Replace GCSEs with 'broad and relevant' baccalaureate, says MP

Robert Halfon, chair of the commons education select committee, said change was needed because of a "complete disconnect between our education system and the 21st century world of work" - and called for GCSEs to be scrapped.

Speaking at a conference held by education charity The Edge Foundation, Halfon described how employers were struggling to employ young people who met their skills requirements.

He suggested GCSE exams, taken at age 16, had become little more than a "progress check", as since 2015 children have been required to stay in formal education and training up to age 18.

Halfon said curriculum changes such as the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) had led to a decline in take-up of subjects that might help boost technical skills, which businesses say they want to see in new recruits.

"A huge emphasis has been placed through performance measures like EBacc on knowledge in a narrow range of academic subjects," added the MP.

"While businesses emphasise the need for technical skills, EBacc has delivered a 57 per cent reduction in design and technology GCSE entries since 2010.

"At the same time, the teaching of creative subjects needed to build broader communication and team-working skills have fallen by 20 per cent."

The MP added that he was not advocating for "either/or".

He continued: "The acquisition of core knowledge is important. But dry rote learning for exams is not the way forward and GCSEs have had their day."

Halfon said a baccalaureate exam taken at 18 would have a "broad and relevant curriculum that links explicitly to the real world and is assessed holistically".