Policy Hub
On 1 December 2009, the think tank Reform published a report (Core business) which calls for all pupils to study a core of five academic GCSEs and for standards to be raised to international standards.
The report argues that England has one of the narrowest academic cores in the OECD. The English examination system does not formally require students to sit any examinations at the age of 16, though in practice most pupils are compelled to take one GCSE in each of English and Maths because of league table measures.
Conversely, across the world, countries such as Japan, Germany and Canada have been moving to strengthen their academic core, recognising the values of a broad academic education.
The report suggests that many of the academic examinations taken by English students are of a much lower quality than their international counterparts. Reform asked leading academics to compare examinations from Japan, Canada, France, Germany and the USA with the UK’s in maths, English and science. They found that whilst English was of a comparable standard, England’s maths and science exams suffer from a “clear aversion to academic rigour”, showing a “noticeable intellectual deficiency” compared to other countries.
The report contends that UK policy makers have bought into a capability myth that a large proportion of the population is not suited to academic study. As a consequence, we have witnessed 25 years of policy making designed to funnel students away from academic study and into more vocational routes. Reform contend that league tables and the drive towards equivalence and “parity of esteem” now actively incentivise students towards less academic study.
The report insists that this trend towards less academic study is damaging for both individuals and society. Academic qualifications benefit individuals with GCSEs adding 15% to average earnings whereas vocational qualifications can actually reduce earnings by an estimated 0.2%. Academic qualifications also improve general economic growth by enabling people to move between occupations, discouraging occupational segregation and enhancing social mobility.
The report recommends that all students should study a core of five academic GCSEs to ensure they get the best possible academic grounding. University academics and school heads of department must take control of GCSE standards from Ofqual and the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA). Similarly, the government should stop asserting false equivalence between academic and vocational qualifications.