Written by Ellis Brown
When I launched Project Positivity Education, I said our English education system can "limit creativity, be too test focused, cause avoidable mental health issues and kill the joy of learning", those claims were backed up by a year of independent research. The recently published House of Lords (HoL) report (December 2023) by the Education for 11–16 Year Olds Committee affirms such claims and highlights other concerns. The report states secondary education is "moving in the wrong direction" and that the Committee is “convinced that change must be undertaken without delay”. The Committee highlights several “priority areas for attention” to bring reform to our English education system in the short term and longer term. The recommendations include reducing the amount of content in the curriculum, reducing the volume and lowering the stakes of exams taken at age 16, increasing the use of non-exam assessment and abandoning EBacc school performance measures. The Committee heard repeatedly that the current English education system “fails to take account of wider societal and economic shifts”. Keep on reading to find out more about the Committee’s findings and recommendations.
An “overburdened” curriculum
The curriculum must include essential knowledge and skills to support human thriving; at the moment, that’s sadly not the reality. The recently published HoL report calls for a reduction in the "amount of content in the 11-16 curriculum” describing the current curriculum as “overburdened” necessitating “rote learning and ‘cramming’ subject knowledge” into lessons. “There is also little scope to… apply learning to real-world issues such as climate change, with pupil engagement suffering as a result”. It also states digital, creative and technical skills are likely to be in even greater demand in the future yet "opportunities to develop these skills have, however, been squeezed out of the 11-16 phase”. These skills can be incredibly enjoyable and rewarding to learn (and put into use), regardless of the fact our society relies on and thrives off these skills, not to mention the digital skills gap in the job market, creative industries playing a huge role in the success of our economy and the many valuable skills gained from technical subjects. To me, It just seems crazy to remove and not create the opportunities to develop these essential skills. Project Positivity fully supports a curriculum which contains less content, values all subjects equally, focuses on real life application and equips people with the essential skills and knowledge they need to thrive now and in the future. The report also calls for "additional pathways to support the development of pupils' digital skills”. Project Positivity fully supports better digital education as the risks and benefits of technology are becoming increasingly prevalent, so being informed is essential to safely harnessing the benefits of technology. In addition, the report also calls for an "adequate set of literacy and numeracy qualifications available to pupils age 14 to 16, focused on the application of these skills in real-world contexts”.
Alternatives to a high volume, high stakes exam system
Exams can be a way of measuring some understanding, knowledge and skills however the current exam system infects every part of our education system, killing the joy of learning and teaching for many. The Committee calls for a reduction in the "volume and lowering the stakes of exams taken at age 16” which would reduce stress, remove barriers for future aspirations and make it clear that you define you, never an exam. This would also allow teachers to focus on teaching students for life, not training them for tests. The Committee believes “the pressure created by the current assessment system has became unsustainable” and “those who do not excel in this type of assessment have few other opportunities to demonstrate their achievements”. It also suggests "increasing the use of coursework or other forms of non-exam assessment, including project-based qualifications” as “Pupils are now tested purely via exams in many GCSE subjects”. This would allow pupils who don’t excel in exams to show off their achievements, abilities and capabilities with different types of assessment. Project Positivity fully supports the outlined reforms to the assessment system as these would allow students to learn for life, not train for tests, making school so much more enjoyable and engaging for many. And when it comes to assessment, an exam wouldn’t be the only way to prove abilities and capabilities.
Abandon EBacc school performance measures
The report also calls for the abandonment of EBacc school performance measures as it “incentivise[s] a focus on a limited set of traditionally academic subjects” and states “Schools must be given greater flexibility to offer the subjects and qualifications that would best serve their pupils, based on a balanced curriculum”. It highlights “the impact [of EBacc] on creative subjects, including art and design, design and technology, drama and music” being responsible for the “dramatic decline in take-up” of these subjects (as well as vocational ones): a fall of 154,000 (57%) in entries to Design and Technology GCSEs and a reduction of 77,000 (20%) in entries into creative subjects according to the Joint Council for Qualifications.* The report also states “Opportunities to experience more practical, applied forms of learning have become increasingly limited, even though many pupils enjoy, and excel in, this way of acquiring knowledge and skills”. EBacc not only creates a narrow range of subjects, it can limit opportunities to enjoy and excel in subjects which aren’t part of the EBacc, such as the creative arts. The report also calls for a review into other school measures for secondary education. Project Positivity fully supports the abandonment of the EBacc school performance measure as this would help reduce pressure on schools, encourage students to take GCSE courses that they’re interested in, enjoy and excel in and support the creative, technical and vocational subjects which have suffered because of the EBacc. In addition, Project Positivity also fully supports a proper review of all other secondary school performance measures.
*Data from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) highlighted by Edge Foundation in its ‘Skills shortages in the UK economy’ report (2022).
Join the chorus for change
This report contains many key recommendations to improve our English education system however the House of Lords does not have the power to put these recommendations into reality. The government does; they can either ignore these findings and recommendations or implement them. This report on its own isn’t enough to bring about reform though, we must all call for the change we need for a better now and future.
Project Positivity Education gives you the opportunity to share your unique perspective on our English education system and to have it amplified across Project Positivity's platforms by contributing a personal opinion piece. Open to all, personal opinion pieces allow you to share your unique perspective on, or experience with, our English education system in 250 words or less. The House of Lords Committee is in “no doubt of the need for urgent action”. With Project Positivity on a mission to reform our education system, will you join the chorus for change?
Find out more and contribute your personal opinion piece here
The full House of Lords report is available to read here
All HoL quotes above are from the Report’s summary page. Project Positivity shares information relating to Project Positivity's mission however Project Positivity may not fully endorse all the content of referenced reports.
Article dictionary
House of Lords - part of UK Parliament
Curriculum - what is taught in a given course or subject
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) - a type of secondary education qualification in England
English Baccalaureate (EBacc) - a school performance measure in England linked to the GCSE results of a set group of subjects