bacc sets out the subjects on which league tables will be based showing how many pupils achieve at least a C grade.

The subjects proposed by the government are English, maths, two sciences, an ancient or modern language and either history or geography.

But critics say this will undermine the teaching of other subjects and limit the choices for GCSE.

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It is a concern to the government that children, particularly in deprived areas, are not being offered that combination of choices”

End Quote Nick Gibb Schools minister "Without music GCSE being given the weighting it deserves, our cultural and creative economy will be put at risk, and young people who want to be involved in the music sector will have their efforts hampered," said Ms Annetts.

"The government is setting England up for an almighty shock in the future if they continue this policy - let alone the impact it is already having on young people who want to study music."

There have also been protests about the absence of religious education and economics from the list and concerns schools will prevent pupils taking both history and geography, when only one will appear in the league-table results.

A Department for Education spokesman rejected the suggestion that music in school was not being supported.

"We've actually protected ?82.5m funding for music services this year and are reforming the system so money is targeted where it is needed most in future.

"We're recruiting top music graduates and performers into the profession through Teach First and will launch a National Plan for Music Education later this year - to close the 'musical divide' between rich and poor."

And he said that it was up to schools how they responded to the English Bacc.

"The ball is in schools' court over how they structure their curriculum and best meet pupils' needs. The number of EBacc subjects has been kept deliberately small - leaving plenty of lesson time to offer other valuable academic and non-academic qualifications, like music and RE."

On Monday Schools Minister Nick Gibb told the House of Commons the English Bacc would add to the quality of information available and help ensure more children take core academic subjects.

"The English Baccalaureate is not prescriptive. It is just a measure, one of many measures, that this government are putting forward as part of the transparency agenda," he said.

"It is the next stage in that school's improved performance. It is a concern to the government that children, particularly in deprived areas, are not being offered that combination of choices."

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English and maths skills priority

12 May 2011 Last updated at 13:41 GMT By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent Professor Wolf's review warned that too many pupils lacked basic skills in literacy and numeracy Teenagers who fail to achieve good GCSE grades at English and maths will have to carry on studying the subjects beyond the age of 16.

This has been announced as the government accepts Alison Wolf's report on improving vocational education.

Professor Wolf was critical of the quality of skills being taught to many youngsters in the 16 to 19 age group.

"Good qualifications in English and maths are what employers demand," said Education Secretary Michael Gove.

There will also be changes to school league tables to show the spread of high and low achieving pupils.

Professor Wolf's report expressed her concern that too many teenagers are leaving school without adequate basic skills.

Education Secretary Michael Gove endorsed the report, which called for greater honesty in the information for students about the value of vocational courses.

"For too long the vocational education system has been devalued by attempts to pretend that all qualifications are intrinsically the same. Young people have taken courses that have led nowhere," said Mr Gove.

'Dead end'

In response, Professor Wolf said: "For 20 years we have toyed around with vocational education but succeeded only in creating a bureaucratic and expensive system that limits the life chances of too many young people."

Professor Wolf had warned that hundreds of thousands of teenagers were being consigned to low-quality "dead end" vocational courses, when they really needed the type of basic skills in literacy and numeracy required by employers.

"The staple offer for between a quarter and a third of the post-16 cohort is a diet of low-level vocational qualifications, most of which have little to no labour market value," said the Wolf Report.

Last summer 45% of 16-year-olds failed to achieve a C grade at GCSE maths and English, and Professor Wolf wants such youngsters to continue studying these basic subjects.

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Good levels of English and mathematics continue to be the most generally useful and valuable vocational skills on offer”

End Quote Wolf Report The government has accepted the call for students to continue with English and maths, up until the age of 18.

This will aim to bring all pupils up to at least a C grade at GCSE, but for pupils who cannot achieve this the government is proposing "high-quality alternatives", which will be identified after a consultation.

While arguing that the system of vocational qualifications was "complex and opaque", Professor Wolf said that in practice "good levels of English and mathematics continue to be the most generally useful and valuable vocational skills on offer".

This emphasis on literacy and numeracy was welcomed by the Confederation of British Industry's director for education and skills, Susan Anderson.

"We welcome the announcement that young people who didn't get A*-C English and maths GCSEs will now be supported to achieve this benchmark by 19. These subjects are essential for work," she said.

The CBI recently warned that many employers were unhappy with the levels of literacy and numeracy among school leavers.

Professor Wolf's review also called for the end of "perverse incentives" in school league tables - with some pupils being steered towards vocational exams which would improve school rankings.

She warned against "incentives for schools to pile up large numbers of qualifications".

Exam league tables are to be expanded to show more information about the spread of a schools results, showing how the most and least able pupils are performing.

This addresses the concern that the current rankings - based on how many pupils achieve five GCSEs grade A* to C - encourage schools to focus too much attention on borderline pupils who could be pushed to achieve a C grade.

"If you have a single measure, which is the only thing that anybody cares about, it has absolutely appalling effects because people game it and they only care about the people around the margin," Professor Wolf told the education select committee last month.

Shadow Education Secretary Andy Burnham welcomed the proposals to improve English and maths skills.

But he warned that the government's introduction of a new league table measure - the English Baccalaureate - risked creating the kind of distortion that was being criticised in the current rankings.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said the English Baccalaureate "reinforces the idea that anything other than a traditional academic route is the poor relation".

"Yet again we hear the tired old assertion that vocational courses presently offered are the easy option for schools and students. This is simply not the case," she said.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, warned that the government's promotion of university technical colleges could push young people into "irrevocable" choices at the age of 14.

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