Commenting on the OCR's report Striking the Balance: A review
of 11-16 curriculum and assessment in England,
Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National
Education Union, said:
“The OCR's report is further evidence of a breadth of consensus
across the sector that our exam system is not fit for
purpose.
“NEU members have reported since their introduction that reformed
GCSEs are far too overloaded with content. This is to the
detriment of deep, meaningful learning, the workload of teachers
and the wellbeing of students.
“We agree that the volume of assessment is too great at 16 and
the methods used are too narrow. We support the idea that
assessment should be reduced and spread out, to minimise risk,
and that greater non-exam assessment should be utilised in order
to properly capture all that students are capable of.
“Teachers must be involved in the creation of any changes and
those changes must be implemented sustainably, all of which must
not add to teachers' already overburdened workload. Put simply,
time and resources have to be made available.
“Given the OCR's intervention, as well as the forthcoming
Government review, it is ever clearer that all in the sector are
crying out for change. The goal is a system of curriculum and
assessment which is broader, more diverse, more inclusive and fit
for the future.”
Responding to a new report by exam board OCR, chaired by former
education secretary , which warns that the
current volume and intensity of GCSE exams is too high, Sarah
Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders' union NAHT, said:
“Previous reforms to GCSEs have led to a qualification system
which emphasises short-term knowledge retention and high-stakes
final exams, and which does not meet the needs of all students or
all subjects.
“The potentially harmful impact on student wellbeing of this
approach must also be addressed. The number of exams students
face in Year 11 must be reduced and a more balanced and varied
approach to assessment developed, with more opportunities for
non-exam assessment and modular exams so that every student has
the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in
order to achieve their qualifications.
“NAHT has been clear that the curriculum and qualification
specifications contain too much content and this must also be
reduced. We hope the government's curriculum and assessment
review will recommend ways to do this, taking a coherent and
collective view of the whole curriculum, and creating the space
and time needed for schools to make content relevant to their
students, improving engagement and fostering a real love of
learning.”
Commenting on OCR's review of the 11-16 curriculum and assessment
in England, chaired by , Pepe Di'Iasio, General
Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“We have become a nation that is hooked on exams, and this report
resonates with many concerns raised by school and college
leaders. The excessive volume and intensity of GCSEs, as reformed
by the last government, is completely unnecessary for the purpose
of aiding progression. It creates significant exam anxiety among
students, with a detrimental impact on their mental health, and
is particularly challenging for those with additional needs.
“OCR's proposals to reduce the length, number and content of
assessments, and to reform GCSE English and maths, are spot on.
We're pleased also with the recognition that reform should happen
incrementally as it is vital that education staff are not
overwhelmed by rapid changes.
“These recommendations align closely with many of our own
conclusions and proposals for reforms that better serve all
learners while maintaining the integrity of exams. We hope they
will be reflected in the recommendations of the curriculum and
assessment review when its report is published in 2025.”
