In its early days, the government was nicknamed “the breakneck coalition” for its relentless drive to transform education, health, welfare, justice, planning, policing – almost every arm of the state. Since then, most ministers have since struggled to maintain momentum, with one exception: Michael Gove. The Education Secretary’s quiet revolution means that nearly half of all secondary schools in England are academies, the biggest transformation of the system since the 1960s. Now, with local authorities and teaching unions in retreat, Gove has opened a new front in his war on the status quo.
The Daily Mail has the news that GCSEs will be scrapped in favour of O-level style exams, and that the National Curriculum will be abolished. Those due to start their GCSE courses in September 2013 will be the last to do so. From 2014, the Mail reports, “pupils will begin studying for ‘explicitly harder’ exams in English, maths, physics, chemistry and biology”. Less academic pupils will sit “more straightforward” exams akin to the old CSE. In Gove’s view, the current system has failed pupils as teachers have encouraged them to take subjects such as food nutrition in a bid to meet the requirement for all to obtain at least five GCSES graded A* to C (a target that will now be scrapped).
So, what to make of it all? The Mail has predictably welcomed the move, with an editorial declaring that “dumbed-down GCSEs” will be replaced with “rigorous O-levels”. But others are more sceptical, rightly questioning whether the creation of a two-tier system will improve standards. The old grammar school system divided pupils into winners and losers at 11, the new system will do so at 14. Moreover, Gove’s determination to create a more “rigorous” education system is seemingly contradicted by his plan to tear up the National Curriculum. If schools are free to choose what they teach, how will he ensure a minimum standard?
For now, these questions remain unanswered. In response to the Mail’s scoop, the Department for Education has simply remarked: “We do not comment on leaks.” What is clear is that Gove has yet again managed to set the terms of debate. As Fiona Millar remarked this morning, “Labour must stop being a commentator on Gove policies and come up with some bold clear alternatives that look to the future not the past.”
Finally, one might also note that there was no mention of scrapping GCSEs in the Conservative manifesto. The government’s desire to pursue policies for which “no one voted” (in the words of Rowan Williams) is well-established but as Andrew Lansley discovered, the lack of a mandate can prove costly. Given recent experience, the coalition would be advised to proceed cautiously.
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