Other

GCSE success requires youth work

2 mins read
There goes the summer then. Six weeks of staying in bed until 11am is about to come to an abrupt end for millions of young people. But how pleased they will be about heading back to school will depend on what sort of time they're having there.

According to a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the vast majority of young people rate secondary schools as good. But they know, like we do, that not every school is as good as it could be.

The National Challenge may sound a bit like a new Saturday night game show. But there's a lot more at stake here than wining a small family car or a fortnight in the sun. And you definitely won't find Ant and Dec involved in this one.

It's a new government initiative that aims to tackle persistent educational underachievement. The aim is that in every school in England no less than 30 per cent of young people will get five good GCSE passes, including English and maths. Official figures show that the number of schools not reaching this minimum standard has declined sharply over the past few years. But there are still too many that have yet to turn the corner. Right now there are 638 schools that are failing to get 30 per cent of learners up to this level. Most areas in England have at least one of these schools. Many have a lot more.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here


More like this