NUT and King's College London Research into Key Stage 4
A report from the School of Education, Communication and Society, commissioned by the National Union of Teachers (NUT), has highlighted major concerns amongst teachers that the school performance measure the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is reducing opportunities for students to access creative subjects and increasing student disengagement and demotivation.
The report, A curriculum for all? The effects of recent Key Stage 4 curriculum, assessment and accountability reforms on English secondary education, drew from the insight and experiences of 1,800 teachers together with in-depth case studies of a range of schools. It underlined that the curriculum is becoming narrower and less inclusive, with creativity and independence of thought being sacrificed across the curriculum.
Kevin Courtney, General Secretary of the NUT, called on the Government to take the report seriously, stating that “the Government could and should learn important and constructive lessons from the … secondary teachers speaking up in this report.”
The researchers found that by prioritising more traditional academic subjects, the EBacc is squeezing out time and resources for creative and vocational subjects. In some cases schools are removing these subjects from the curriculum altogether. One teacher interviewed said, “…We are merely becoming an exam production unit and we are losing the breadth and depth of knowledge that we ought to be giving students”. There was concern that steering students only towards EBacc subjects will lead to disengagement and disaffection, particularly amongst lower-attaining students and students who are more creative or practically inclined.
The impact of exam and accountability pressures on teachers’ and students’ mental health was a significant theme in the report. 84% of teachers worried that the reforms were entrenching an exam culture which undermined students’ mental health and wellbeing. 92% of teachers reported that their workload had increased as a result of data collection requirements. Teachers reported that many colleagues were leaving teaching often due to feeling burnt out and exhausted. While, others reported that teachers of creative subjects were being made redundant or not being replaced.
The full report can be found here.