On reforming Secondary education

 Reviving this series in a timely manner, following of from today's announcement on making maths compulsory until 18. Working in schools I've thought about this topic a lot. I have to agree with this assessment in the speccie:

'What is the point of making these students sit through two more frustrating, futile years, especially when there is such a huge gap between our current curriculum and its applications for most people? It would be one thing to request students to undertake some sort of qualification in financial literacy or the basics of economics and business. But why submit students who are far more suited to a vocational education to polynomials and logarithms?'

Part of the problem with the current system is that it was designed for when the school leaving age was 16, now it's 18 (I do find it amusing that it is often those who argue for keeping youngsters in full-time education until 18 are also the same who argue for lowering the voting age to 16, but I digress). When I was a teacher I thought the way a subject can be taught 3 times at increasing levels of complexity as students progress is repetitive and unnecessary. The previously linked mentioned Spectator piece outlines the following ideas:

Last year the Times Education Commission recommended a more wide-ranging British Baccalaureate, with slimmed-down exams at 16 allowing for greater combination and choice at sixth form. This would mean students could mix and match rather than be forced down a simple binary of academic versus vocational or arts versus sciences.

If Sunak wants us to compete internationally, why not go even further? The European model (the International Baccalaureate) currently makes some form of maths, English and one modern language compulsory until 18, allowing scope for students to value creativity and communication as well as crunching numbers.

My idea would go further: scram GCSEs altogether. Instead of the current structure of Key Stages 3 (years 7 to 9), 4 R(GCSE's- years 10 and 11), and 5 (A levels- years 12 and 13), I'd adopt a middle and higher school model similar to that used in Japan, the USA snd elsewhere.

This would consist of a beefed-up KS 3 (3.5?) for years 7 to 10, ending with external exams at 15 (ideally Level 1 on the Qualification Framework, more details to be added later). Then students would start 6 to 8 AS levels in year 11, which they would take for 2 years. Then for year 13, they would take 3 or 4 of these up to full A level. (this would involve reverting to the modular A/AS structure used up until 2018).

The advantage of this would be to preserve the detailed level of study A levels give but give students a wider range of subjects studies. I would leave it up to schools to decide which mixes of subjects students could choose, but I'd like to see AS Core courses in English and Science similar to the existing AQA Core Maths as options for students who don't want to do a full A level, some schools may choose to require students to take these 3 core subjects but others could be more flexible.

This change would also be coupled with changes in vocational education and the structures of the school system, more on these to follow.

Updated 06/01/23: more commentary on the folly of expanding compulsory education: 

'I would have real respect for a politician who, in view of this, was prepared to make no subject mandatory at GCSE. Let’s stop trying to make teenagers study stuff they are not interested in and focus on giving them more options, particularly practical options.'

I didn't mention it earlier but in my planned reform I'd reduce the school leaving age to 15 (end of middle school, same as Japan).

more on the reaction to this announcement, this is particularly true: 

whereas illiteracy is rightly viewed as a scourge that must be tackled, one can freely admit to being innumerate without suffering from any social embarrassment. Little wonder that Britain’s cultural luminaries regularly brag publicly about the fact they cannot solve maths questions set for 12-year-olds.

And finally, Simon Pegg is an arse