The House of Commons Education select committee has released today a highly critical report on the English Baccalaureate. The report questioned the range of subjects included in the English Baccalaureate, noted the negative consequences on the uptake of subjects not included and recommended that the government consult widely and review it after the current National Curriculum Review has been completed.
Chair of the Accord Coalition, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, said ‘since the English Baccalaureate has been introduced there has been growing evidence that it is leading to a reduction in the provision of subjects that do not feature in it, but which are still very important for preparing children for life in our society, such as Religious Education, Personal Social Health and Economic education and Citizenship.
‘The NASUWT’s ‘English Baccalaureate Survey Summary’ was released in June and indicates that since the English Baccalaureate performance indicator was introduced 12% of schools had reported a decline in their planned provision of Citizenship, 11% of a decline their planned provision of PSHE and 10% a decline their planned provision of RE. Meanwhile, a survey of nearly 800 schools conducted by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education recently found that almost one in three secondary schools plans cuts to RE teaching.
‘We therefore urge the Government to heed the advice of the House of Commons Education select committee to review the English Baccalaureate and consult more widely on how best to measure students’ and schools’ performance’.
