NUT: Report on the English Baccalaureate
Thursday, 28 July 2011 9:28 AM
ommenting on the Education Committee’s report into the English Baccalaureate, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union said:
“The NUT welcomes the Select Committee’s findings that the English Baccalaureate should only have been introduced after proper consultation with stakeholders.
“The English Bac, by focusing on such a narrow range of subjects, may prejudice the National Curriculum review and should not have been introduced before this had taken place. It has already impacted negatively on the uptake of other subjects in schools such as the arts and humanities, with schools being forced to focus on this new narrow range of subjects.
“As it is nothing more than an unnecessary performance measure, not a qualification, the select committee is quite right to say that any attempts to provide formal certificates to pupils who reach its attainment levels must be stopped. This benchmark has already had a devastating effect on schools who have struggled to meet its targets, branding a whole new group of schools and pupils as failures.
“The Government appears reluctant to learn from previous experience and put an end to this relentless programme of change, most of which is neither welcome nor useful.
“Schools need to be able to get on with the job of teaching children and young people in an environment which encourages learning and development; not to push everyone down a narrow educational route, the value of which has been decided by Whitehall, not evidence”.
END
For further information contact Caroline Cowie on 0207 380 4706 or 07879480061
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