Primary tests should be scrapped in favour of regular online tests for five to 14-year-olds and 鈥渄igital SATs鈥 for year 9s, a think tank has said. The , run by former government adviser Tom Richmond, has published a paper calling for a 鈥10-year plan to reform primary and secondary education鈥. It also renewed calls for GCSEs and A-levels to be replaced by a four-year 鈥渂accalaureate鈥, with exam for older pupils also 鈥渄igital by default鈥. It comes as the government is developing plans to replace A-levels and T-levels with a new 鈥渁dvanced British standard鈥, and after Labour said it would review curriculum and assessment if it wins this year鈥檚 election. The report identified a 鈥渘umber of strengths鈥 of the current approach to the curriculum, assessment and accountability that should be retained by the next government. They include the 鈥渆mphasis on academic rigour鈥, the use of external exams in primary and secondary schools and allowing students to specialise with three A-levels in their final year at school. But the report also raised 鈥渟erious concerns about the impact of the current education system on students and teachers鈥. ‘Overloaded with content’ The 鈥渞elentless focus on high stakes tests such as SATs in primary school and GCSEs in secondary school is encouraging schools to 鈥榯each to the test鈥 and narrow the curriculum to spend more time on exam preparation鈥. The national curriculum and GCSEs are also 鈥渙verloaded with content, with over half of GCSE teachers saying they struggle to get through their course in time鈥. 鈥淭he enduring obsession with pen-and-paper tests is also at odds with other countries such as Australia, Denmark and Wales, who have already dropped written exams in favour of national online testing.鈥 EDSK said the next government should 鈥渟et out a 10-year plan that preserves the most valuable aspects of the current primary and secondary education system but reforms those parts of the system that are holding back students and teachers鈥. SATs at the end of primary school should be replaced by 鈥渞egular online testing鈥 from the ages of five to 14. These should culminate in 鈥渓ow-stakes 鈥榙igital SATs鈥 for 14-year-olds in almost all national curriculum subjects to inform their future subject choices鈥. Bacc to the future? For pupils aged 14 to 18, GCSEs, A-levels, BTECs, T-levels and apprenticeships 鈥渟hould be replaced by a four-year 鈥榖accalaureate鈥 that brings all academic, applied and technical courses into a single framework鈥 All students would have to study 鈥渃ore鈥 English and maths to 18 and would start in year 10 with six other subjects of their choice, dropping a subject a year to 鈥済radually specialise鈥. Tom Richmond Students would 鈥渢ypically鈥 end with three subjects in year 13, or two if they are studying a large technical choice or apprenticeship. To 鈥渄ramatically reduce the existing exam burden after age 14鈥, students would only take a high-stakes external exam when they drop a subject or when they reach the end of the baccalaureate at age 18. External exams within the baccalaureate would also be 鈥渄igital by default, meaning that students will take shorter digital tests rather than lengthy pen-and-paper tests in most cases鈥. Richmond said 鈥渕any mistakes have been made over the last 14 years, not least the unacceptable bias against vocational and technical qualifications as well as the excessive burdens on students and teachers created by high-stakes written exams鈥. 鈥淩elieving some of the exam pressures on teachers could also be a critical component of tackling the recruitment and retention crisis in the coming years.鈥
Vicki 16 May 2024 Do the government/think tanks realise that; schools are underfunded, there is a teacher retention and recruitment crisis, that workload is a major factor causing teachers to leave, that most state schools have very few computer facilities? Do they also realise that massive curriculum changes such as these take a huge amount of teacher time to prepare and implement and cost a considerable amount of money to properly resource? It doesn鈥檛 seem like these two situations fit together very well!