At first glance, the proposals in A World-Class Education System. The Advanced British (distinctly English!) Standard, (ABS) being presented to Parliament next week, represent a complete turnaround in government plans for post-16 education – from separate academic and vocational ‘pathways’ to a new baccalaureate-style qualification, which according to Secretary of State Gillian Keegan will draw upon ‘the best of A and T-levels’ while finally establishing parity.
But the Sunak plan, even if it commits to abolishing A-levels, has little in common with previous attempts at creating a new curriculum for the upper secondary years which culminated in the Tomlinson Review of 2004 and proposals for a multi-level general diploma. The reformers of the 1990s recognised a plurality of learning styles as well as the importance of generic and transferable skills. They supported a modular curriculum with different forms of assessment including coursework and extended projects.
This type of learning came to end with Michael Gove’s 2010 White Paper, where a ‘grammar school’ curriculum was reimposed with distinct subject boundaries and end of course exams to test acquisition of factual ‘core’ knowledge ‘which everyone should have’ – a top-down ‘jug and mug’ system of learning, where teachers deliver lessons to students who (invariably sitting in rows of desks) are expected to memorise and recall. The ABS document continues in this tradition, ridiculing what came before and citing the success of Conservative education policies from Free Schools and Academies to phonics, in raising educational performance levels (!)
Though it claims to draw on international examples of a broader post-16 curriculum the ABS essentially wants to introduce a version of the five-subject Ebacc (which it considers offers a ‘broad and balanced’ curriculum and which all KS4 students are expected to achieve, but only a minority do) into post-16 education. Like the Ebacc, individual subjects would still be graded and universities would no doubt be more concerned about these than the full ABS.
At post-16, akin to old fashioned university degrees, students would select Major (generally three) and Minor subjects, but would also be expected to continue with maths and English until 18. Student aiming for Russell universities would be encouraged to major in four subjects – many of these do four A-levels now. Those wanting a more vocational/occupational direction would be able to reduce the number of subjects to enable work placements. So though As and Ts would be officially abolished, divisions between academic and technical/vocational learning would still be apparent. There would in addition be an ‘on-the-job route’ for those under 19s doing apprenticeships.
Of course, with the Tories heading for a heavy election defeat, these proposals are unlikely to be ever implemented and have been considered unworkable by both UCU and NEU because of the extra resources that would be required and the crisis in staff recruitment – the ABS proposals include significant increases in the number of teaching hours.
But at the very least they might encourage reformers to re-engage with the debate about the curriculum in the upper secondary years – Labour have said nothing about A-level reform since Blair ditched Tomlinson and while UCU and NEU have had concerns about the ill-fated T-levels they have not campaigned for alternatives. Though the Tories are now planning to abolish the Ts after spending well over £1 billion failing to convince anybody about their viability, they are still planning to ‘roll them out’ in the meantime and so the BTEC qualifications they will replace, will not get a stay of execution. A White Paper is promised early 2024, but in a chaotic pre-election period, we’ll have to wait for things to become clear.
Education, Economy and Society 