Curriculum and assessment review: what was in our response?
17 December 2024
Lindsey Taylor, OCR Policy Researcher
Last month the Department for Education’s consultation on curriculum and assessment in England closed. The wide-ranging consultation will feed into the government’s Curriculum and Assessment review.
OCR, as part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, responded to the review based on our knowledge of the sector, on what we have been told in our own consultations with thousands of teachers and students, and based on our international experience and research on what works best around the world.
The consultation followed the publication of OCR’s Striking the Balance report looking at 11-16 education in England, and the research and consultation for this report helped to inform the organisation’s consultation response.
But there was even more to the Cambridge response, as the consultation covered areas beyond the scope of Striking the Balance, such as post-16 education.
So, what were some of the highlights of the response?
A Levels
On A Levels, we have found there is room for improvement, but an overhaul in this area would be unwise. These qualifications are seen by universities as reliable and a good preparation for undergraduate study, while Ofqual perception surveys also show that teachers are confident in these qualifications.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t areas for improvement – but that improvement should be targeted. In particular, some universities have told us that they feel students do not come to them with some of the broader skills and characteristics they would like to see, such as critical thinking, independent study and research, or presentation skills.
Post-16 vocational education
Our key request for the post-16 vocational landscape is a period of stability, for part of the education system that has gone through a great deal of change. A period of consolidation should be focused on giving teachers, schools and colleges the professional development and capacity needed to deliver high-quality vocational education.
International evidence shows that well-designed vocational learning can have benefits beyond the qualifications themselves, engaging learners in education and elevating their attainment in maths and literacy.
With the danger that economic factors limit the availability of more work-based vocational study, it is critical that Government invests in growing the capacity and capability of further education, sixth form colleges and schools to deliver full-time vocational qualifications like Alternative Academic Qualifications and Applied General Qualifications as the need for these is likely to grow significantly.
Too much content; not enough breadth
As Striking the Balance found, there is an apparent paradox in many GCSEs in England: the curriculum is overloaded with content, while also providing an education that is too narrow. In fact, it is not a paradox as the two are linked. The over-full curriculum, combined with an over-reliance on exams at 16, means teachers do not have the time to teach students the wider skills and knowledge they need for a rapidly changing economy and society.
What this means is that more content does not automatically mean higher standards; on the contrary, reducing the content of GCSEs, while rebalancing the way they are assessed, can enable higher standards. This was a message we received loud and clear from our extensive consultation for Striking the Balance, and it has also been very well received across the education sector since that report was published.
Maths and English: time for a rethink
With a ‘forgotten third’ of students not achieving Grade 4 in Maths and English at GCSE, it is clear that some changes are needed here.
In maths, it’s important to note that there is much that is working well – as evidenced by the growing popularity of the subject at A Level. But many others are leaving school without the fundamental skills that should have been mastered before Key Stage 3. We believe it is possible to provide stretch and challenge to advanced students while providing more support to those who are struggling.
In contrast to maths, English is not thriving in popularity at A Level, and many blame an unpopular GCSE for this. Along with many others, we are calling for a major rethink of GCSE English, to develop a qualification that encourages students to master a wider range of forms of writing, including the use of digital modes and writing for business purposes, and with a much greater focus on oracy to better equip students for life and work.
And English is not the only place where the curriculum needs to be more engaging.
Updating the curriculum
This is another area where we received a lot of passionate feedback from teachers and students. In a dramatically changing world, young people are more in need than ever of a forward-facing curriculum that reflects their priorities and prepares them for the future workplace.
This is a climate conscious generation, and young people are asking for an education that prepares them for a green economy. Formally assessing digital literacy would reflect the importance of helping young people to navigate an online world of misinformation, and the risks and opportunities associated with AI, in addition to the obvious employment benefits.
This is just a taster of our response – for more details, you can find a more in-depth summary on the Cambridge website. Or check out the full Striking the Balance report.
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About the author
Lindsey has been with OCR since its inception in 1998 having worked for RSA in the early 1990s. Lindsey’s role covers policy research, policy comms and stakeholder engagement with a current focus on the Labour Government’s emerging education policies.
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