THE Government risks sacrificing the interests of a majority of children if it fails to back a new diploma in place of GCSEs and A levels, the author of the plans said yesterday.
Sir Mike Tomlinson said he feared that Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary, would miss an opportunity to end the divide between academic and vocational study when she publishes the Government’s reponse on Wednesday to his plans for a diploma for students aged 14 to 19.
He admitted that the reforms had “lost continuity” when Ms Kelly replaced Charles Clarke in charge of education in December and David Miliband, a particular enthusiast for the diploma, was removed as Minister for School Standards.
The impending general election had also affected the Government’s willingness to embrace change.
Sir Mike, the former head of Ofsted, published proposals in October for a diploma at four levels of difficulty to replace all existing qualifications over the next decade. He argued that it would enable all students to pursue their interests to the best of their abilities and erase the divide between academic and vocational study.
Advertisement
But Tony Blair has insisted that A levels and GCSEs must stay, a position reiterated yesterday by Ms Kelly. “You don’t improve a system by getting rid of what’s good,” she said.
Sir Mike told The Times that he had no problem with retaining the content of GCSEs and A levels as building blocks towards the new diploma, although they would no longer be separate qualifications.
He said: “The worry for me is that there may be a sort of sacrificing of the needs of perhaps the majority in favour of what are the perceived strengths of the present system for a relative minority, who do pretty well already and don’t have too many difficulties in seeing their way through into higher education.”
Ms Kelly faces a backlash from teaching unions and the Government’s own exams watchdog, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, if she rejects the diploma.
The QCA has told her it is essential to implement the Tomlinson report in full.
Advertisement
David Bell, the Chief Inspector of Schools in England, has also told Ms Kelly that he is “strongly in favour” of replacing A levels and GCSEs.
Officials at the Department for Education and Skills were said to be reworking details of the Government’s reponse as late as Friday.