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Education Secretary ... Michael Gove.
EDUCATION chiefs in South Tyneside say vocational qualifications must provide the same challenge as GCSEs.
More than 3,000 of the qualifications, such as fish husbandry, office skills and horse care, will no longer be recognised in school league tables from 2014.
Education secretary Michael Gove said the move is to stop schools using vocational courses, some which are worth four GCSEs, to improve their rankings.
Under the new system, only 70 of the courses will be regarded as a suitable equivalent to GCSEs.
Alan Hardie, headteacher at Whitburn C of E Academy in Shanks Road, said: “Vocational qualifications have their place alongside more traditional academic subjects.
“The problem has been the incentive for schools to deliver vocational courses, which have been counted as the equivalent of four GCSE grades in the league tables, but which do not carry the same currency with employers or further education providers.
“This has detracted from the value of vocational courses in motivating pupils by offering a different style of learning and providing career pathways.
“While I believe that all schools should focus on qualifications accrediting the core skills of literacy and numeracy, providing the same rigour is applied to the vocational courses as with GCSEs, then there is certainly a place for vocational education.”
Mr Hardie said that Whitburn C of E Academy will continue to offer “relevant” vocational qualifications.
He said pupils at the academy study ICT and design technology, which are “of a vocational nature” but are classified as GCSEs.
The academy excelled in Key Stage 4 league tables published last week, with 89 per cent of pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades at GCSE, and 77 per cent reaching the equivalent grades in maths and English.
Dr Jill McManus, a science teacher at St Joseph’s RC Comprehensive School in Mill Lane, Hebburn, and secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) in South Tyneside, said scrapping some vocational courses will have a negative effect on pupils.
She said: “It sends a poor message to pupils currently studying these courses, that what they are doing are worthless qualifications.
“I don’t agree with league tables in principle, but as they do exist, perhaps they should be used only for the core curriculum subjects of English, maths and science, and leave schools free to offer subjects appropriate to their pupils.
“It makes it difficult for schools to plan provision when the government keeps moving the goal posts.”
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
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Secre
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 02:29 PMA man who wants to spend £400,000 on Bibles for schools at a time when pensions are at risk. A man who refuses to listen to valid concerns from parents and teachers about his proposals and instead mocks and derides them. A man who is eroding teachers positions of authority in their classroom. Is this a man to be trusted with our children? Read more: http:socyberty.comeducationremove-michael-gove-as-secretary-of-state-for-education#ixzz1lEcetDMY
marcussmod
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 03:49 PMI must admit I loath Gove and his right wing wrecking ball policies. He appears to have an ideological hatred of state education and modernist subjects. However I think this is one thing he has got right. As Mr Hardie states, many schools have offered courses that will be of little use to students. They are merely used as a means to boost the school position in the league tables. Gove is also limiting the number of “equivalent” GCSE’s that can be claimed to only one. Therefore pupils can no longer pass four units in OCR ICT Nationals and then schools claim they have four GCSE's. Most schools in this area use this ploy. The league tables will less distorted as the "equivalents” will count for only a single GCSE. I expect schools will find it much harder now to post results of 100%.
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