For the past twenty years, Edge has been calling for an education system that allows young people to develop knowledge and skills across a range of disciplines to best prepare them for work and life - a truly broad and balanced approach.
So, the Prime Minister’s announcement, at what is likely to be the last Conservative Party Conference before the next General Election, of a baccalaureate-style 16-19 programme, the Advanced British Standard, with a review of GCSEs, signals a Government that is now listening.
In an inspiring break from the school of thought that has characterised policymaking over the last 13 years (or more), the Prime Minister has presented a bold vision for education that sees academic qualifications sit equally alongside technical and vocational pathways, and investment in the long-term future of our young people and the economy.
The Advanced British Standard would include an English and Maths element to 18 (at least to a ‘minor’ standard) and combine academic and technical routes under one qualification. This would be supplemented by an increase in the number of taught hours for all students to at least 1,475 over two years, to ensure depth of study is not lost.
According to the Government, this will seek to “retain the academic, knowledge-rich rigour of A Levels” with the relevance of “technical modules” underpinned by employer-set occupational standards. Clearly, knowledge can sit alongside skills.
The case for change is clear, and felt across social and political divides. The early specialisation and ‘two cultures’ division that characterises academic and vocational 16-19 education sets England apart as an international outlier. Approximately 83.4 per cent of students take A levels over vocational or technical qualifications. And whilst there are - in theory - many combinations of A Levels, students in England take an average of only 2.7 subjects.
Why does breadth matter? Every young person should be given the very best chance of succeeding in life and a rapidly changing world of work. That requires agility. As many as 65 per cent of young people today will be employed in jobs that don’t yet exist. But an outdated education system that closes off pathways too soon and does not systematically teach young people the skills that are highly valued by employers (to converse, to debate, to present, to persuade, to justify and to challenge), is setting many young people - and our economy - up for failure.
The Advanced British Standard announced by the Prime Minister has been described by the Government as a baccalaureate-style programme. The proposal mirrors the flagship policy of the Times Education Commission, a British Baccalaureate, which attracted widespread support across education, politics, the arts, science and business, including the likes of Sir James Dyson, Dame Kate Bingham and Lord Martin Rees. The idea of a baccalaureate has been gaining steam in recent years across the sector including from the House of Commons Education Select Committee, and Professor Hayward’s review of qualifications and assessment in Scotland.
As for what’s next, the devil is always in the details, which Edge colleagues will be examining. Edge stepped into this space to explore the different options in detail and the difficult question of how a baccalaureate-style system might be delivered in England. In May 2023, we convened a panel of experts to understand the rationale, options and difficult considerations that might have to be taken, drawing on the international evidence, and existing models. With the help of colleagues at Rethinking Assessment, we’ve also compiled a series of reports looking at international examples,principles behind a baccalaureate, and comparisons of different baccalaureate models. The Government’s decision to double down on its plans to scrap thousands of AGQs (including many BTECs) as part of this reform will require significant thought around ensuring technical qualifications are accessible to all and high-quality. We will explore these further in our upcoming event, exploring 14-19 diplomas on 19 October (which you can register to attend here).
There is also cause for optimism as to how the other main political parties may respond, given the cross-party consensus around building parity between academic and technical education. Labour’s pledge to review the curriculum and the assessment system should take elements of a baccalaureate model into consideration. There is a fresh new perspective taking hold across the political spectrum that the status quo is no longer best serving our children or the future of our workforce. We look forward to working with the Government and other political parties to deliver a genuinely broad and balanced education for all young people.