Bac to the future

A small revolution was announced by the Education Secretary this week, undramatic in itself but one which promises to end Labour’s practice of eroding academic standards in order to make the statistics look good. Michael Gove has declared he will replace the current system of league tables, which judges schools on all GCSE passes, with a system that looks only at the five traditional subjects. The ‘English Baccalaureate’, as it has been dubbed, will require passes in maths, English Literature, a science, a foreign or ancient language and either history, geography, art or music.

This is not the sort of cosmetic gimmick with which we became familiar during the Labour years. It cuts to the heart of the problem in British public services. Ever since league tables were invented, schools have found ways of manipulating the figures to improve their standing. Pupils are encouraged to take a greater number of easier subjects (‘media studies’, ‘food technology’, ‘outdoor pursuits’, etc). The result is more qualifications but less learning. Never have 16-year-olds left English schools with as many good grades as they do now. But who really thinks that their education is better than ever?

In fact, the proportion of pupils who won at least five decent passes in traditional subjects has halved to 15 per cent over the last ten years. Children are leaving school with lots of qualifications that are of little use in the outside world. What began with a lowering of standards at GCSE has extended to A-levels. As vocational subjects are used to propel schools up the league tables, a generation of state-school pupils have been robbed of a good education.