Wednesday, 06 February 2013 UK Education News
The English Baccalaureate Certificates were intended to replace GCSEs in key subjects
Plans to scrap GCSEs in key subjects in England and replace them with an English Baccalaureate Certificate seem set to be abandoned by the government.
The major reversal is expected to be announced, alongside changes to the curriculum, in the Commons later.
Education Secretary Michael Gove had planned to bring in the baccalaureate certificate from autumn 2015.
Labour said it was a "humiliating climbdown" for Mr Gove and the NUT said it was "delighted" by his "U-turn".
Plans for the new qualification, which was announced last September, seem set to be shelved, with GCSEs expected to be retained, despite having been condemned by the education secretary.
'Red light'The arrival of the new qualifications had been billed as a return to an O-level style traditional qualification, but the proposals were met by intense criticism from teachers' unions.
The plan to have one exam board for each subject is also set to be scrapped.
End Quote Christine Blower NUTWe are absolutely delighted that Michael Gove has had to do a U-turn on this”
Doubts had been raised about the feasibility of awarding the franchises for subjects within the timetable set for the new qualifications, which were to be taught from autumn 2015.
Exam regulator Ofqual had written to Mr Gove suggesting that this should not go ahead at the same time as the other changes planned for GCSEs and A-levels.
Last week a report from the Commons education select committee had issued a "red light" warning to the government, urging it to slow down and rethink its proposed changes to GCSEs and the exam system.
The cross-party report warned that the proposed changes were being rushed and risked damaging the exam system.
MPs' criticisms had been echoed by teachers and head teachers' unions.
Mr Gove is expected to announce changes to the performance measures used in school league tables.
There will be a new eight-subject measure of GCSEs, including English and maths, three subjects out of sciences, languages, history and geography and three other subjects, such as art, music or RE.
Labour says Education Secretary Michael Gove is having to make a "humiliating climbdown"
Russell Hobby, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, said on Twitter that such accountability measures would be vital "because no exam system, reformed or not, can survive the current pressures and incentives".
The announcements on abandoning plans for the new qualifications come alongside the publication of changes to the curriculum for primary and secondary schools.
Details are to be published later, but Mr Gove has already set out the principles of a new curriculum.
He has argued that there should be a clear set of core information that pupils should learn in areas such as maths, science, history and literature.
'Entirely wrong'Labour's shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg, who said that Mr Gove should have heeded the advice of head teachers and business leaders, attacked the exam plans as having been put together "on the back of an envelope".
"Pupils and parents need certainty now. Michael Gove must now make clear whether he will abandon his narrow, out-of-date plans altogether or merely try to delay them.
"He needs to go back to the drawing board and develop a curriculum and exam system that meets our future challenges as a country.
"Labour wants to work with the government to forge a long-term consensus on exam and curriculum reform. We would welcome cross-party talks."
The general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Christine Blower, welcomed the news.
"We are absolutely delighted that Michael Gove has had to do a U-turn on this," she said.
"We have amassed a very big coalition of our own around the fact that introducing the E-Bacc was entirely the wrong thing to do, certainly in the kind of timescale that Mr Gove had in mind, so we think this is a very good move and we're very pleased."
