Bac to the future
John Freeman
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Predictably, there is a row about the post facto changes to performance tables that will impact on published school performance before schools have had a chance to change their curriculum. The row is largely synthetic – there is no doubt that some schools have inflated their apparent success by cynical choice of examinations. Most schools have done their best to avoid the false prophets of multi-certificated vocational assessments, and instead to maintain a broad and balanced curriculum. And who can disagree with the need for a broad education up to the age of sixteen? Earlier narrow specialisation is generally unhelpful, even if it seems a good idea at the time. The medium term impact will be a curriculum shift to those subjects valued in the English Bacc – that is the universal effect of high-stakes testing. Although I might argue about the inclusion of GCSE Biblical Hebrew and other such abstruse subjects, they will always have a minimal take-up, so, generally, the introduction of the English Bacc will be a broadening measure. And it is right that schools serving disadvantaged communities should be assessed on the same basis as others, and that their pupils have the same access to that broad curriculum. In the short term, the most obvious effect is likely to be a premium on excellent modern languages teachers, able to enthuse and excite pupils to achieve. And that’s no bad thing. C’est la vie! So is das Leben!
