Education leaders back new system (From Warrington Guardian)

Education leaders back new system

PROPOSALS to replace GCSE and A-level exams with a broader, diploma-style system have been largely welcomed by leading education figures in Warrington.

Last week, former Ofsted chief Mike Tomlinson recommended that the two qualifications be replaced with an overarching diploma in an effort to improve basic skills and cut back on unnecessary coursework.

Mr Tomlinson is the chairman of the working group charged with overhauling the 14 to 19 curriculum in the wake of the 2002 A-level crisis.

Malcolm Roxburgh, Warrington Borough Council's director of education, told the Warrington Guardian that he agreed with the "broad brush" of the group's interim report.

He said: "I think he has come up with a useful set of proposals. I think we fail to realise the stress and pressure we put on students, not only with formal examinations but with coursework."

Mr Roxburgh said that young people, between the ages of 14 and 19, sit approximately 110 examinations and that because of this stringent process, they could be missing out on opportunities to develop as young citizens.

John Sharples, head teacher at Sir Thomas Boteler CE High School, said: "There has been a lot of shilly-shallying in this area and I think that we are now ready for quite fundamental reform."

Mr Sharples said that in some ways it is already happening. Sir Thomas Boteler already sends students to Priestley College on vocational courses. This work leads to Advanced National Vocational Qualifications when they leave the school at the age of 16.

Mr Sharples added: "There are some problems to be sorted out, but in principal it has got a lot of merit."

The proposed changes would be phased in over a 10-year period to get an evolutionary rather than a "big bang" change.

The interim report recommends that all pupils study the core subjects of English, maths and information communication technology (ICT) throughout their school lives.

This would ensure that they arrive at university or begin work with basic skills exceeding those required for a GCSE.

The final report will be delivered by the end of the summer.