New GCSEs must attract ‘wider range’ of pupils
The introduction of vocational GCSEs appears to have been a success, according to the schools inspectorate.
But in a report published today, Ofsted also claimed that schools will have to offer the new subjects to a wider range of students – not just the “low attaining or disenchanted” – if the courses are to be held in similar esteem to traditional GCSEs.
After assessing nearly 100 schools as part of a wider investigation into the 14 to 19 curriculum, inspectors found that in terms of standards of achievement and quality of teaching and learning, the new GCSEs managed to hold their own against the more established subjects.
The eight new GCSEs that were brought in last September are: art and design; business; engineering; health and social care; information, communication and technology; manufacturing; science; and leisure and tourism.
However, the report notes that there is an urgent need for the courses to contain more hands-on experience.
Chief inspector for schools David Bell said: “Overall we have found that the work-related dimension of these courses is significantly underdeveloped.”
“These subjects are designed to provide students with the opportunity to gain vocational experience and it is disappointing to see that this is only happening in a minority of the schools visited. In order to enhance the work related dimension of the new courses, links with local businesses urgently need to be developed.”
Teaching was good or better in over two-fifths of lessons – a similar proportion to that found in traditional subjects.
But teachers were unsure about the assessment requirements for the new courses, and some teachers – as well as many pupils – were unclear about the progression routes from the new GCSEs.
This summer many commentators suggested that time was up for the exam, with the head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority suggesting that pupils could skip GCSEs to cut their workload, and the head of Eton leading the way among private schools by abandoning the exam in favour of a longer run-in to A-Levels.
However supporters of the new vocational GCSEs believe the courses could offer a crucial platform for school leavers who do not see the relevance to the world of work of more traditional subjects.
