Our response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review interim report
The interim report is an important step towards better preparing young people for the future. We’re pleased to see recognition of many of the key areas that need to be addressed and encourage the government to go further during the next stage of the review in order to ensure high standards for all and drive the meaningful change young people deserve.
In particular, we’re pleased to see support for core aspects of the recommendations we shared with the panel, including:
- recognition that other level 3 qualifications should exist alongside T Levels and A levels to ensure provision meets the needs of all 16–19 learners
- a phased programme of reform by subject, which considers volume of content and assessment formats, with a structured timeline to ensure any change is manageable for the sector
- commitment to ensuring the assessment system captures the strengths of every young person, with the right balance of assessment methods, while maintaining the important role of examinations.
However, as the Curriculum and Assessment Review progresses, we believe it’s critical that there’s further emphasis on tackling the issues and seizing the opportunities that will have the biggest impact for teachers and learners – both now and into the future. In particular:
- Going further to address the cycle of resit failure and fatigue for thousands of post-16 learners in GCSE English and maths. We are calling for a rethink of how post-16 English and maths students achieve success, ending the requirement to resit exactly the same content studied at school. Shared last week, our well-supported short, medium and long-term recommendations can start making a difference from day one and build towards greater reform.
- While we welcome the report's recognition that other level 3 qualifications should exist alongside T Levels and A levels, as well as the government changes to the level 3 reforms announced in December, we would like to see an urgent review of the decision to remove larger level 3 qualifications in critical areas such as Digital, Science, Health and Social Care, Engineering and Creatives.
- Applying the form of assessment most valid and authentic to the subject curriculum and to the fundamentals of what students and employers need. Alongside this, supporting a better understanding of the impact the existing assessment system has on learners facing disadvantage, and the use of technology in assessment, which could deliver benefits for both students and institutions. This includes providing onscreen assessment as a choice in subjects that lend themselves to this mode, paving the way for a longer-term shift towards more adaptive, ‘digital first’, flexible assessment models.
- As part of the detailed subject work in the next phase of the review, progressing urgent reform in GCSE English Literature and Language in particular, to ensure these critical subjects are more relevant for today’s world. By including a broader range of texts, more explicit inclusion of spoken language knowledge and skills, and new approaches to developing writing skills, GCSE English can better prepare students to be successful in their future lives.
- Carefully considering a wide range of ways to best nurture creativity and creative skills in students. In our recent ‘Cultivating a Creative Curriculum’ report, we share a broad set of recommendations that could have a swift impact in classrooms and ensure students benefit more quickly from enhanced creativity in schools.
As the Review is finalised, we encourage the UK government to be ambitious in its approach towards the key issues that need to be addressed, while recognising the strengths of the existing system, the hard work of those within it, and the need to ensure proposals are realistic and workable. There is much still to do, and as we move through the weeks and months ahead, we look forward to working with educators, partners, sector experts – and of course learners – to bring our review recommendations to life.
Let’s continue the conversation
We believe that collaboration and conversation across the education community will drive positive change.