Lib Dems call for exam system reform
Liberal Democrat education spokesman Ed Davey has called for a radical reform of the education system based on the proposals put forward by former Ofsted chief Mike Tomlinson.
The Tomlinson proposals suggest replacing GCSEs and A-levels with a diploma system, in an effort to improve basic skills and cut down on unnecessary coursework. The scheme has been widely suported by teaching unions.
Thousands of 16-year-olds across Britain will enter the worlds of work or further education after they get their GCSE results on Thursday.
But the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has released a survey, claiming that 42 per cent of its members say school leavers lack the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic.
The government has promised to review the exam system, to ensure that more young people acquire the skills they need for the workplace.
But Mr Davey argued that Labour is not going far enough in its proposals for reform.
Mr Davey told the BBC’s Westminster Hour that he absolutely supported the idea of making basic reading and writing skills a priority in schools.
He said a diploma stystem would have a core component of “functional literacy and numeracy” and basic computer skills, which would help meet employers’ concerns.
The government has proposed toughening up GCSEs to include such basic skills tests, as well as changing league tables so that it becomes more obvious which of the pupils who have gained five good GCSE passes actually have maths and English among them.
Mr Davey said it was a good first step, but added the government was just “tinkering with the system” and not creating the “real, radical change that most employers and universities and schools want to see”.
He said that the Liberal Democrats are in support of the Tomlinson proposal, which suggests introducing a baccalaureate-style diploma. But he stressed that this would not mean scrapping GCSEs and A-levels altogether.
He said that part of the ‘joy’ of the Tomlinson plan is that it would get rid of the vocational-academic divide.
“At the moment a lot of [pupils] are put off by the idea of A-Levels; it is too much for them. On a diploma system they will leave school if they stay on, with something that is worthwhile, that will equip them for life, and that will equip them for employment.”
He concluded by saying the Tomlinson proposals offered “a huge revolution in our education” and both Labour and the Conservatives were displaying “political cowardice” by not advocating radical reform.
